Every hot and cold spring, many elderly people are troubled by respiratory diseases, ranging from cough and phlegm affecting the quality of life, to developing pneumonia and affecting health.
How should the elderly protect their respiratory tract in their daily lives? Today, we will invite Huang Qianchun, a rehabilitation therapist from the Rehabilitation Medicine Center of Shanghai Tongji Hospital, and Shen Yuqin, chief physician, to popularize science for the elderly.
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Breathing exercises can help older people improve lung function and productive production and reduce the risk of lung inflammation. The main types of exercise are as follows:
Abdominal breathing exercises to improve lung ventilation. In a semi-recumbent or sitting position, gently place your hand above your belly button and inhale slowly, feeling your belly bulge slightly, and feeling your belly slowly lower as you exhale. Once you're proficient, you can gradually increase the resistance above your belly button.
Chest expansion exercises to improve lung capacity. Sitting or standing with your arms raised. As you inhale, open your arms horizontally and expand your chest and tilt your head up, and exhale with your arms tucked in horizontally and your head down. Slow down the frequency of inhalation and exhalation as much as possible.
Exert force to breathe and improve the function of coughing up sputum. In a semi-recumbent or sitting position, take a deep breath, hold it, and retract your stomach vigorously to push your breath upward, but don't exhale it. When you feel the qi in your chest pushing up your throat, you make a "HA" sound in your mouth and expel the gas quickly. If you cough up phlegm, clean the phlegm from your mouth before continuing.
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Through aerobic exercise, you can increase your immunity and reduce the risk of inflammation. According to their own conditions, the elderly can choose brisk walking, aerobics, power treadmills and other methods.
Before and after exercising, it is necessary to do a good job of warm-up, tidying up and other activities to avoid sports injuries.
The intensity of aerobic exercise should be tailored to the individual, or an exercise plan can be developed after assessment using a "cardiopulmonary exercise test".
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It is recommended that the elderly do a good job of oral health management, brush their teeth in the morning and evening, and rinse their mouths after meals.
Warm saline and a nasal irrigation device can also be used to clean the nasal passages regularly.
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Smoking is the most important risk factor for older adults.
Second-hand smoke can also cause the same problem, and the elderly should avoid going to second-hand smoke environments such as chess and card rooms as much as possible.
In addition, smog and car exhaust may cause respiratory infections, and the elderly should also pay attention to them in their daily lives.
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Elderly patients with chronic brondrone, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, etc., should take medication regularly according to the doctor's instructions, and must not reduce the medication at will according to their own feelings.
Follow-up appointments regularly and consult your doctor for advice if you need to adjust your medications.
When the elderly who are usually healthy encounter a cold and cough, they should choose the appropriate medicine according to the doctor's advice.
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Nutritional integrity is key to the formation of immunity, and carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber are all important dietary components.
The elderly can eat more lean meat to increase protein intake and enhance immunity. In the case of reasonable blood sugar control, you can eat some raw pears, loquat and other fruits to produce jin and dissolve phlegm.
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Mental health is effective in boosting immunity.
In daily life, we should maintain an optimistic and positive attitude, take it easy, and avoid tension and anxiety.
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Health workers in the city are welcome to contribute, and relevant popular science articles and videos will be reviewed by the director of the department and submitted to the publicity department of the unit, and the publicity department will submit it to "Healthy Shanghai 12320".