[한방칼럼] How to treat rhinitis that tends to occur in early winter?

The abundant autumn leaves have disappeared, the weather is getting colder and the season for the onset of winter is approaching. When winter comes, the most common symptom people complain about is rhinitis. This is because the low temperature, dry air and typical winter weather create the best environment for rhinitis to appear. This time, let’s take a closer look at this rhinitis and find out how to deal with it.

First, you need to know exactly what rhinitis is. Rhinitis refers to a disease in which the mucous membrane of the nose becomes inflamed and causes sneezing, nasal congestion, or excessive runny nose. Among them, rhinitis, which occurs frequently in winter, is a symptom of sneezing, stuffy nose, and runny nose that occur when you have a cold due to allergic rhinitis and rhinitis caused by a cold virus in the beginning. of winter.

Causes of rhinitis exacerbation include changes in immune function due to cold, low humidity, lack of nutrition, overwork, stress, vitamin deficiency, and changes in the pH of nasal secretions. The reason people get many colds during the change of seasons or in winter is that the indoor air is not ventilated and the possibility of transmission of the virus is high because several people congregate in a small space compared to the time they spend indoors. internal because of the cold. Additionally, dry indoor air can reduce ciliary motility of the nasal mucosa, leading to a decrease in nasal function. In addition, secretions infected with another patient’s sneezing or coughing enter the nose, causing inflammation and can sometimes be transmitted directly through kissing, food, or hands.

To prevent rhinitis in winter, you must first control the temperature and humidity well. It is recommended that the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor does not become much and that the indoor humidity is 50-55% and it is good to hang a humidifier or wet laundry. Drink plenty of water to keep your throat from drying out, and wear a mask when you go out to reduce temperature fluctuations. Also, since rhinitis due to a viral infection can occur, it is also helpful to wash and shower thoroughly after going out and to keep the room clean and clean.

In oriental medicine, rhinitis is called nasal discharge (鼻 噴), acetabulum (鼻 鼽) and rhinitis (鼻 嚔). Acute suppurative rhinitis is considered to be caused by fire and chronic rhinitis is seen as a symptom caused by a decrease in lung function, centered on the lungs. This shows a similar view to the recent trend that treats rhinitis, sinusitis, and lower respiratory tract asthma as a single airway disease.

When treating rhinitis with oriental medicine, first remove inflammation in the nose using various methods such as acupuncture, moist nasal therapy and herbal medicine which stabilizes rhinitis and relieves swelling of the mucous membrane to facilitate breathing. In addition, relapses and complications can be prevented by making the body healthy as a whole by performing basic treatments for the cause of rhinitis, such as strengthening lung function with herbal remedies, rather than just treating the nose.

Gwangmyeong Lee, Director of Daegu Gwangmyeong Oriental Medicine Hospital