By: Isabel Fernandez | LVSJ
when cold Countless reviews, many of which have no scientific evidence, spread like wildfire from house to house. “Don’t walk barefoot because you’ll get sick”, “He has a cold and pneumonia”, are some of the phrases we hear.
this Pediatrician Verónica Pepino, deputy director of the “JB Iturraspe” hospital and member of the San Justo sanatorium and clinic team, in a conversation with LA VOZ DE SAN JUSTO dispels the truths and lies about the cold and children’s health.
– “Don’t walk barefoot, for God’s sake, you’ll catch a cold”
Walking barefoot doesn’t make you you caught a cold Easier, no. Viruses do not enter through the feet, colds do not invade the ground.Our children get colds from exposure to other children who in turn get colds, respiratory infections, colds, flu and the common cold They spread from person to person through the saliva we spew when we speak or through our hands. It is important to teach our children good habits: washing hands frequently, using disposable tissues, coughing and sneezing into the elbow instead of the hand.
– “Yesterday he went out to rest without a coat…he has a cold”
Kids don’t get sick from going outside for a break without a coat. Another thing is going on for hours in very low temperatures without a proper coat. There were 25 children gathered in the classroom, and the children got sick inside, half of them had runny noses, coughs and sneezes.
– So, do colds bring more infections?
Yes, there are more respiratory infections in winter. There are several factors coming together: on the one hand, the drop in temperature makes certain cold viruses reproduce more and people are more susceptible to infection, so the viruses spread freely and in larger quantities than in summer.Also, flu is a seasonal disease, It knocks on our door around April and doesn’t leave until late winter. But in winter we also spend more time indoors, with more people around us than in summer, and with less ventilation. This makes it easier for the virus to spread. Cold temperatures, on the other hand, make cilia (those little hairs in our noses and airways that act as filters) work in a lazier fashion, so viruses are more likely to escape them and end up with a virus, the common cold.
– “Is the child wearing as many clothes as possible? Layers or heavy coats?
For protection against the cold, it is ideal to apply it in layers, even if thick, rather than just one layer. Now, from there, wrap them like onions. Children have the same body temperature as adults, no more and no less. What’s more, they move more and warm up easier than us. It’s important to note that the body part where we lose the most heat is the head, especially in children. The younger the child, the larger their head compared to the rest of their body. That’s why, at this time, a good measure before heading out is to put a nice hat on them. Gloves and good shoes help maintain body temperature.
– Of course, he worked out and sweated, and because it was so cold, he got pneumonia.
mistake. No, pneumonia is not contagious because our sweat freezes at minus two degrees, no. Pneumonia is a contagious viral or bacterial disease that is spread mainly through direct contact with other people. Babies won’t catch colds from being uncovered at night, and older kids won’t catch colds from sweating while sleeping at the right temperature. You already know the “beginning of pneumonia”? There is no beginning and no end, either there is or there is no. In medicine, the principle of bronchitis pneumonia does not exist, or we have or do not have.
——”It’s always like this, as soon as it comes into contact with the air current, the little guy catches a cold.”
Sorry to disappoint you, but neither. Air currents won’t keep bugs afloat. Again, it’s someone else who gets them in their hands or saliva.
– “Don’t forget to dry her hair with a hairdryer, otherwise the girl will catch a cold”.
Nor is it. It might be colder, but the virus has nothing to do with wet hair. If a different virus is already in our body, then the dryer won’t do anything to it.
– “Drinking a little orange juice every morning can prevent colds”.
Juice doesn’t boost defenses, even when it’s rich in vitamin C. Syrups, pills, vitamins, or other home remedies won’t boost your defenses either.
– “I no longer vaccinate my son for the flu. The year I vaccinated him he had a bad flu and the same thing happened to me”.
myth. It is medically impossible for the flu vaccine to transmit the disease. impossible.
– “They told me my son had a cold, then the flu, and he wasn’t getting better until they gave him antibiotics.”
Viruses, whether influenza, catarrh, or bronchial, cannot be treated with antibiotics. They don’t improve and sometimes get worse. We won’t tire of saying it. We must use antibiotics responsibly. Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to global public health today, killing thousands of people around the world every year. If it’s the flu, you don’t need antibiotics if it’s the common cold. Only if the symptoms do not improve after a week, if the general condition worsens or has a fever and discomfort after a few days, it is necessary to suspect that it may be a bacterial infection. In this case, the pediatrician should be consulted again.