Frequent respiratory infections in young adults! How to fight them?

This is the 4825th article of Da Yi Xiao Hu

Recently, in my clinical work, I often encounter young and middle-aged patients complaining that they have had fever, colds, pneumonia, COVID-19, influenza A, influenza B, and mycoplasma pneumoniae infections many times in the past year, and some even have less than a week between two times... I feel that my "resistance" is so poor, and I don't know how to improve my immune function. These patients are not groups with weak immune systems in the usual sense (for example, the elderly, young children, those with tumors, chronic diseases related to the immune system, and chronic underlying diseases). Among these young and middle-aged people who frequently suffer from acute respiratory infections in a short period of time, some of them are actually because the previous infection was not effectively controlled, the infected viruses, bacteria, mycoplasmas, etc. were suppressed, and the symptoms were alleviated. The patients did not follow the doctor's advice for standardized treatment, making the pathogens "active" again, and the symptoms worsened again, and the patients thought it was a new infection; there are indeed many patients who were infected again shortly after the previous acute respiratory infection was cured, and it occurred frequently in a short period of time (such as more than four times a year).

The immune system is the "army" that protects the human body from pathogenic microorganisms. The immune system functions normally in most young and middle-aged people, but the strength of the "combat effectiveness" is relative, that is, not only does the strength of the immune system vary between different people, but even the strength of the same person's immune system in different states will change dynamically. The immune system is a complex system composed of a variety of immune cells with different functions. There are many factors that affect the effectiveness of the immune system. Among them, we need to pay special attention to some factors that we can control so that this "army" can exert its maximum "combat effectiveness".

1. Reasonable work and rest

The blurring of circadian rhythms has become the norm for many young and middle-aged people. Of course, many of them are facing heavy and stressful work and study tasks. Many people also have to take care of housework, take care of the elderly, and raise the next generation. Staying up late and irregular sleep have become commonplace; and some young people have dinner parties, entertainment, and mobile phone browsing at night... staying up late and going to bed late are their active lifestyles. Whether passive or active, irregular work and rest and lack of sufficient sleep are important factors that damage the human immune system. Some people have just improved from the last respiratory infection, and immediately start staying up late again. Especially during the rare Spring Festival holiday, they are busy traveling, visiting relatives and friends, and gatherings. It is even more difficult to have a regular work and rest, so that the immune system that has just experienced a "battle" cannot be well repaired, so the defense is weak, which becomes a "good opportunity" for viruses, bacteria and other pathogenic microorganisms to invade again.

2. Scientific diet

High-fat and high-sugar foods, fast food with processed meat and refined flour products as the main ingredients, snacks, desserts, sugary drinks, etc. frequently appear on the menus of many people's daily diets. Some patients have just recovered from colds and pneumonia, and their appetite has returned. They feel the need to replenish their "nutrition" and turn on the "high-energy" mode, consuming large amounts of meat and full-fat dairy products. In fact, these high-fat, high-sugar, deeply processed foods, and refined carbohydrate foods are not only not conducive to the repair and efficiency improvement of the human immune system, but also because these foods will produce a large amount of substances that are not conducive to the human body after being absorbed by the human body. These substances also need to be cleaned up by immune cells, thereby increasing the burden and loss of the immune system, and will also directly damage immune cells. What kind of food is "friendly" to our immune system? Existing studies have shown that foods rich in dietary fiber, various vitamins, and proteins can effectively enhance the efficacy of immune cells and repair damaged immune systems. Specifically, they include fresh fruits and vegetables (especially berries and dark leafy vegetables), mushrooms, beans/bean products, whole grains (whole grains, brown rice, etc.), nuts, tea, black coffee, and appropriate amounts of animal protein. Of course, the variety should be as rich as possible, and high oil, high salt, and frying should be avoided when cooking. A scientific and reasonable diet can also promote the metabolism of intestinal flora in the human body to produce vitamins, amino acids, coenzymes and other substances that are beneficial to immune cells. At the same time, a scientific diet should also avoid bad eating habits such as being too hungry or too full.

3. Keep exercising

Daily aerobic exercise, resistance (muscle strength) training, stretching/body/flexibility training and other exercises can promote the renewal of immune cells and the repair of immune system functions by promoting metabolism and enhancing bone marrow function. It can also enhance the function of the circulatory system to ensure the transfer and aggregation of immune cells and exert their effectiveness. It can also improve the efficiency of muscle tissue to release glutamine and provide sufficient energy for the "battle" of immune cells. For most young and middle-aged people, 5 times a week for 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise is appropriate. The types of exercise should be as diverse as possible. It is not recommended to concentrate the target amount of exercise for a week in one or two days. In the intervals between work and study, you can also practice traditional exercises such as "Ba Duan Jin" to dredge the meridians, regulate qi and blood, and enhance the functions of internal organs. Persistence will surely yield good results.

4. Emotional stress management

Some neurotransmitters released by nerve cells can also regulate the activity of immune cells and thus affect the function of the immune system; this has been confirmed by research. Therefore, persistent tension, mental stress, anxiety or depression may become one of the factors that aggravate immune dysfunction. Some diseases related to immune system dysfunction (allergic reactions, neurodermatitis, eczema, chronic urticaria, etc.) often have emotional, mental state and other inducing or aggravating factors, which also confirms the impact of neuropsychiatric factors on immune function. On the contrary, maintaining a good emotional state and being good at regulating stress can help the immune system to function effectively.

5. Vaccination

Vaccination is like intensive training for the human body’s “defense forces”, training more “special forces” to target specific “enemies” and improving the ability of the human immune system to identify and eliminate specific pathogenic microorganisms.

Author: Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Emergency Department He Miao