Health through Winter from Racheli's Meadow

Health

Do you usually get sick during the winter? I'm afraid I get sick all the time!
I've gathered here some information about common winter sicknesses and health problems. But remember: this does NOT come instead of a visit to your doctor!

Most winter sicknesses (the flu, catching a cold, catarrh) are caused by a virus, and there is no medication for that. Actually, the body doesn't need medications. It takes a few days, including high temperature, catarrh and an icky feeling, but the body heals itself.
The problem with viral infections is that they might get more complicated because of an additional bacterial infection. In that case, you need to subdue the germs with antibiotics. Who decides? the doctor.
In a case of viral flu or cold it is important to drink a lot, rest, taken medications that will lower your temperature and be patient. In which case you should visit the doctor? when your sickeness goes on for over a week, when your temprature is very high or when the sickness comes back after you started feeling well.

This page has information on:

Common Cold
Influenza (Flu; Grippe)
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

The Common Cold

Adapted from Thrive-On-Line : Health

A common cold is a contagious viral infection of the upper-respiratory passages. All sexes and ages can be affected by this sickness. The body parts involved are the nose, throat, sinuses, ears, eustachian tubes, trachea, larynx and bronchial tubes.
This sickness can be caused by any of at least 200 viruses. Virus particles spread through the air or from person-to-person contact, especially hand-shaking. The risk for illness increases on winter (colds are most frequent in cold weather), for children attending school or day care, if a household member has a cold and in case of crowded or unsanitary living conditions. The infection may be facilitated by stress, fatigue or allergic disorders.

signs and symptoms:

Runny or stuffy nose. Nasal discharge is watery at first, then becomes thick and greenish yellow.
Sore throat.
Hoarseness.
Cough that produces little or no sputum.
Low fever.
Fatigue.
Watering eyes.
Appetite loss

You can try and prevent from spreading the sickness to others by washing your hands frequently, especially after blowing your nose or before handling food, and by avoiding unnecessary contact during the contagious phase (first 2 to 4 days).

How to treat?

To relieve congestion, inhale steam from a pan of boiled water (after removing it from the heat); take hot showers; use salt-water drops (1/2 teaspoon salt to 1 cup of warm water).
Use a cool-mist, ultrasonic humidifier to increase air moisture. Clean humidifier daily.
Don't smoke if you have a cough.
For a sore throat, drink hot liquids, use medicated throat lozenges or suck on hard candies.
For a baby too young to blow his nose, use an infant nasal aspirator. If mucus is thick and sticky, loosen it by putting 2 or 3 drops of salt-water solution (see above) into nostrils. Don't insert cotton swabs into a child's nostrils. Instead, catch the discharge outside the nostril on a tissue or swab, roll it around and pull the discharge out of the nose.
For an infant or very young child, lay the child on his stomach to sleep. This improves nasal drainage and breathing.
Medications: No medicine, including antibiotics, can cure the common cold. To relieve symptoms, you may use non-prescription drugs, such as acetaminophen, decongestants, nose drops or sprays, cough remedies and throat lozenges. Don't give a child under age 18 aspirin for cold symptoms.
Vitamin C in large doses (up to 1000 mg a day) may shorten duration.
Recommended Activity: Bed rest is not necessary, but avoid vigorous activity. Rest often.
Drink extra fluids, including water, fruit juice, tea and carbonated drinks. Avoid milk because it may thicken secretions.

When should I call the doctor?

Call if the following occurs during the illness:

Increased throat pain, or white or yellow spots on the tonsils or other parts of the throat.
Coughing episodes that last longer than intervals between coughing; cough that produces thick, yellow-green or gray sputum; cough that lasts longer than 10 days; or difficult or labored breathing between coughing bouts.
You cannot distinguish a cold from the flu.
Fever that lasts several days; shaking chills.
Chest pain or shortness of breath.
Earache, headache or skin rash.
Pain in the teeth or over the sinuses.
Unusual lethargy or irritability.
Delirium.
Enlarged, tender glands in the neck.
Dusky blue or gray lips, skin or nail beds.
Inability to bottle-feed or breast-feed (infant).

Influenza (Flu; Grippe)

Adapted from Thrive-On-Line : Health

This is a common, contagious respiratory infection caused by a virus. Incubation after exposure is 24 to 48 hours. There are three main types of influenza (A, B, C), but they have the ability to mutate into different forms. Outbreaks of different forms occur almost every winter with varying severity.
Both sexes and all ages (except infants) are mostly affected.
This sickness is caused by infection of viruses from the myxovirus class. The viruses spread by personal contact or indirect contact (such as use of a contaminated drinking glass).
The risk to get infected increases with

Stress, excessive fatigue, poor nutrition.
Recent illness that has lowered resistance.
Chronic lung or heart disease.
Pregnancy (3rd trimester).
Students and people in semi-closed environments .
Immunosuppression from drugs or illness.
Crowded places during an epidemic.

Signs and Symptoms

Chills and moderate to high fever.
Muscle aches, including backache.
Cough, usually with little or no sputum.
Sore throat; hoarseness; runny nose; headache; fatigue.

How to prevent?

Have a yearly influenza vaccine injection if you are over age 65, have chronic heart or lung disease (no matter what age), live in close institutional quarters (nursing home, dorms, military base) or you are a health care worker. The vaccine only protects against two or three specific strains of influenza A.
Avoid unnecessary contact with persons who have upper-respiratory infections.
Use of drug (amantadine or rimantadine) for high-risk persons that have not been vaccinated.
Avoid crowds during flu season.

How to treat?

To relieve nasal congestion, use salt-water drops (1 teaspoon of salt to 1 quart of water).
To relieve a sore throat, gargle often with warm or cold, double-strength tea.
Use an ultrasonic cool-mist humidifier to increase air moisture. This thins lung secretions so they can be coughed up more easily. Don't put medicine in the humidifier; it does not help.
To avoid spreading germs to others, wash your hands frequently.
Use warm compresses or heating pad for aching muscles.
Use a sponge bath to reduce a fever.
Activity: Rest is the best medicine. If you are in good general health, rest aids recovery.
Appetite is usually lacking. You may just want liquids at first, then progress to small meals of bland starchy foods (dry toast, rice, pudding, cooked cereal, baked potatoes). Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day (especially if you have a high fever). Extra fluids, including fruit juice, tea and noncarbonated drinks, also help thin lung secretions.
Medications: For minor discomfort, you may use non-prescription drugs, such as acetaminophen, cough syrups, nasal sprays or decongestants. Don't give aspirin to a person younger than 18. Some research shows a link between the use of aspirin in children during a virus illness and the development of Reye's syndrome. Your doctor may prescribe an antiviral drug for seriously ill persons or for those at greatest risk.

When should I call the Doctor?

Call your doctor if:

You have symptoms of influenza.
The following occurs during treatment: Increased fever or cough; blood in the sputum; earache. Shortness of breath or chest pain; thick discharge from the nose, sinuses or ears. Sinus pain; neck pain or stiffness.
New, unexplained symptoms develop.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

adapted from the Seasonal Affective Disorder article at UBC Psychiatry Home Page

Many people feel mildly "depressed" during the winter, but some people have more severe bouts of feeling down all the time, low energy, problems with sleep and appetite, and reduced concentration to the point where they have difficulty functioning at work or in the home. We say that these people have a clinical depression , to distinguish it from everyday ups and downs. Seasonal affective disorder (affective is a psychiatric term for mood), or SAD, describes people who have these clinical depressions only during the autumn and winter seasons. During the spring and summer, they feel well and "normal"

The common symptoms of SAD include:

Extreme fatigue and lack of energy
Increased need for sleep; sleeping much more than usual
Carbohydrate craving and increased appetite
Weight gain

What treatments are available for SAD?

An new research finding is that many patients with SAD improve with exposure to bright, artificial light, called light therapy, or phototherapy. As little as 30 minutes per day of sitting under a lightbox results in significant improvement in 60% to 80% of SAD patients. Side effects of light therapy are mild, although people with certain medical conditions or taking certain medications should avoid light therapy. Other treatments for depression, including antidepressant medications and counselling , may also be helpful for patients with SAD. People with milder symptoms of the "winter blahs" may be helped by simply spending more time outdoors and exercising regularly in the winter.

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