Faced with winter illnesses, many of us share our tips. Sometimes good, other times very bad. We take stock with a doctor.
Winter is coming and so are the epidemics: flu, bronchiolitis, colds, covid, gastroenteritis… the season of viruses and bacteria is here and the indicators are starting to rise again. Like every year, an obsession returns: how to get through infections?
Julien Astaing is a general practitioner at the Clémentville clinic, in Montpellier. We presented him with “advice” to avoid getting sick. It helps us discern truth from falsehood.
“You’re going to catch a cold.”
“It’s not the cold that we catch when we get sick, it’s viruses,” explains the general practitioner. But then why do we get sicker when it’s cold?
“The cold will make our mucous membranes less effective, and the immune system will drop a little,” Combined, these two factors make us more fragile. But with good gestures, it is still possible to avoid winter woes.
“Take vitamins”
Yes for vitamins, but beware of marketing. “We must consider supplementing with vitamin D, especially for the elderly.”
As for other vitamins, it is better to consult your doctor to assess their relevance: “In general, we will recommend food supplements based on magnesium and vitamin C, but this is not what will prevent infections, it simply boosts the immune system a little.”
What we really need to be vigilant about are the deficiencies. Because in winter, we tend to eat more fat, explains Julien Astaing, we must remember to continue to consume fruits and vegetables several times a day.
“Shall we have a raclette?”
Speaking of food, beware of the winter comfort food trap. If raclettes, fondues and other tartiflettes have the good taste to satisfy us, we must not lose good habits.
“Eating fat, in fact, simply produces calories. These calories are either spent or stored.” but they have no interest in our defenses.
“Do sports”
“Sport makes us stronger. It’s something that stimulates the immune system and will really help us protect ourselves”assures Julien Astaing. “Athletes have much fewer infections than non-athletes.”
But here again, nuance: playing sports is excellent for our defenses, but overdoing it can have the opposite effect. If we tire ourselves too much, we become weak. Recommendations are thirty minutes of daily physical activity, such as walking. It’s the bare minimum. To this can be added other sporting activities for thirty minutes to one and a half hours per day. Consider resting one day a week to allow your muscles to rebuild.
“Turn down the heating”
For economic and ecological reasons, homes should not be overheated. But it is especially in the bedroom that this is of interest for our health.
“You have to sleep at temperatures of around 19°C, 21°C maximum. If you make it too hot, sleep will be impaired, and your immune defenses may also be impaired”the doctor explains to us.
“Do a nose wash”
“Nose washing is always beneficial, it allows the sinuses to be better ventilated, and to avoid all the infections linked to them.” We inhale more than 20,000 times a day through our nose, a gateway for viruses and bacteria, which is why it is in our best interest to keep it clean!
“Close the window, I’m cold”
Bad idea. Of course, the cold weakens you, but a room that lacks ventilation is a breeding ground for viruses. “Many people get sick because they don’t ventilate enough. In winter, we stay indoors, and in general we avoid opening because we turn on the heating.”
Ten minutes twice a day is enough to renew the air and make the interior healthier.
“I have an essential oil that might help you…”
Yes and no. Essential oils are more or less powerful plant concentrates. Be careful when using them, they must always follow the recommendations of specialists. Also beware of marketing, which praises the prowess of these extracts.
Some are beneficial for clearing our sinuses or boosting our immune system. “Eucalyptus, for example, is very well known for clearing the bronchi. But you should always ask for advice, it cannot be used just any way. Sometimes there are contraindications based on past history, allergies, treatments.”
“I’m not kissing you, I’m sick”
“When we talk to someone, we project spit which can be infectious. It is better to respect distancing to avoid viral particles”reminds the doctor. We talked about it a lot during the Covid 19 pandemic: keeping your distance protects.
But it all depends on the viruses we are trying to avoid. Kissing, talking too closely… exposes us to colds, Covid, “ENT-tropic viruses”. But a handshake isn’t always better. Because in this case, viruses “handled” are kings, with gastroenteritis at the top of the list.
“The air is too dry”
It’s all a question of nuance. Too hot and dry air indoors is bad, because it dries out the mucous membranes. But air that is too humid encourages the development of germs and fungi.
“You have to be careful not to overheat so as not to dry out the air. Because it weakens the mucous membranes. But humidity, above a certain level, is dangerous, this is the case in unsanitary housing.” A happy medium to be found by ensuring good insulation of the home and reasonable consumption of heating.
“Get in the sun”
“Light therapy has a real benefit in preventing you from getting sick. It plays a big role in depression. And we know that anything psychological can influence the immune system”adds the doctor.
Loading up on light at a time when the days are getting shorter helps fight winter depression. By doing this, we allow ourselves to remain active and motivated. And combatting inactivity is key to good overall health.
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