This year’s flu and cold season is early and promises to be busy. SARS-CoV-2, which has become a seasonal virus, will continue to circulate, and the opening of schools and kindergartens has already led to an increase in the number of respiratory infections of all types, according to statistics provided by the Ministry of Health. already showing

SECOM’s educational podcast “Suppliment de Bine” in September discussed “How to Protect Your Respiratory System” with special guest Dr. Veronique Schurlea, pulmonologist.

You can find the full discussion between Dr. Veronika Shurlea and Dr. Oana Trifu Bulzan here:

Below are some recommendations from a pulmonologist to help prevent respiratory infections and prepare and treat yourself as effectively as possible during flu season.

1. Take measures to increase immunity

Good immunity is maintained through a lifestyle without excess where we take care of a diet that should be rich in vegetables and fruits, take care of hydration and avoid consumption of cold/sour drinks in excess. It helps to enter the combination vitamin C,D and zinc, vitamins with a clearly defined rolein cellular immunity, but also in its support. “The vitamin supplement helps us to pass more easily and have a much better development after an episode of respiratory infection,” says the pulmonologist.

2. Act at the first signs of a cold

If symptoms such as: runny nose, sore throat, respiratory discomfort appear, act as soon as possible. “It is important that in the first 24-48 hours we act quickly, so that we have a greater influx of leukocytes, which are the body’s defenders, so that we can reduce inflammation, we can eliminate a virus or a bacterium,” the pulmonologist said. details

The goal of prompt intervention is to reduce inflammation. Its resistance is complicated over time by bacterial infections, meaning we can become superinfected with our own bacteria with which we coexist.

“The onset of a respiratory infection is different for each person, but the treatment should be the same: we drink hot tea, stay at home, give cough syrup, make aerosols, even with saline solution,” pulmonologist Veronika Shurlja also recommends.

3. Avoid large temperature changes

Our immunity also means providing good quality mucus, that is mucus that is in sufficient quantity, that is, not too much and not too little, and contains those cellular elements that help us create a protective barrier so that the lungs do not remove all the residues from the incoming air . “When the cold season begins, any difference in the temperature of the surrounding air means stress and a significantly increased work of the respiratory epithelium, which will produce more mucus, which can be seen when our nose starts to run or we feel certain. discharge at the level of the throat, because further, if things are not well processed at the upper level of the nose-throat, it is normal that this information will be passed on, that the bronchial epithelium must work hard, and then the discharge appears at the level of the lower respiratory tract, a symptom of which there is a cough,” says Dr. Veronika Shurlea.

The specialist recommends avoiding large temperature drops. Even if it is cold outside and we put on clothes, the air we breathe will still be at a lower temperature than our body temperature. And then we should avoid staying in very cold environment for a long time.

4. Treat cough by type

A dry cough is, in fact, the beginning of a respiratory infection or contact with an allergen that is present in too high a concentration in the air we breathe. For allergies, such as ragweed, which is still present in many parts of the country,specific products are recommended.

“If it’s a dry cough, at the beginning of the respiratory tract infection, we usually have to start treatment with mucolytics, because we have to thin out the mucus, which is more abundant, but which still cannot be expectorated. Later, this dry cough from the onset of a respiratory infection will turn into a productive cough, as the bronchi try to eliminate this excess mucus. At the end of a respiratory infection, we can also have a residual cough, which can be a dry, irritating type, and then we intervene with a product that strictly targets this type of dry cough,” is the doctor’s advice.

5. COVID is becoming a seasonal virus that is treated like any other cold

The SARS-CoV-2 virus will be present at all times of the year, reminds the pulmonologist who has already encountered many cases in the office. It should be remembered that with the beginning of the cold season, the protective barrier of the respiratory tract begins to decrease due to the temperature difference. “The recommendations remain to wear a mask indoors and in the community, follow the rules of personal hygiene and treatment, which we must start as soon as possible. The treatment for SARS-CoV-2 is the same as for any respiratory tract infection,” the specialist advises.

“We have to get used to the fact that this Covid will be a part of our lives. It will be present at any time of the year, but we expect an increase in incidence in the cold season,” says Dr. Veronika Shurlja, pulmonologist.

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