I get sick every time the holidays come. What’s wrong?

Another Spring Festival is here. During this joyous time of family reunion, visiting relatives and friends, and drinking, some health diseases may quietly come to "join in the fun."

In fact, not only during the Spring Festival, but also during the May Day, National Day, or the winter and summer vacations of adults and children, the body will have some abnormal reactions to a greater or lesser extent. What is going on? Today we will talk about "holiday sickness".

01 Holiday sickness, getting sick every time a holiday comes?

"Holiday sickness" is not the name of a specific disease, but a general term for diseases that are common during festivals. For example, during the Spring Festival, people tend to have a rich diet, irregular work and rest schedules, and less activity. In addition, the weather is cold and there are frequent gatherings. Under the combined effect of these factors, the incidence of "Spring Festival sickness" has increased significantly.

Common "Spring Festival diseases" mainly include the following:

Digestive system diseases

(1) Acute gastroenteritis: Irregular diet during the Spring Festival and excessive intake of raw, cold, unclean or irritating food can easily cause acute inflammatory changes in the gastrointestinal mucosa, resulting in symptoms such as acute diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, with or without fever.

(2) Acute pancreatitis: Overeating, alcoholism, or excessive intake of high-fat, high-protein foods can stimulate excessive secretion of pancreatic juice, triggering a series of chain reactions such as self-digestion, edema, bleeding, and even necrosis of the pancreatic tissue. This may cause severe upper abdominal pain, which may persist and progressively worsen and radiate to the back.

(3) Acute cholecystitis: Overeating, excessive drinking, and eating large amounts of greasy food can lead to excessive bile secretion and induce acute cholecystitis. Typical clinical manifestations are paroxysmal colic in the right upper abdomen or under the xiphoid process, which can radiate to the right shoulder and back, and may also be accompanied by symptoms such as abdominal distension, nausea, vomiting, and fever. In severe cases, surgical treatment is required.

Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases

A diet high in salt, cholesterol, fat, and sugar, coupled with long periods of sitting, can easily lead to high blood pressure and increased blood viscosity, increasing the risk of cardiovascular problems such as coronary heart disease and hypertension.

Bad habits such as excessive drinking and staying up late can also greatly increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, such as angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, and stroke.

Respiratory diseases

Winter is the peak season for respiratory diseases. During the Spring Festival, people gather in an environment with poor air circulation, making them susceptible to infection with influenza, Mycoplasma pneumonia and other respiratory diseases.

Metabolic diseases

(1) Gout: Excessive intake of high-purine foods, such as hot pot, animal offal, shrimp and crabs, can easily lead to gout attacks, resulting in redness, swelling, heat and pain in one or more joints.

(2) Diabetes: Overeating can cause large fluctuations in blood sugar, which in turn reduces the blood's ability to absorb glucose, leading to increased insulin resistance and thus causing type 2 diabetes.

Musculoskeletal disorders

Playing cards and entertainment for a long time will cause the neck, shoulders and waist to maintain a fixed posture for a long time, which can easily lead to lumbar diseases such as lumbar muscle strain, cervical spondylosis, and lumbar disc herniation.

02To prevent " holiday sickness", you need to pay attention to the following health issues

(1) Proper diet

Maintain healthy eating habits, eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and low-fat protein, reduce the intake of greasy food and drinks, control blood pressure and blood sugar. Avoid overeating, especially pay attention to controlling the intake of high-fat, high-sugar and high-salt foods.

Choose fresh and safe ingredients, separate raw and cooked food when processing to avoid cross contamination. When dining out, choose restaurants with good hygiene conditions, do not drink raw water, and do not eat undercooked, overcooked, spoiled, or expired food.

Drinking should be controlled to avoid excessive drinking which may cause gastrointestinal diseases, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, etc. Generally speaking, the daily alcohol intake of adult males should not exceed 25 grams, and that of females should not exceed 15 grams.

(2) Strengthen health protection

Wash your hands with running water and soap or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer after touching public items, before and after eating, and after coughing or sneezing. Maintain adequate sleep, a balanced diet, and moderate exercise to enhance your immunity. Keep warm and seek medical treatment in time if you have respiratory symptoms such as coughing, fever, runny nose, etc. Pay attention to oral hygiene, brush your teeth in the morning and evening, and rinse your mouth after meals to prevent oral diseases.

Keep the living environment clean and ventilated, clean the room regularly, remove garbage and debris, and reduce the breeding of bacteria and viruses. It is recommended to open the window for ventilation 2-3 times a day, each time for no less than 30 minutes.

There are many activities during the Spring Festival. You should pay attention to the combination of work and rest, get enough rest, and avoid staying up late and overwork.

( 3 ) Adhere to scientific exercise

Maintain moderate exercise, such as walking, jogging, yoga, Tai Chi, etc., to enhance the body's resistance and immunity. Pay attention to safety when exercising, choose the exercise method and intensity that suits you, and avoid sports injuries.

Reduce sedentary behaviors such as sitting for long periods of time watching TV, playing with mobile phones, playing mahjong, etc. Get up and move around every once in a while, do some simple stretching exercises, and promote blood circulation.

New Year's Eve welcomes the new year, and the auspicious snow indicates a good harvest. In this wonderful moment full of family reunion, I wish everyone to be full of energy and have a healthy New Year!

Author: Li Nannan, member of the China Science Writers Association, expert on popular science in China

Reviewer: Tang Qin, Deputy Secretary-General of the Expert Committee of the Chinese Medical Association, Senior Researcher, National Health Science Expert

Produced by: Science Popularization China × Chinese Medical Association

The cover image of this article comes from the copyright library. Reprinting and using it may cause copyright disputes