How to protect your delicate lungs when the weather is severely cold in winter?

The ancients said: "The lungs are delicate organs that like moisture but hate dryness. They are afraid of cold and heat." This means that the lungs are the most "delicate" organs in the human body, and a warm and humid climate is most suitable for respiratory health. , cold and hot climates are not conducive to respiratory health. Once you feel wind-cold and wind-heat, they will also manifest in the lungs, with symptoms such as fever, coughing, and wheezing.

The cold and dry climate in winter can easily induce acute attacks or exacerbations of chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic bronchitis, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

Director Yue Pengcheng of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine of our hospital reminds the general public and patients with chronic respiratory diseases to pay special attention to nourishing the lungs in winter.

To nourish the lungs in winter, you must first have a regular daily life. It is advisable to go to bed early and get up late, go out late and return early, and wear a mask when going out in foggy weather. Depending on your personal situation, choose aerobic exercise such as jogging, Tai Chi, as well as abdominal breathing training (stretch your arms, expand your chest as much as possible, and then use your abdomen to drive your breathing) and pursed-lip breathing (making a "hissing" sound), which can increase lung capacity , strengthen lung function, which is especially beneficial to the recovery of patients with COPD;

Secondly, the diet should be "three highs and four lows". The "three highs" are high protein, high vitamins, and high fiber. It is advisable to eat more high-protein foods such as lean meats, soy products, fish, and mushrooms, foods rich in vitamins such as vegetables, fruits, beans, dairy, and black fungus, as well as high-fiber foods such as coarse foods. The "four lows" refer to foods that are low in cholesterol, low in fat, low in sugar, and low in salt. Foods such as autumn pears, lilies, radishes, black sesame seeds, soy milk, tofu, walnuts, pine nuts, etc., as well as moderate drinking water, all have the function of nourishing and moisturizing the lungs.

The third is to pay attention to personal hygiene, do not spit everywhere, cover your mouth and nose with tissues when sneezing and coughing, wash your hands frequently before meals and after going to the toilet, and wash your hands frequently between 2 and 4 pm every day when the temperature is highest. Open windows and ventilate the room.

The fourth is to pay attention to preventing colds, go to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for regular injections of influenza vaccine and pneumonia vaccine, and avoid going to crowded places during high influenza season. You must take a rest after catching a cold. If your cough or shortness of breath worsens, you must seek medical attention. Patients with elevated body temperature should pay special attention.

The fifth is to conduct regular health examinations. People over 45 years old who smoke for a long time and are exposed to indoor and outdoor pollution should go to the hospital for a lung function test every six months and a chest DR or low-dose CT examination every year.

Pulmonary function test

Pulmonary function test is one of the necessary tests for respiratory diseases. It is used to detect lung and airway lesions in the early stage, evaluate the severity and prognosis of the disease, and evaluate It plays an important role in the efficacy of drugs or other treatments, identifying the causes of dyspnea, diagnosing diseased sites, assessing lung function tolerance to surgery or labor intensity, and monitoring critically ill patients.

Children who need pulmonary function tests:

1. Repeated coughing or wheezing;

2. Cough lasting for more than 2-3 weeks, antibiotic treatment Invalid;

3. Repeated "colds" develop into the lower respiratory tract and last for more than 10 days;

4. Assessment of the condition of children with asthma;

5. Acute Attacks of choking, hoarseness, and difficulty breathing;

6. Early identification of acute bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma in infants and young children;

7. Other respiratory diseases.

Performances of respiratory diseases in pulmonary function tests:

1. Obstructive lesions: refers to changes in airflow obstruction due to narrowing of the respiratory tract caused by various factors, among which asthma is the most common. obvious.

2. Restrictive lesions: refers to changes in pulmonary ventilation that are reduced due to restriction of lung breathing movement, such as emphysema, pleurisy, hydropneumothorax, etc., all of which reduce pulmonary ventilation to varying degrees.

3. Mixed lesions: refers to a combination of obstructive and restrictive lesions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and advanced asthma, pneumoconiosis, pediatric bronchopneumonia, etc.

Pulmonary function testing method:

1. Because the nose is clamped, you should keep breathing through your mouth.

2. Hold the mouth as tightly as possible to ensure that there is no air leakage during the test.

3. Follow the operator’s commands as much as possible and perform exhalation and inhalation movements immediately.

4. Inhale as much as possible, and then exhale with maximum strength and fastest speed.