What is asthma in the elderly? Bronchial asthma (asthma for short) is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that is dominated by eosinophilic, mast cell responses. In susceptible individuals, this inflammation can cause a wide range of reversible airway obstruction symptoms of varying degrees. Patients over 60 years of age with asthma can be collectively referred to as “elderly asthma”, which can be divided into two cases: one case is that the onset of asthma before the age of 60 years is delayed into old age, called early-onset elderly asthma, and the other case is that the patient is new to asthma after the age of 60 years, called late-onset elderly asthma. The clinical manifestations are recurrent episodes of wheezing, dyspnea, chest tightness or cough. It can be treated or recovered on its own, and its airways are highly reactive to irritants. Why is it necessary to prevent asthma during “cold dew” and “frost”? Every year, around October 8 on the solar calendar, the “cold dew” is celebrated. Why is it called “Cold Dew”? The Monthly Order Seventy-two Hectar says: “In September, the dew is cold and will condense.” This means that the climate has become cold, and the dew can condense. At this time when the late rice spike flowering, sometimes there will suddenly appear stronger cold air from the south. The formation of autumn low temperature. Some people call it “cold dew wind”. ”Frostfall” is the festival after the cold dew. Every year around October 23 of the solar calendar, that is, the frost fall. The “Moon Order 72 Marquis” says: “In September, the gas is purged and condensed, the dew knots for frost.” At this time, China’s Yellow River Basin has appeared the first frost, the south into the autumn harvest and autumn planting of the busy season. So what is the reason for the “cold dew and frost asthma”? First of all, this is related to the above seasonal season. Because of the cold dew and frost has entered the late autumn, cold and warm air staggered frequently, the temperature changes. Most of the elderly who suffer from asthma are allergic, poor body resistance, particularly sensitive to climate and temperature changes and lack of adaptability, so it is easy to occur in the upper respiratory tract infection and trigger asthma. Secondly, cold dew and frost is the season of grain harvesting, coupled with the autumn breeze, leaves fall and grass wither, allergic substances in the air increase. At this time, the asthmatic elderly people’s inherent allergies and external allergens contact, it is easy to relapse the old disease. Third, after the autumn cool, the elderly must sleep with more bedding, and the bedding can hide a lot of dust. British scholars have found 13,720 mites in 1 gram of bedding dust, and mite reproduction, excretion, molting and death are all carried out in the bedding. It has been proved that dead mites, mite feces and mite secretions are the allergens of asthma causing. One survey found that skin tests for house dust and dust mites can have a positive rate of up to 80%. The survey also proved that the amount of dust mites is the highest after late autumn, which is also an important factor in the susceptibility to asthma in cold dew and frost. Therefore, before and after the cold dew and frost, pay attention to the changes in climate, beware of the changes in cold and warmth, and be careful not to catch a cold to trigger asthma. Auntie Zheng unfortunately suffered from this disease because of poor care and lack of knowledge about asthma around the cold dew and frost in October. How can asthma patients take care of themselves in autumn? (1) Early to bed and early to rise: In autumn, it is best to go to bed early and get up early, preferably at dawn to go outdoors for fitness activities, you can choose to walk, jogging, Deng Shang, playing Taijiquan, doing health care gymnastics, etc. (2) meditation and conditioning: pay attention to spiritual conditioning, maintain optimism. The mind should be quiet, tranquil, and the spirit gradually collected, in order to adapt to the climate of autumn cold and ice, to keep the lung qi clear; otherwise, it will damage the lung qi, easy to send out asthma. (3) Be careful not to catch a cold: autumn is the transition season from summer to winter, and it is cool inside and gradually cold. Although autumn is cool and cold will come, clothing should be gradually added, wood can add too much at once. As the saying goes, “spring cover autumn freeze”, which means that when the temperature drops in autumn, do not rush to add too much clothing, so that the body can exercise, so that it only has the ability to resist wind and cold. But the golden autumn season, the climate is unpredictable, should pay attention to respond to climate change, “autumn freezing” can not be too much, according to the weather changes, timely increase and decrease clothing, pay attention to the cold to keep warm, in order to prevent colds and asthma. (4) diet tonic: autumn diet should be light, eat less fried things, eat more fresh vegetables, fruits. Autumn fruits are available in large quantities, except for a few fruits, most of the fruits are cold, so you should eat fruits in moderation, do not indulge in abdominal, so as not to harm the spleen and stomach. In addition to taking some vitamin preparations, you can also take Chinese herbal medicines that promote lung and dissolve phlegm, nourish yin and benefit qi for health care, such as American ginseng, sage, maitake, lily of the valley, almond, Chuanbei mother, fat sea, etc.; you can eat more sesame, walnuts, honey, dairy products, sugar cane, etc. to prevent dryness and nourish yin, nourish yin and moisten lung. Autumn dry climate, asthma patients had better eat more snow pear, duck pear, raw food can clear fire, steamed food can nourish yin; those who have conditions can eat some autumn pear cream, nourishing yin lung cream and other nourishing lung products, to avoid asthma attack is beneficial. (5) pay attention to the lung qi of the autumn “Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine” said: “the lung is the main body of qi”, “difficult” also said: “qi is the root of man also”. Most asthma patients have deficiency of lung qi, weakness, shortness of breath, spontaneous sweating, fear of wind, easy to catch a cold, light tongue with white coating and weak pulse. Lung Qi deficiency should be increased by deep breathing to increase lung function. Eat more products that benefit lung energy: Cordyceps, bird’s nest, ginseng, ginseng, American ginseng, astragalus, codonopsis, prince’s ginseng, or take Sijunzi soup. You can also take 3-5 grams of Cordyceps sinensis in meat stew or water decoction; 1 bird’s nest, washed and taken in meat stew or water decoction. Or use 3 grams of ginseng, 10 grams of Atractylodes macrocephala, 10 grams of maitake, 10 grams of Chen Pi in decoction, or 3 grams of American ginseng in decoction or 3 grams of American ginseng tablets in water. (6) Nourish the lungs but also benefit the kidneys The lungs are located on the top, the main line of qi, the division of breathing, the main propagation and purification, through the water channel, as the “source of water above”; the kidneys are located in the bottom, the kidneys are the main gas, the main water, as the “source of water below”. Elderly patients with asthma often feel that they breathe more and inhale less, that they cannot breathe into their lungs, that their waist and legs are sore and weak, that they have long and clear urine, that they urinate a lot at night, that they are afraid of cold extremities, that their pulse is sunken and weak, and that their tongue is pale with white fur. The reason for this is that the lungs and kidneys are both deficient and the kidneys do not receive qi. According to Chinese medicine, superficial breathing is possible with the lungs, but deep breathing must be coordinated with the lungs and kidneys. While nourishing the lungs, pay attention to protecting the kidneys. The main principle of kidney protection is to protect the kidney essence, avoid room strain, avoid excessive mental and physical strength, and take too much cold medicine. In case of shortness of breath, you can take 10 grams of walnut meat (walnut kernel) and 3-5 grams of ginseng or American ginseng in water decoction every day. Or take a powder: 10 grams of ginseng, 1 pair of mealybug (sizzling), 10 grams of walnut flesh, finely grinded, 1-2 grams per dose, 1-2 times a day. If the kidney appears to be Yang deficiency: dizziness and weakness, coldness below the waist, fear of cold, clear and long urine, nocturnal urination, sunken and weak pulse, light and fat tongue with white coating, lung Jin Kui Kidney Qi Pill. (7) Pay attention to hygiene: especially in early autumn, pay special attention to cleanliness and hygiene in diet, protect the spleen and stomach, eat more warm food, abstain from cold food and cold drinks to avoid enteritis and dysentery, thus avoiding asthma. The dry climate in autumn, bacteria and viruses flying in the air, often cause the spread of respiratory diseases, so pay attention to sprinkling water when cleaning indoor and outdoor hygiene in autumn, and the bedding hidden in the cabinet in summer is best used after sunbathing on sunny days to minimize the allergenic factors of dust mites. Do preventive work to prevent asthma triggered by respiratory diseases.