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Acute Respiratory Infections: Causes, Symptoms and Prevention

Experiencing symptoms like running nose, congestion, body ache and cough along with fever and difficulty in breathing?. Under those circumstances, do not neglect it, there is a high chance that you may be suffering from acute respiratory infections. Unfortunately, incidents of acute respiratory infections are increasing these days. These infections can affect people of all age groups equally. This is a contagious infection. If left untreated the infection can spread to the entire respiratory system. But, it is particularly dangerous among children, older adults and people with weak immunity. Therefore, knowing about it is very important.

Frequently asked questions

How to overcome lung disorders?

Difference between Bronchitis and Pneumonia?

Acute Respiratory Infections

Acute respiratory infection is a viral infection that interferes with normal breathing. However, this infection can affect your both upper respiratory system and lower respiratory system. Although, most of the times, it begins as a viral infection in the nose, trachea or in lungs.

As was previously stated, it is highly contagious and spread easily by inhaling the respiratory droplets of the infected person. From sneezing and coughing. This acute respiratory infection is a serious condition and needs medical assistance. Because it interferes with normal breathing due to which our body fails to get enough oxygen.

Causes of Acute Respiratory Infections

Acute respiratory infections are caused due to several virus and bacteria.

Viral causes of acute respiratory infection include

Adenoviruses (are also said to cause cold, bronchitis and pneumonia)
Rhinoviruses
Influenza virus
Enterovirus
Respiratory syncytial virus

Bacterial causes of acute respiratory infection include

Pneumococcus
Bordetella pertussis
Corynebacterium diphtheria
Streptococcus pyogenes
Haemophilus influenza

People with low immunity, lung disorders and heart problems, are more at risk of developing acute respiratory infections.

Symptoms of Acute Respiratory Infections

People with acute respiratory infections experience symptoms like

Runny nose
Congestion (in the lungs or nasal sinuses)
Itchy and watery eyes
Persistent cough
Difficulty breathing
Sore throat
Sneezing
Headache
Fever and chills
Fatigue

In fact, contact a doctor immediately if people with acute respiratory infections experience symptoms. Like difficulty in breathing, dizziness and loss of consciousness.

Complications of Acute Respiratory Infections

However, if left untreated or if the disease progress. It can result in permanent damage and can also be fatal. Few complications of acute respiratory infections include

Respiratory arrest (lungs stops functioning)
Respiratory failure
Congestive heart failure

Tips to prevent Acute Respiratory Infections

We all know that prevention is always the best solution. To reduce the risk of harmful disorders like acute respiratory infections. Below are a few simple tips that help to reduce your risk of acute respiratory infections

Avoid close contact with infected people or people who are sick.
Moreover, be hygienic, wash your hands frequently.
Do not touch your face, nose and mouth without washing your hands to prevent virus and bacteria from entering your body.
Sneeze into the arm or tissues to prevent the disease from spreading.
Boost your immune system by eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly.

Here comes the winter, where low temperatures take a serious toll on health. Cold temperatures and breeze brings several hair and skin problems along with many health problems. The cold breeze in winter makes your skin dry and not only skin but also your scalp. Due to dry weather and dry atmosphere our skin and scalp tend to lose moisture and becomes dry. People who already have dry skin or scalp faces more problems and their skin further becomes dryer. Due to this dry and flaky scalp people face dandruff problems. Dandruff is one of the most common health problems of winter faced by many people. This dandruff causes hair fall and also itching. Both men and women experience dandruff problems in winter. People with dandruff faces white flakes on their shoulders which are falling from your scalp. People faces dehydration problem in winter and this can also increase the risk of dandruff problems in winter. Stress and depression also worsens dandruff problems. People in winter tend to use heaters and these heaters make your skin and scalp more dry and worsen dandruff problems.

Dandruff is a chronic problem and promotes hair loss if left untreated. Few people also experience dandruff problems in winter season only due to the cold weather. Dandruff problems can be embarrassing and inconvenient. People cannot wear their black shirts or jackets due to this dandruff problem, as the dead white flakes may fall on your shirt and bother you. Few other factors that can also lead to dandruff problems in winter season like

Not proper hair brushing
Not proper hair wash
Unhealthy eating habits
Skin problems like allergies and infections
Using high end chemical products on hair
Few health illnesses and treatments

Tips for Dandruff Problems

Here are few health tips for dandruff problems which help to prevent dandruff problems and also hair loss

Hot oil massage

One can get rid of dry skin in winter through hot oil massage. This oil massage helps your scalp and hair to be moisturized. By eliminating dry skin, you can also prevent dandruff problems. Massage your hair with hot essentials oils at night times and the next morning wash your hair with mild shampoos.

Moisturizing conditioner

Using gentle moisturizing conditioners on your scalp is very essential to maintain moisture and also to avoid dry scalp and itching problems. if you are allergic to herbs and other ingredients, it is recommended to check for the allergy symptoms if any by using very less quantity.

Use hair care products made of tea tree

Tea tree oil is loaded with anti fungal and anti microbial properties which helps to eliminate dandruff problems. Tea tree oil and other hair care products like shampoos and conditioners made of tea tree oil works very effectively in maintaining and restoring the moisture levels in your scalp. Maintaining moisture levels in scalp are very essential to get rid of dandruff problems.

Avoid using alcohol based styling products

People should avoid using alcohol based styling products like hair sprays and others in this winter. This is because they make your scalp dry and increase the risk of dandruff.

Do not use blow dryer

In this winter try and avoid using blow dryers to dry your hair as they make your scalp more dry by removing moisture and increase the risk of dandruff and flakes. Always try to air dry your hair instead of blow dryer even though the climate is very cold.

Have healthy diet

Intake of vitamin B, zinc and omega 3 Fatty acids improves scalp health avoid several scalp disorders. Foods like eggs, walnuts, leafy vegetables, fish and others provide us these above nutrients. Healthy not just improves scalp health and eliminates dandruff and other problems but they also helps in hair growth by controlling hair fall.

Avoid heaters and use humidifiers

Many people use heaters to protect themselves from cold and low temperatures. Using heaters have adverse affects on your skin and scalp. Heaters take away moisture from your skin and scalp and make them dry and also lead to dandruff problems. You can use humidifiers instead of heaters. Humidifiers help your skin and scalp to maintain moisture levels.

Control your stress levels

Stress not just affects your health but also your hair and scalp. Practice several stress relieving techniques like breathing techniques, yoga, meditation and also rest well and get enough sleep to reduce your stress levels. People with stress faces chemical imbalance which further leads to scalp problems like dandruff, flaky skin and others.

Use baking soda to exfoliate

Baking soda can be used to exfoliate dead skin from scalp and it is important to exfoliate in winter to remove dead skin and also helps to clear the pores. You can rub your scalp gently with baking soda and wash with warm water.

Use olive oil

After tea tree oil, olive oil also works well in treating dandruff problems by maintaining moisture levels in your scalp. Olive oil is also beneficial for your skin along with scalp.

Along with the above tips for dandruff problems, few other also help to control dandruff problems like aloe Vera, garlic pods, fenugreek seeds, lemon juice and coconut oil also helps to treat dandruff problems by protecting moisture in this winter. Drink enough water in this winter and also avoid exposure to the pollution to avoid other scalp problems along with dandruff.

Homeopathy Treatment for Dandruff Problems

Homeopathy treatment for dandruff works naturally in treating the root cause of the problem like allergies, chemical products and so on. Natural remedies extracted from natural substances like plants, vegetables and other natural minerals are used to treat dandruff problems. Homeopathy doctors also provide dandruff overcome tips which helps to improve scalp health and reduce dandruff problems. Dandruff treatment in homeopathy is safe, side effects free and also can be used for people of all age groups. Homeopathy not just treats dandruff but also improves overall wellbeing by rising immunity.