Respiratory diseases go to Hainan

For the vast majority of stable patients with chronic respiratory diseases (including allergic rhinitis, COPD, cough variant asthma, etc.), going to Hainan for the winter can indeed significantly reduce the frequency of disease attacks and relieve respiratory discomfort. However, this is by no means a "universal prescription" that can cure all diseases. There are clear inapplicable groups, and it cannot replace conventional treatment.

I have been in the respiratory department for almost ten years. During the winter follow-up visits in the past two years, I have always met old patients from the northeast and northwest. The one who impressed me the most is Aunt Li from Harbin. She has been suffering from allergic rhinitis and asthma for 14 years. Before and after the heating in her hometown from January to October, she couldn't stop sneezing. When it was severe, she couldn't even get out of bed and breathed. No amount of medicine can hold me back. In 2021, my son took me to Sanya for the winter. I still coughed occasionally for the first three days. A week later, I was able to dance square dances with the aunties in the community at Coconut Dream Corridor. When I came for a follow-up this year, I said that in the past two winters in Hainan, I had never had an acute asthma attack, and even the dosage of inhaled hormones was reduced by half.

Why is there such an obvious effect? In fact, it’s not complicated to put it bluntly. According to Western medicine, the dry and cold air in northern winter itself is the strongest respiratory irritant. Coupled with the dust raised during the heating period, the high concentration of PM2.5, and allergens such as poplar catkins and pollen in spring and autumn, the fragile respiratory tract cannot handle it at all. ； The temperature in Hainan remains at 20-30°C all year round, and the humidity is also stable at around 50%. The particles and allergens in the air are more than an order of magnitude less than those in the north in autumn and winter, which is equivalent to a natural protective cover for the respiratory tract. The perspective of traditional Chinese medicine is also interesting. It is said that most elderly people with chronic respiratory diseases have lung qi deficiency and are intolerant to cold evil. Hainan is a southern fire land with sufficient yang qi. It is equivalent to a natural "external treatment prescription" for warming the lungs and dispersing cold. It can replenish yang qi without taking medicine and is naturally comfortable.

But don’t make this thing so magical, it’s really not useful to everyone. Last year, I treated an elderly man with COPD from Shandong. He heard others say that Hainan can cure the disease, and he came here right after he stopped taking medicine. It happened to be that the temperature in Hainan dropped to 16 degrees that winter, and he couldn't bear to turn on the air conditioner. He went to the emergency room in the middle of the night because he was gasping for breath. There are also patients who are allergic to mold and dust mites. When Hainan comes to Nantian in February and March, mold can grow on the walls, and the cough becomes worse after coming. I met a young man who came to Hainan for half a month and sneezed more seriously than at home. After checking the allergens, he found out that he was allergic to mold, so he bought a ticket and went back that day. There are also patients with damp-heat cough and asthma who usually cough up yellow phlegm and have dry mouth. If they stay in Hainan for a long time, their symptoms will be aggravated by the heavy moisture, so they are not suitable at all.

There are actually different voices in the academic circles now. Many experts do not recommend that everyone blindly run to Hainan. First, many elderly people have basic diseases such as high blood pressure and heart disease. They have to travel for more than ten hours. If something happens on the way, the gain will not be worth the loss.； Second, the cost of wintering in Hainan is not low. The combined rent and living expenses are not a small burden for ordinary families. In fact, if you can control the room temperature at around 22°C at home, adjust the humidity to 40%-60%, wear an N95 mask when going out, and install a fresh air system, you can achieve similar results. There is no need to bear the pressure and travel to Hainan.

To be honest, when I give advice to a patient, I never ask him to go to Hainan right away. I first let him try to adjust his small environment at home. If he still gets sick frequently after adjusting, and his family conditions permit, then he can try to go to Hainan for two or three months. And don’t think everything will be fine once you go. Don’t stop taking medicines and inhaling drugs at will. Don’t turn on the air conditioner too low. When you return to Nantian, turn on more dehumidifiers. You should also eat seafood within your ability. Don’t be allergic to it. If you eat too much and it triggers asthma, then the gains outweigh the losses.

To put it bluntly, going to Hainan is more like giving your tired respiratory tract a long vacation, allowing it to take a break from the constant stimulation, but you cannot expect that a vacation will completely eradicate the root cause of the disease. Live your life for yourself, do whatever makes you feel comfortable, there is no need to follow the trend, and there is no need to regard it as the only solution, right?