Beware of the three major "Spring Festival diseases"
As the end of the year approaches, the festive atmosphere becomes stronger. Reunion with family and friends, toasting, and leisure activities are the annual themes. However, during the Spring Festival, people's normal eating and living routines are disrupted. Greasy food, excessive drinking, sedentary lifestyle, and poor rest all affect people's physical health. The digestive system, cardiovascular system, and even joints such as the lumbar spine of some people face severe challenges. The Beijing Morning Post has compiled three major "Spring Festival diseases" that may occur during the Spring Festival period to help you have a healthy Spring Festival.
Spring Festival Disease 1: Digestive system diseases
During the Spring Festival, family and friends gather together, and of course, there will be delicious food and drinks. However, frequent gatherings and excessive drinking can put a heavy burden on the digestive system.
Clinically, the incidence of gastrointestinal diseases related to diet increases significantly during the Spring Festival. This is because during the Spring Festival, people are busy with gatherings and often tend to overeat. During the holiday period, few people will insist on exercising, so eating more and consuming less can easily lead to illness. In addition, staying up late is also common during the holidays, especially for older people who do not get enough rest, which can lead to decreased resistance and gastrointestinal problems.
Prevention of digestive system diseases
To protect the gastrointestinal health during the Spring Festival, it is recommended not to eat and drink excessively, and not to exceed the body's tolerance. Also, eat less greasy and cold food to avoid irritating the gastrointestinal tract. In addition, pay attention to rest and maintain appropriate exercise to promote digestion and maintain gastrointestinal health. For people with gastrointestinal diseases, they must pay more attention to protecting the gastrointestinal tract during the Spring Festival, adhere to medication, and avoid stopping medication, which may cause more serious problems.
Spring Festival Disease 2: Cardiovascular diseases
Cardiovascular disease is a common disease among middle-aged and elderly people. Yang Yang, a physician at the Cardiology Department of Peking University First Hospital, told the Beijing Morning Post that due to the cold weather in winter, blood vessels are prone to constriction, leading to increased blood pressure and even coronary artery spasm, which affects the blood supply to the heart, leading to cardiovascular diseases. From the perspective of medical visits, the incidence of cardiovascular diseases generally increases after the onset of winter. The cold, greasy food, excessive drinking, and emotional excitement that persist during the Spring Festival are all triggering factors for cardiovascular diseases. Based on past experiences, during the Spring Festival, cardiovascular disease patients either do not come to the hospital or only come when their condition worsens. Therefore, it is very important to protect cardiovascular health during the Spring Festival.
Prevention of cardiovascular diseases
First, moderate diet, eat less spicy and stimulating foods, avoid excessive greasy foods, and moderate alcohol consumption to avoid overburdening the heart.
Second, maintain a regular daily routine. During the Spring Festival, it is important to try to maintain a normal lifestyle and avoid engaging in long periods of TV watching or playing mahjong. Avoid engaging in long and intense recreational activities, especially for the elderly. They must avoid excessive fatigue during the holiday period, which may lead to heart problems.
Third, maintain a calm attitude and avoid extreme emotions. Maintain a good and stable mood.
Fourth, pay attention to keeping warm when going out. Most elderly people have the habit of getting up early. In the cold winter, they should pay attention to keeping warm when going out in the morning. Before exercising, it is best to eat some snacks and drink warm water. Elderly people with a history of cardiovascular diseases should carry emergency medicines with them.
Fifth, take medication regularly. During the Spring Festival, people's daily routines are often disrupted. For patients with a history of cardiovascular diseases, they must not forget to take medication on time. For patients who plan to travel during the Spring Festival, they should prepare their medication in advance and avoid combining medication with alcohol.
Sixth, pay attention to the signals from your body. If you feel discomfort in your heart, do not ignore it. For patients with a history of heart attacks, hypertension, or high blood lipids, they must be vigilant about the signals their body gives them. If you experience chest pain, shortness of breath, or frequent episodes throughout the day, you must seek medical attention in a timely manner.
Spring Festival Disease 3: Lumbar spine and other joint diseases
During the Spring Festival, family and friends gather together, and it is inevitable to sit together and play mahjong. For patients with joint diseases such as neck, shoulder, waist, and leg pain, they should also be alert to joint problems caused by long periods of sitting.
During the Spring Festival, some people inevitably participate in long periods of sitting while playing mahjong and other activities. If the sitting posture is poor, the lumbar muscles can easily strain or even develop joint arthritis. At the same time, sitting for a long time at a mahjong table can also increase the load on the intervertebral discs, leading to herniated lumbar discs with associated radiculitis. This can cause lower back pain radiating to the buttocks and lower limbs. Prolonged sitting is not only bad for the lower back, but it also puts prolonged stress on the pelvic and sacroiliac joints, affecting blood circulation in the lower limbs and leading to sacroiliac joint inflammation and lower limb edema.
Prevention of lumbar spine and other joint diseases
First, try to avoid prolonged sitting, and the duration should be determined according to each person's condition. If you feel lower back pain, take a break or do some stretching exercises in a timely manner.
Second, try to maintain correct sitting posture during activities such as playing mahjong. You must sit upright and try to maintain a slight backward extension of the lower back to avoid excessive forward bending. Forward bending can increase the load on the lumbar intervertebral discs and increase the likelihood of disc degeneration and herniation.
Third, maintain the habit of exercising every day during the Spring Festival. Walking, swimming, and corresponding exercises for the lower back muscles are effective ways to maintain bone health. Fourth, if you already have a lumbar spine condition, remember to wear a lumbar support when playing mahjong to protect your lower back.
How to have a healthy diet during the Spring Festival
Reminder 1: Eat less meat and more vegetables
During the Spring Festival, the diet should include less meat and more vegetarian dishes such as tofu and vegetables. Eating high-protein meat dishes often causes internal heat, constipation, fatigue, bloating, and can lead to diseases such as high blood lipids, coronary heart disease, and cerebral thrombosis.
The antioxidants and vitamins in green leafy vegetables can protect the liver; eating more tofu, which contains lecithin, can also protect the liver.
Reminder 2: Use less oil and cook lightly
During the Spring Festival, it is recommended to eat less oily food and choose light and refreshing foods. It is worth noting that walnuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews, peanuts, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, and various melon seeds, although not noticeable, are high in oil content.
Excessive intake of oil can cause metabolic disorders and diseases of the digestive and respiratory systems. It is recommended to choose dishes cooked by steaming, boiling, and stewing, and avoid fried foods.
Reminder 3: Reduce salt intake and eat less salty food
During the Spring Festival, people's food intake increases, and some people like to eat salted duck, salted goose, salted chicken, ham, salted meat, salted crab, salted bamboo shoots, etc., which double the salt intake.
However, excessive consumption of foods with high sodium content can increase the burden on the heart, raise blood pressure, and cause cardiovascular diseases. Therefore, it is recommended to use less salt when cooking and keep the dishes less salty.
Reminder 4: Eat less cold food and more warm food
During the Spring Festival, the weather is still cold, and some people like to eat cold dishes and cold plates. Cold food can harm the spleen and stomach, and cold beverages can cause certain systems in the body to contract and affect blood flow.
Reminder 5: Drink less alcohol and more tea
Alcohol can irritate the gastric mucosa, causing congestion, erosion, ulcers, and damage to organs such as the liver and brain. Drinking alcohol can create a feeling of fullness and reduce appetite for more food. If you must drink alcohol, it is recommended to eat some snacks or a meal first. It is advised to drink more plain water and tea instead of alcohol.
