Fight ENT infections
Allergies are caused by exposure to allergens in the environment. Different persons react to different materials. The symptoms are usually nasal (sneezing, clear watery discharge from the nose, nasal stuffiness causing itching and redness in eyes) or in the throat (a feeling of a foreign body trapped there, a constant desire to clear ones throat, chronic cough).
How to prevent allergies
* Allergens in your bedclothes are the most common offending agents. Wash bedclothes frequently in hot water and put them out to dry in the hot sun.
* Use non-allergenic pillows, duvets and mattresses. Most furnishing stores stock them.
* Avoid furry pets – if you have them, at least make sure that they do not come into the bedroom/ sleep on your bed.
* To avoid dust flying in the house, substitute dusting with wet mopping and sweeping with vacuum cleaning.
* In case your house is on a main road or adjacent to traffic, keep doors and windows closed to avoid pollutants from coming in. Fit windows and doors with proper frames so that air pollutants do not enter.
* Avoid flowering plants indoors.
* If you’re on a two wheeler when out in the traffic, use a face mask. This can be either a large handkerchief or a rectangular piece of cloth tied behind your head with four strings – much like a surgeon’s mask.
Ear, Nose, Throat Infections
ENT infections are ubiquitous and affect everyone, from children to the elderly. Symptoms usually manifest themselves in the nose (thick nasal discharge with cheek pain, a drippy nose, headache, fever and a loss of your sense of smell), in the throat (pain or difficulty swallowing, fever, neck swelling) or in the ear (pain, discharge, fever, loss of hearing, swelling behind the ear).
To prevent infections
* At the first sign of a cold, take some steam inhalation, so that the infected mucus is washed away.
* Use ear plugs while swimming to prevent getting ‘swimmer’s ears’ – an external ear infected.
* Early sore throats and throat infections can be managed with simple saline gargles. Mix half a teaspoon of salt in half a glass of warm water and gargle two to three times a day. This improves the local blood supply and helps to wash away the local infection.
* In case your immunity is low for some reason, avoid closed or crowded places where other infected persons may be coughing, spitting or sneezing. You are most likely to pick up an infection here.
* In children, treat a cold early, otherwise they may develop an ear infection.
* If you have a bad cold, avoid air travel since this can make the infection worse. It often ends up spreading to your sinuses or ears.
(Dr (Major) Rajesh Bhardwaj: Dr Bhardwaj is senior consultant ENT, Sitaram Bhartia Institute)
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