Tag: asthma

Air Quality Awareness Week

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According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is one of the top threats to human health worldwide. In fact, the WHO attributes about 7 million deaths per year to the microscopic pollutants in the air— too small for us to see, but large enough to infiltrate our circulatory and respiratory systems and cause significant damage. 

Both indoor and outdoor air pollution can be harmful. Fortunately, there are things we can do to reduce our exposure to each of these.

Minimizing Exposure to Indoor Air Pollution

  1. If you’re doing any activity that can generate fumes or pollutants (such as painting, welding, sanding, paint stripping, or using a gas stove), make sure you’re doing it in a well-ventilated area— or even outside, if you can. To increase ventilation, you can open windows and doors and run a window or attic fan.
  2. Don’t allow anyone to smoke indoors. Secondhand tobacco smoke is responsible for many serious health conditions, including lung cancer, sudden infant death syndrome, and severe asthma attacks. Opening a window will not make it any safer.
  3. Reduce fireplace use when possible. Wood burning fireplaces generate much more pollution than gas fireplaces.

Minimizing Exposure to Outdoor Air Pollution

  1. Get into the habit of checking the Air Quality Index (AQI) each day. You can easily view this from any weather app on your phone. On days when the AQI is high, you should avoid exercising or spending a lot of time outdoors.
  2. You should also avoid exercising outdoors near any high-traffic areas, regardless of the AQI that day. Car emissions can increase the amount of pollutants in the air locally, and exercising makes it more likely that you’ll breathe the pollutants in.

Perhaps most importantly, you can reduce your personal risk for experiencing the health effects of air pollution by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and managing any chronic medical conditions, such as asthma, COPD, and heart disease. The Wellness & Stress Clinic is always here to help with this. To make an appointment, please call the clinic at (901) 306-5433. As always, stay healthy and stay safe!

—The Wellness & Stress Clinic Team

Sources:

Let it Snow! Learn how cold weather can affect your health:

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Skin: 

Jack frost nipping at your nose?  The windy weather and dropping temperature can dry out your skin. This can be strenuous for someone with eczema. What you can do is moisturize your skin. Try showering in warm water, not hot water. For hot water can further dry out your skin. The warm water will give your skin a chance to replenish and moisturize. Drinking water will also help you stay hydrated and prevent flakey skin. 

Balance: 

Although those snowy sidewalks and misty mornings look beautiful, they can be very icey. Watch your step as surfaces covered in ice can make you lose your balance. It makes falling easier, and puts you at risk for fractures. Be careful! Make sure you wear appropriate snow boots with grip and use handrails. 

Heart:

The cold weather can be a vasoconstrictor, meaning that the cold can narrow blood vessels which can raise your risk of chest pain or heart attack. What can you do? Bundle up and try avoiding strenuous activities in the cold weather. 

Immune System: 

Although cold weather itself doesn’t cause the flu and colds, it does bring people together. The cold weather outside drives a lot of people together inside in public spaces. This causes more people to come into close contact and increases the spreadability of a virus. The solution is simple:  wash your hands and get a flu shot. If you feel sick and contagious, take off work.  It will help prevent the spread of unwanted illnesses. 

Asthma: 

Dry cold weather can irritate asthma. It narrows airways and can increase your chances of an asthma attack. What you can do to prevent from this: Avoid exercise outside and keep an inhaler nearby. 

If you have any questions about health during the winter months, please call the clinic at (901) 306-5433 to schedule an appointment. As always, stay safe and healthy!

-Wellness and Stress Clinic Team

Resources: 

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/how-does-cold-weather-affect-your-health

https://signaturemd.com/concierge-physicians/concierge-physician-blog/how-cold-weather-affects-your-body/