Summer illnesses are primarily caused by poor habits such as consuming cold foods and inadequate heat protection.
Dangerous Consequences
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| Children should not consume too many cold foods in summer (Photo: utexas) |
Ms. Do Thanh Mai, from C4 Thanh Xuan Bac (Hanoi), shared: “During the hot days, I often set the air conditioner at a very low temperature, around 20 degrees Celsius. My job requires me to frequently go outside, so many times I had to step out into the sun right from the cold room. I know this isn’t good for my health, but partly due to being in a hurry and partly because I thought since I’ve been doing it for a long time without issue, I continued.”
One day, shortly after stepping out of the office, I suddenly felt dizzy, my head was spinning, and cold sweat broke out. After that day, I had to take five days off because I had stomach pain, felt feverish, shivered all over, and had a headache… Upon examination, the doctor informed me that I had caught a cold partly due to the sudden transition from a cold environment to a hot one, and partly due to being in a low-temperature room for too long.
Little Thanh Tung, from Dang Tran Con Primary School (Hanoi), suffered from a sore throat due to frequently drinking cold water and ice. When he complained of a sore throat, coughing a lot, and his voice becoming increasingly hoarse, his parents took him to the doctor, only to realize that he had a sore throat because of the cold. The area around his throat was infected, and it was red and swollen. The doctor warned that if left untreated for a few days, his lungs could be affected.
Poor Habits
Summer, with its uncomfortable and sultry weather, has led people to come up with various ways to combat the heat, such as using air conditioning, or for those without much money, using evaporative fans, swimming, soaking in cool water, and drinking iced beverages… However, many individuals employ unscientific methods to combat the heat, leading to cold-related illnesses even during summer, sometimes with unfortunate consequences.
Some poor habits include setting the air conditioner to excessively low temperatures, which creates a stark contrast with the room temperature. When someone abruptly moves from the hot outdoor air to a cold room, the body cannot adapt quickly, causing pores to close too quickly, leading to chills and symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, high blood pressure, and decreased white blood cells…
Conversely, stepping out from a cold room into the hot outdoors can easily lead to catching a cold. Particularly in summer, many children suffer from colds and pneumonia, requiring emergency hospitalization because parents do not pay attention when moving children from air-conditioned rooms to the outdoors or allow small children to lie directly under the air conditioner or in front of the fan for extended periods… Running air conditioning also dries the air, which can lead to dry nasal passages, dry throats, and skin moisture loss.
Many people have the habit of drinking iced beverages in summer; if done occasionally, it’s fine. However, if done frequently, especially the habit of sucking on ice by young children, it can lead to pharyngitis and even pneumonia; additionally, it can cause diarrhea and stomach pain. The habit of many men to go shirtless to cool off can also be harmful to health. On the other hand, those who prefer to go shirtless think it will be cooler, but in reality, this increases the body’s surface area for heat absorption, which exacerbates feelings of heat…
Preventing Summer Colds
It is crucial to avoid suddenly transitioning the body from hot to cold or vice versa, as the body may not adapt quickly enough, leading to illness. Therefore, when coming inside from the hot sun, if the body is sweating profusely, one should not immediately take a cold shower, drink cold drinks, or walk straight into a room with low air conditioning. When using air conditioning, it is advisable to maintain a temperature between 24 – 26 degrees Celsius; if there are children, set it to 28 degrees Celsius, and consider placing a bowl of water in the room to maintain humidity. One should also avoid a sudden transition from an air-conditioned room to the outdoors.
In summer, even if the body feels hot, one should not drink large amounts of cold or iced water at once; instead, slightly cooler water should be consumed. Additionally, avoid excessive consumption of sugary beverages, especially carbonated drinks, as these only provide temporary relief from thirst. Moreover, it is essential to abandon the habit of sleeping outdoors overnight (a common practice in rural areas) because the body can easily catch a cold, leading to stomach pain, diarrhea, headaches, and even life-threatening situations if exposed to harmful winds.
