Understanding the Prevention, Treatment, and Health Care of Chronic Bronchitis in Spring and Winter

Source: [People's Daily]Uncle Li, who is 74 years old, suffers from chronic bronchitis, which often worsens during cold seasons or seasonal changes. I wake up in the morning with a persistent cough, always feeling phlegm in my throat

Source: [People's Daily]

Uncle Li, who is 74 years old, suffers from chronic bronchitis, which often worsens during cold seasons or seasonal changes. I wake up in the morning with a persistent cough, always feeling phlegm in my throat. I can't cough up, and it's difficult to breathe. Next, let's take a look at the prevention and self care of chronic bronchitis through science popularization.

Chronic bronchitis, abbreviated as "chronic bronchitis" or "old chronic bronchitis", is a common and frequently occurring disease among middle-aged and elderly people (up to about 15% in those over 50 years old). It is mainly caused by chronic non-specific inflammation of the trachea, bronchial mucosa, and surrounding tissues caused by infectious or non infectious factors. Clinical manifestations include coughing, expectoration, or wheezing lasting for more than two consecutive years and more than three months each year. The etiology of this disease is not yet clear, and in recent years, it has been believed that the causes include smoking, infection, irritating smoke, dust, air pollution, nutrition, and climate change. The early symptoms of chronic bronchitis are mild, but they are more common during the alternation of cold seasons. The inflammation worsens in the later stages, and the symptoms persist throughout the year, regardless of season. Here are 6 ways to self care and help prevent the occurrence and development of chronic bronchitis.

1. Strengthen physical exercise, breathing, and cold endurance exercises to enhance physical fitness. Every morning, you can take a walk, practice Tai Chi, jog, etc. This can breathe fresh air, promote blood circulation, and winter exercise can improve the adaptability of the respiratory mucosa to cold air. However, in cold weather, the activity level is limited to no obvious shortness of breath, accelerated heartbeat, and excessive fatigue, and the heart rate is controlled at around (170 age) * 80%. Massaging the soles of the feet, palms, and foot bathtub before bedtime is great and helpful. Do more chest expansion exercises to enhance cardiovascular function.

Exercise breathing exercises include deep and slow breathing. The patient can gradually increase the range of respiratory movement and slow down the respiratory rate without feeling laborious. The effect is to improve respiratory efficiency and improve symptoms of chest tightness and shortness of breath.

Abdominal breathing. Abdominal breathing can keep the respiratory tract unobstructed, increase vital capacity, reduce the attack of chronic bronchitis, and prevent emphysema and pulmonary heart disease. Specific method: When inhaling, try to raise the abdomen as much as possible, and when exhaling, try to exhale to make the abdomen concave.

Shrink your lips and breathe. The patient inhales deeply through the nose, exhales through the mouth, and when exhaling, the lips are closed, like whistling. The inspiratory to expiratory time ratio is 1:2 or 1:3. The purpose of this method is to exhale as much waste gas as possible from the lungs, thereby improving ventilation function. Exercise 2-3 times a day for 10-20 minutes each time, gradually and not in a hurry.

2. Avoid stimulating foods such as spicy and alcohol, greasy and sticky foods, seafood and pickled foods. It is advisable to eat more fresh vegetables and easily digestible foods. It is advisable to eat more sweet and cool foods that can clear and nourish the lungs, but not too much.

3. Diet is also important for preventing "old chronic bronchitis", and elderly people can eat it regularly and appropriately.

Bird's Nest. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that bird's nest has the functions of nourishing yin, moistening dryness, supplementing qi, and tonifying the middle, with excellent tonifying effects. It can be used as a tonic for those who suffer from prolonged illness, physical deficiency, emaciation, and lack of appetite due to qi deficiency.

ternip. White radish is a common vegetable that can be eaten raw or cooked. It has the effects of promoting digestion, enhancing appetite, accelerating gastrointestinal peristalsis, and relieving cough and phlegm.

Pear. There are many varieties, cultivated throughout China, which have the effects of moistening the lungs, clearing the heart, stopping heat and coughing, and reducing phlegm.

Lily. Lily can nourish the middle and replenish qi, warm the lungs and relieve cough, and has the function of nourishing nutrients. Fresh products have the effect of calming cough, suitable for body deficiency, lung weakness, chronic bronchitis, etc|

Ginkgo. Ginkgo biloba is the seed of Ginkgo biloba, a plant in the Ginkgo family. It has the functions of nourishing yin and moistening the lungs, nourishing blood and generating muscles, astringing lung qi, and relieving cough and asthma. For various asthma patients with excessive phlegm, it has an auxiliary therapeutic effect and should be cooked.

Tremella fuciformis. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that tremella has the effects of nourishing yin, moistening the lungs, nourishing the stomach, and promoting fluid production. It is a dual-use product for both medicine and food. Its medicinal properties are gentle, safe to take, and especially suitable for long-term consumption by elderly people.

Yuzhu. Yuzhu belongs to the lily family plant, and is listed as a top grade in the "Shennong Materia Medica Classic". It can quench thirst and nourish the heart and lungs.

There are other foods that are beneficial for the respiratory tract: grapes, honey, yams, pomegranates, peanuts, sugarcane, lotus seeds, dates, citrus, loquats, walnuts, animal lungs, etc., which should be eaten regularly by the elderly. Eat foods rich in vitamins, trace elements, and high-quality protein in moderation, such as fish, poultry, eggs, lean meat, soy products, etc. Drink more water, especially during dry seasons, and make sure to drink plenty of water. Depending on the human condition, eat more lamb or lamb soup to warm up and strengthen the body, and to ward off severe cold.

Attention should be paid to avoid eating spicy food, such as pepper, pepper, garlic, onion, leek, etc., as well as Baijiu, so as not to stimulate the respiratory mucosa, causing cough or asthma. Quitting smoking is very important. The incidence rate of chronic bronchitis of smokers is many times higher than that of non-smokers, and it is closely related to the occurrence of various tumors. After quitting smoking, the lung function of patients has been greatly improved, and passive smoking should also be avoided. Eating more foods containing vitamin A, such as carotenoids, can enhance the resistance of the tracheal mucosal epithelium and have a certain effect on preventing bacterial and viral infections and toxic stimuli.

4. The commonly used traditional Chinese medicine health soup in daily life is also beneficial for the prevention and treatment of chronic bronchitis.

Lily and walnut Congee: take 50g lily, 15g walnut meat, 10 red dates (cored), 50g japonica rice, and cook Congee.

Lily boiled pear: 1 Sydney, 10g Lily, 15g Rock sugar. It is boiled in water and can be consumed when the lily is cooked.

Almond Maidong Drink: 5 grams of almonds and 10 grams of Maidong. Crush almonds and chop Ophiopogon japonicus. Add an appropriate amount of water to the above two flavors, boil for 20 minutes, remove the residue and extract the juice, and let it cool. Take it in batches.

Boiled Beef Lung with White Radish and Almond: 500g of White Radish, 15g of Bitter Almond, 250g of Beef Lung or Pig Lung, appropriate amounts of Ginger Juice and Cooking Wine. Cut the white radish into pieces, peel and tip the bitter almonds. Cut the beef lungs into pieces, blanch them in boiling water, and then stir fry them thoroughly with ginger juice and cooking wine over high heat. Add an appropriate amount of water to the casserole, add beef lung, white radish, and bitter almonds, and cook until done. Eat beef lungs and drink soup.

5. Maintain a good home environment and hygiene. The living room should be quiet, clean, free from smoke and dust pollution, with sufficient sunlight. Regularly open doors and windows, maintain fresh air, and have good temperature and humidity. The temperature should not be too high or too low, preferably controlled between 16 and 20 , and the relative humidity should be around 45%. The indoor temperature should not be too high in winter, otherwise there is a large temperature difference between it and the outside, which can easily lead to catching a cold. According to statistics, over 90% of elderly patients with chronic bronchitis can cause acute attacks after catching a cold. Therefore, preventing colds is important. Please note the following:

In the face of climate change, timely increase or decrease clothing and bedding Open windows for ventilation, and maintain regular air circulation indoors Patients with colds at home should pay attention to isolation, avoid frequent contact, and wash hands frequently after contact; Try to avoid going to public places during the pandemic Wash and dry bedding and pillows regularly Improve cold resistance. Starting from summer, scrub your face, nose, and neck with cold water until winter. Soak your feet in hot water every night in autumn, winter, and spring, preferably above your ankles. Regularly massage the hands, feet, and face, as well as press on acupoints such as Yingchun acupoint and Fengchi acupoint to accelerate one's own metabolism rate and promote the effect of spontaneous heat production.

In addition, elderly people also need to protect the temperature of their throat when going out, and must wear masks and necklaces to avoid cold air directly entering the patient's trachea and bronchi. The gas emitted by coal stoves in households can induce coughing and wheezing, and attention should be paid to ventilation or the installation of range hoods in kitchen and living rooms. Do not keep pets indoors to prevent allergens.

6. Maintain a regular life and a happy spirit. To have a balanced mentality, maintain stable emotions regularly, be optimistic, avoid the stimulation of negative factors such as tension, anxiety, and depression, strive to create a beautiful, comfortable, and relaxed living environment, feel the warmth of life, and relieve physiological and psychological tension. Family members should comfort and encourage patients to enhance their confidence in life and work, establish confidence in overcoming diseases, and maintain optimism and upward mobility Maintain a stable and stable state of mind to avoid mental stimulation leading to illness. Actively cooperate with treatment to promote the recovery of the disease.

7. Patients with chronic bronchitis can apply medication for health care regardless of whether they are in the acute or remission phase. Traditional Chinese medicine, such as Astragalus membranaceus and Panax quinquefolium, has good therapeutic effects on strengthening the body and strengthening the foundation. You can also take Yuping Fengsan to enhance the body's barrier protection function and reduce the number of acute attacks of chronic bronchitis. In terms of Western medicine, drugs such as Bismutin and nuclear cheese can be taken orally, or thymosin can be injected intramuscularly or BCG vaccine can be injected to improve immunity. It can be used in the first month of winter and spring each year, and has good effects on preventing and treating chronic bronchitis in the elderly.

8. Strengthen protection and identify 'danger signals'. Patients with chronic bronchitis should pay more attention to strengthening protection in daily life, and during the remission period, health care and enhancing the body's disease resistance should be the main focus. For bedridden patients, timely measures should be taken to expel phlegm, and back tapping training should be conducted to prevent airway obstruction. During acute episodes, infection should be controlled and antibiotics should be used reasonably. If the patient feels that the condition has worsened, such as shortness of breath, significant increase in sputum volume, persistent dry cough, changes in the nature of the cough from before, or the occurrence of fever or hemoptysis, and increasing difficulty in breathing, these may be signals of the worsening of the condition. It is important to seek medical attention promptly and remember not to delay.

This article is scientifically checked by Zhang Xuemin, the chief physician of the Geriatrics Department of Shanghai Fifth People's Hospital affiliated with Fudan University.

Contributed by "Da Yi Xiao Hu"

This article is from People's Daily and only represents the author's viewpoint. The National Party Media Information Public Platform provides information dissemination and dissemination services.

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