Patient's question:
Doctor:Hello!
My child is 8 years old (girl). Throughout the year, she catches a cold 5 to 6 times. Especially during flu season, she always gets a cold, and her tonsils become inflamed and swollen with a fever. Each time, she needs to be treated with antibiotics through intravenous drips to recover. How can I strengthen her immunity? What should I pay attention to in daily life? How can I prevent the flu? What medications should I take if she gets a cold? Please help me, thank you!
Doctor's answer:
One effective method to prevent upper respiratory tract infections in children is to enhance their respiratory immunity and strengthen their resistance to pathogens. The following measures can be taken:1. Physical Exercise
Physical exercise helps strengthen children's physical fitness and improves their ability to defend against diseases. In addition to sports activities, air, sunlight, and water can be fully utilized for exercise. For example, sleeping with windows open allows children to breathe in cooler, fresh air, which helps strengthen the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract and enhances their resistance. Once children are accustomed to sleeping with windows open, outdoor sleeping can be further implemented. Encourage children to participate in outdoor activities and spend more time in the sun. Use warm water for bathing, or cold water for handwashing, face washing, and foot washing. On this basis, gradually introduce "Three Baths" (sunbathing, hydrotherapy, and air therapy) exercises for better results.
2. Nutritional Support
Obtaining various essential nutrients helps boost children's immunity. A deficiency of trace elements like zinc or vitamin A in the body makes children more prone to recurrent respiratory infections. Through appropriate dietary adjustments to increase zinc or vitamin A intake, or with zinc supplements and vitamin A pills, the immunity of these children can be significantly improved, and the incidence of respiratory infections can be markedly reduced.
3. Timely Immunization
Vaccinating against diseases such as measles, pertussis (whooping cough), and rubella can effectively enhance children's immunity to these respiratory infectious diseases, thereby interrupting their spread in the population.