What are the regular preventive measures for respiratory diseases

The core of daily prevention of respiratory diseases is to block the virus transmission path and protect your own respiratory barrier. There is no need to stock up on various preventive medicines and sky-high-priced health products spread online. By doing small things in daily high-frequency scenarios, you can block the vast majority of infection risks.

A while ago, our community health station compiled the respiratory infection follow-up data for the entire year last year. In the same community with urgent needs, residents who usually only "did not touch their faces after touching public items when going out, wore masks only when going to confined places, and washed their hands first when they got home" had a 32% lower incidence of respiratory tract infections throughout the year than those who took vitamin C supplements and took immune supplements every day but did not pay attention to protection when going out. This shows that these inconspicuous things are most effective.

Many people don’t know that respiratory viruses not only float in the air through droplets, but can survive on the surfaces of normal-temperature objects such as elevator buttons, milk tea cup lids, and bus handrails for 2 to 8 hours. Rubbing your nose or eyes after touching them is equivalent to directly removing the virus. Pass it to the entrance of the respiratory tract, so try not to touch your face after touching public items outside. Just rub your hands with soap for 20 seconds as soon as you get home. If it is inconvenient to go out, a small bottle of no-rinse disinfectant gel is enough. You don’t have to use hand sanitizer with sterilization function, ordinary cleaning is enough.

When it comes to protection, many people will ask about masks. Nowadays, there is a lot of noise on the Internet. Some people say that you have to wear N95 when going out to be safe. Some people say that wearing a mask makes you tired and reduces your immunity. We talked with clinical doctors and most of the opinions are that it is not necessary to wear it all day long. It is only necessary to wear a medical surgical or KN95 when going to the hospital, taking the subway during morning and evening rush hours, and visiting closed shopping malls with a large flow of people. It is enough to wear a surgical mask or KN95 in an open space. There is no need to be bored in parks, in your own independent office, or at home. Wearing a mask for a long time will indeed reduce the adaptability of the nasal mucosa to cold air and allergens, and it will easily become inflamed when exposed to stimulation. However, some allergists believe that when there are many pollen seasons and dust mites in the spring and autumn, people with allergies should wear ordinary medical masks to block allergens, which has more advantages than disadvantages. This can be adjusted according to your own physical condition and does not need to be generalized.

In addition to blocking the transmission route, it is also important to protect your own respiratory barrier. When the heating is turned on in autumn and winter, and strong winds blow in spring, many people will feel dry noses and itchy throats. In fact, the respiratory mucosa is already in a state of dehydration and damage at this time, and the virus can easily break through. Usually, keep a hygrometer of a few dollars at home to maintain the air humidity at 40%-60%. Spray your nose with saline when it feels dry, which is more effective than drinking throat tea. Last year, I came into contact with an old patient with a 10-year history of chronic bronchitis. He used to be hospitalized for more than ten days every winter. Later, the younger members of the family stopped smoking, and relatives were not allowed to come to the house to smoke. This winter, he only had a slight cough, and he did not even receive an infusion. Whether tobacco is first-hand or second-hand, the damage to the respiratory mucosa is really irreversible. If you can reduce the exposure, do so as little as possible.

There is also a saying that everyone has been arguing about for many years, saying that "freezing can enhance immunity." In fact, there is no standard answer to this. Young people have good physical fitness and exercise regularly. When the temperature drops by three to five degrees in autumn, there is no need to rush to wrap up in thick down jackets. If you feel cold but do not shiver, it will be fine. Indeed It can really train the respiratory tract's adaptability to low temperatures, but if you are the elderly, children or people with underlying diseases, don't bear the "autumn freeze". When you are so cold, your body's immunity will temporarily decrease, leaving an opportunity for the virus to take advantage of. It is safest to add clothes in time.

Finally, to be honest, there is no need to spray disinfectant all over the house every day. Over-disinfection will destroy the normal flora environment of the respiratory tract and make problems more likely. Opening the windows twice a day and changing the air in the home for half an hour each time is more effective than any other disinfection measure.