Come winter and cold, and many parents wonder if we should take precautions against the flu, which seems to be much more active during the winter, or if we can really do something for the kids to not constipate. But why are there more colds in winter? What does that have to do with viruses and cold? What can we do to avoid getting sick with winter?
Why do we constipate more in winter?
Since it is a proven fact that kids tend to catch colds more in winter than in summer and the cold we breathe is usually a very ingrained in popular culture as the cause of colds factor, asked Alberto Mangos Moro, pulmonologist resident the Hospital La Paz to explain to us what causes our kids are constipated.
There are several factors that encourage more viruses in the air. On one side is the cold itself, which is the perfect breeding ground for certain known viruses and involved in influenza and catarrhal processes Viruses reproduce faster at low temperatures, and more viruses, more sick people.
Under this premise, the logical alternative is to shelter ourselves a lot, to avoid the street and to lock ourselves in rooms. There may even be some who think that it is a good idea to keep a constant and warm temperature at home throughout the day, without ventilation.
Do not open the windows and ventilate” continues Mangos “is a mistake. As we are warm and we tend to leave the windows closed, and yet there are those who continue to get sick. It is what we call overcrowding several people together in a small, poorly ventilated space. A constipated person, who speaks to you on the street, because you are in an open atmosphere, is unlikely to get anything. However, in a room the chances are much rise.
With respect to the coat, Alberto Mangos confirms something we do have internalized: Being warm helps little sick, but not because the cold down our defenses. The level of defenses is the same, what changes are a slowing of our body due to the low temperatures and an increase of the amount of virus in the atmosphere.
A person who hits the streets in short sleeves not have their defenses down, but your body will work more slowly. It can even undergo a hypothermia principle due to the intense cold, being easier to become infected because, in addition, there are more viruses swarming. Instead of fighting them, our body is busy warming up. Hence sick more.
And the virus is helped by the fact that more people are infected, becoming a vector of propagation more (one more emitter of the virus). Given all this, can you do something against viruses? Because they seem to have everything well planned.
What can we do to avoid getting sick?
On the one hand says Alberto Mangos us be healthy. Eat well, do sports, lead a healthy life in general and watching over us every day. We’ll have more natural defenses against external agents (either viral or not).
It is quite easy to visualize how a person with low defenses due to some type of illness or lack of food, as well as those of age, will be more prone to get sick. What about those people with diminished health or those who enter the so-called risk groups?
In addition to applying the same rule above about care: shelter thoroughly and take care of personal hygiene. Someone who is healthy in middle age is less likely to become constipated if it is housed one week after the winter has entered than a child of growing age.
Wsh hands with soap after going through the toilet or before a meal can prevent many infections. But with the cold sometimes the little ones go sluggish even go to the shower. Convert hygiene in a game can prevent the spread of viruses and other pathogens.
As a general rule, something as simple as aerate the house fifteen minutes or even half an hour can help a lot. We get up, open the window wide leaving the bed unmade and go to the shower, from which we must take care of leaving dry and without moisture. Then, we should also ventilate the bathroom to avoid other microorganisms.
With the lack of ventilation in winter due to the cold, the development of other microorganisms such as fungi or bacteria in the bathroom and in the kitchen is encouraged. To increase ventilation in the morning should follow a thorough cleaning with products that eliminate bacteria, fungi and viruses as Star 2in1with bleach and detergent.
In addition to trying to prevent the sick person from spreading viruses here and there, it is advisable to disinfect any objects that come in contact with it, such as the faucet or the handlebars.
This same cleaning should be done not only in the home, but also in the spaces shared by many people, especially the classrooms where our children spend all day (and where there must also be ventilation in the mornings). A good praxis by the educational centers is to organize the first half hour of the day to air the classroom. Both centers at home, keep toys disinfected , it is also a good habit in that regard.
What if my baby is already sick?
The first, always, is to talk to a specialist and keep clothed and well fed to small “says Alberto Mangos’. It is how best to fight the infection, aided by adequate rest. The virus could come from the environment, another child, his family, low defenses .there are many factors, although frequent respiratory infection.
Much of the contagion comes from spending time sharing a room with someone who is sick. The settling a mask or scarf (neck panties are very useful and comfortable) will help curb the spread whether we are healthy and we want to protect ourselves as if we want to protect the people around us our cold.
Especially when we speak. When we speak we cannot avoid breathing through our mouths, and that gives direct access to viruses and cold air to our upper respiratory system (the upper lungs). Breathing through the nose is a good habit, since warmer air to reach the lungs, and part of the virus have been trapped in the mucosa. »
Finally, we should note that most cases are solved go to the specialist and save time in bed, because our body has the tools to fight these infections. But you need the right conditions, such as a warm coat bedding properly disinfected with products like Neuter and medicines prescribed by a doctor.
Caring for our environment and disinfected frequently will help, first, that our kids do not fall ill, and second, that their defenses are not compromised in case sick.
