How can I protect myself during the flu?

  For patients who are prone to colds, it is important to strengthen the body with exercises.  The most common disease of the respiratory system is a viral infection of the respiratory tract. The virus of respiratory tract infection is mainly spread by air. When a patient coughs, sneezes or even speaks loudly, the virus spreads into the surrounding air and the tiny droplets formed spread with the air flow. The virus may also be attached to the surface of objects that the patient has touched, and people touching the nose, eyes and mouth after touching these surfaces may also cause infection. Patients are the main source of influenza transmission, and influenza virus is mainly latent in the patient’s nasal discharge, sputum and saliva. Influenza is mainly spread through air droplets and contact, and droplets are affected by temperature, humidity, wind speed, wind direction, sunlight and other conditions in the air. Influenza virus can survive for 3 days on the surface of knitted items, glass, etc. The virus can still be found in the air 4 hours after spraying through the suspension of influenza virus. Avoiding direct or close contact with patients with respiratory infections or wearing a mask are more effective methods. Frequent hand washing is also essential.  The Ministry of Health’s “Hand Hygiene Code” recommends the following hand washing methods for medical personnel.  1.Wash hands with running water, so that hands are fully wetted; 2.Take an appropriate amount of soap or hand sanitizer and apply it evenly to the entire palm, back of the hand, fingers and fingers; 3.Rub hands carefully for at least 15 seconds, paying attention to cleaning all the skin of both hands, cleaning the back of the fingers, fingertips and fingers, the specific rubbing steps are: (1) palms facing each other, fingers together, rubbing each other; (2) palms rubbing each other along the back of the hands and fingers, exchanging (3) palms relative to each other, hands crossed fingers rub each other; (4) right hand holding the left thumb rotating rub, exchange; (5) bend fingers so that the joint in the other hand palm rotating rub, exchange; (6) five finger tips together in the other hand palm rotating rub, exchange; (7) if necessary to increase the wrist cleaning.  Simple memory is: palm to palm rubbing; fingers crossed, palm to palm rubbing; fingers crossed, palm to palm rubbing; hands holding each other rubbing fingers; thumb in the palm rubbing; fingertips in the palm rubbing.  The general public does not have to wash their hands as strictly as medical professionals in every step of the sequence, but they should ensure that they wash their hands under running water. In public places, such as public restrooms, the details of opening the bathroom door after washing hands also need attention. You can use disposable paper towels to wrap around the door handle to open the door and ensure that your hands are still clean after washing out of the restroom.  Regular disinfection in the living room or office helps to reduce the virus or bacteria in the room. During flu season, daily disinfection of indoor air and office supplies is recommended on a routine basis. Disinfection tools can be used such as fumigation with white vinegar, or ultraviolet light, or burning medicinal incense.  Food and medicine The lungs correspond to autumn and it is advisable to nourish them in autumn. Autumn dryness is a dry climate in autumn, and the human body is susceptible to dryness that can damage the lungs, resulting in dry mouth and throat, coughing and less phlegm, and other symptoms of autumn dryness. Fresh fruits and vegetables produced in autumn, rich in a variety of nutrients required by the human body, not only has the effect of nourishing Yin and lung, moisten dryness, is a good health care products in autumn, pears, grapes, dates, pomegranates, oranges, sugar cane, lilies, radish, silver ear, etc. can be used. These ingredients can be eaten alone or made into dishes together with other foods.  In the flu epidemic season, some herbal formulas are recommended. 2009 September, the Beijing Municipal Education Commission in the organization of the city’s primary and secondary school students to prevent the new influenza A H1N1 gargling Chinese medicine, requiring a continuous 7 days, to prevent a concentrated outbreak of influenza in schools. Drug composition: honeysuckle 2 grams, big blue leaf 2 grams, mint 2 grams, raw licorice 2 grams. In Jiangsu Province, the preventive prescription for children is: 5g of honeysuckle, 10g of blue leaf, 5g of patchouli and 3g of licorice. 1 dose is taken daily, combined with water twice and divided into two doses in the morning and evening. Take for 3 days. Or take the Chinese medicine Banlangen directly by mouth. Close contact prophylaxis: 5g each of Perilla frutescens, Herba Epimedium and Patchouli, 10g each of Gymnema sylvestre, Gandanus and Panax notoginseng. 1 dose daily, decocted twice in water and combined with the liquid, divided into two doses in the morning and two doses in the evening. reduce by half for children under 3 years old. Take for 5 days. Or take traditional Chinese medicine: Yinhuang granules, Qingkailing granules, Blue Scutellaria oral liquid. Prescriptions for the prevention of influenza A in Guangdong Province are listed below.  Prescription for adults.  (1) Prince’s ginseng 10g, Su Ye 6g, Scutellaria baicalensis 10g, Burdock 10g. Applicable people: People with weak body and easy to external sensation. Decoction method: 1 dose daily, decoction with water. It is suitable for 3 to 5 servings, one in the morning and one in the evening.  (2) Da Qing Ye 5 grams, Comfrey 5 grams, raw licorice 5 grams. Function: Detoxifying and clearing heat. Indications: Redness of the face, dryness of the mouth, throat and nose, preference for coolness, slightly dry stools and yellow urine. Decoction: 1 serving per day, decoction with water. 1 time in the morning and 1 time in the evening, 3 to 5 servings is appropriate.  (3) Mulberry leaf 10 grams, white foxglove 15 grams, honeysuckle 12 grams. Function: Clearing heat and promoting lung. Indications: Redness of the face, dryness of the mouth, throat and nose, preference for coolness, slightly dry stools and yellow urine. Decoction: 1 dose daily, decoction with water. 1 time in the morning and 1 time in the evening, 3 to 5 servings is appropriate.  (4) Su Ye 10g, Perilla 10g, Chen Pi 10g. Function: Strengthening the spleen and resolving dampness. Indications: Obscure face, often with abdominal distension and loose stools. Decoction method: 1 dose daily, decoction with water. 1 serving in the morning and 1 serving in the evening. 3 to 5 servings are appropriate.  The above prescription is recommended to be used by different groups of people under the guidance of a licensed physician, and can be taken for 3 to 5 servings in a row during the epidemic.  Prescription for children: Huo Xiang 6g, Su Ye 6g, Yin Hua 10g, Sheng Shan Zha 10g. Functions: Clearing heat and eliminating stagnation. Indications: Children who are prone to food stagnation. Such children are prone to “fire”, sour breath, foul or dry stools. Decoction: Take 1 dose daily with water. It should be taken once in the morning and once in the evening. 3 to 5 servings are suitable.  The prevention of respiratory diseases is based on tonifying lung qi and clearing heat and detoxification. Drugs commonly used to enter the lung meridian to nourish lung qi include American ginseng, princely ginseng, astragalus, dang ginseng, ginseng, atractylodes, lotus seeds, jujube, roasted licorice, etc.; to nourish yin and moisten lung include lily, loquat, honey, sage, maidenhair, aconite, yu zhu, raw earth, xuan ginseng, white peony, smallpox powder, etc. Food therapy drugs for regulating lung qi include almond, loquat leaf, horticultural peel, zhebei mum, Chuanbei mum, white mustard seed, lycopodium, suzy etc.  Some Chinese patent medicines can also play a tonifying role, such as Yu Ping Feng granules, lung tonic pills, and Ginseng and Bai Zhu San. Chinese patent medicines for cold prevention include Xiao Chai Hu granules.