Winter Care: Stay Fit And Healthy From Various Winter Health Hazards By Following These Simple Steps

With the temperature dipping in North India and rains predicted too, the need of the hour is to stay safe from various winter health hazards that are sure to put your life off track. Seasonal mood disorders, cold, flu, joint paints are some common health concerns in winters that need primary care. To help you all dealing with these many health concerns, OnlyMyHealth got in touch with healthcare experts on simple ways to deal with winter health hazards.

Cold & Cough Care

With the soaring winds and dropping temperature it is common to find people suffering from cold, flu, throat infections, showing his/her concern for this Dr Rommel Tickoo, Associate Director – Internal Medicine, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket/ Panchsheel Park, says “Drop in the temperature generally makes people susceptible to problems like throat infection, breathing problems, blocked nose, strep throat and more. While keeping oneself warm and maintaining good hygiene practices is essential to prevent such problems, people should visit a medical professional if the problem persists for more than 3-5 days. It has also been observed that the patient footfall for sore throat increases during this season, specifically towards the beginning and end of the season due to increased viral infections.”

Do Not Be SAD

To not let Seasonal Affective Mood Disorder (SAD) get hold of you and keep you more happy, Dr Soumiya Mudgal, Max Multi Speciality Centre, Panchsheel Park/Gurgaon advises, “It is commonly known that winter is the season of lethargy, oversleep and fatigue. On the one hand, people are excited and planning vacations, some people become extremely gloomy and dull in the season. This is primarily due to the decrease in sun time. In order to beat the winter blues, people should go out, socialise and enjoy the weather instead of spending all their time indoors. Organisations should also take the initiative to arrange activities like short winter trips or sports activities which will charge up their employees. This will help them perform better and feel relieved.”

Also Read: Does Winter Make You SAD? Here's What You Need To Know

Cold & Heart Health

So that the heart keeps beating and the cold weather does not affect it in any way, Dr Naresh Kumar Goyal, Associate Director, Interventional Cardiology, Shalimar Bagh advises, “Winters pose a challenge on people with existing cardiac issues such as heart failure, arrhythmia, angina and more. This is due to the low temperature and common breathing issues associated with the season & pollution. People suffering from heart problems and blood pressure issues should keep themselves warm. While the body does this to maintain a normal temperature, it reduces the supply of oxygen to the vital organs. Apart from this, the heart is also under immense pressure to work at a higher pace to maintain blood flow and body temperature. Regular exercise should be done to keep the body warm and active.”

Winter Movement

Don’t let the winters get you off your daily chores or restrict your mobility. As per Dr Ritesh Dang, Senior Consultant, Orthopedics, Shalimar Bagh, With winters comes bones and joint pains which are a significant concern, especially for those already who have arthritis, knee pain, osteoporosis, and other bone-related problems. This is due to the fall in temperature that affects our blood circulation. The ones facing such challenges must undergo physiotherapy, warm massages and moderate for better relief. Happy Winters to all.”

Also Read: Homeopathic Remedies To Relieve Pain And Joint Stiffness

Skin & Hair Care

To protect skin and hair from the dry and cold weather outside, Dr Manoj K Johar, Director, Max Super Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj/ Vaishali/ Noida says “Winters not only come with set of common illnesses such as blocked nose and sore throat, but also majorly impact the quality of skin and hair in the form of dry skin, dandruff, hair fall, and more. It is important to take good care of the skin by keeping it moisturised as well as the hair with good hygiene. Also, the deteriorating air quality, coupled with the use of hot water in winters, is extremely harmful to the hair. Hot water strips your hair of natural oils, dries out your scalp and weakens your hair roots resulting in hair fall. Hence, one should always use lukewarm water while washing *and conditioning* their hair to maintain healthy hair.”

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