As Cold Waves and H1N1 Flu Arrive, Frail and Elderly Cancer Patients Should Prevent Colds and Stroke

Recently, because of falling temperatures and the spread of influenza A (H1N1), many people have caught colds. Frail and elderly cancer patients should take precautions during this flu season and avoid crowded places.

Many cancer patients do not die of cancer but of influenza. One of my ovarian-cancer patients, from Xingtai in Hebei, had kept her ovarian cancer well controlled after treatment. But last winter, having failed to take precautions, she contracted influenza A and ultimately died of a lung infection caused by it—a great pity.

When temperatures drop in winter, elderly and frail patients should avoid going out as much as possible, and even indoors should guard against wind and cold. If someone at home catches a cold, isolation measures should be taken.

Do not overexert yourself in winter, whether doing housework, working, or practicing exercises in the park; stop when enough is enough. The moment you feel slightly tired, find a sheltered spot to rest. With even slight exertion, human immunity drops. Cancer patients' immunity is already below normal, so after exertion they are especially prone to colds.

If you really cannot avoid the flu, take anti-influenza medicine at the very first mild symptoms—do not rely on luck. A cold in its early stage can usually be cured with just a dose or two of medicine, but once the best treatment window is missed it may take a week or longer to recover.

To deal with influenza, I generally advise patients to take oseltamivir or New Contac (being cheap and convenient, and requiring no TCM pattern differentiation) and to drink plenty of hot water.

If it is caused by wind-cold, you can quickly make a hot decoction at home with 10–30 cm of scallion white (the white part of green onions) or a handful of spring onions and 5–7 slices of ginger; drink it hot, then lie down under thick covers and rest. Working up a slight sweat this way (dry off promptly once sweating) can head off a serious cold.

After catching a cold, patients should stop all Chinese and Western medicines except cold medicine, because a cold is an illness with sudden onset and potentially severe symptoms. Taking other medicines during a cold can lead to serious consequences. So I generally tell patients to stop medication when they have a cold or fever, contact their doctor, and seek further guidance.

Winter is also the high season for stroke. Because severe cold causes blood vessels to constrict, blood pressure in winter is higher than in other seasons, making stroke—cerebral hemorrhage or cerebral infarction—likely. Among my own cancer patients, several cases of stroke occur every winter.

Once a stroke occurs, the patient's quality of life declines rapidly. There are many cancer patients who develop stroke sequelae. Stroke sequelae generally include the "three hemi's": hemiplegia, hemianopia, and hemisensory disturbance. Once these appear, the patient loses the ability to care for himself and lives in misery, so stroke should be prevented in winter.

One should also prevent cardiovascular events. Many modern people have elevated blood lipids, and in winter cardiovascular accidents—myocardial infarction or coronary heart disease—are common.

I often urge patients with high blood pressure or lipids to prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents in winter. Do not sit for long periods, do not stand up abruptly, and do not strain at stool; if constipated, contact a doctor for help rather than forcing bowel movements. Eat a lighter diet, keeping salt and oil low, and eat less egg yolk and cream products. Avoid heated arguments with others; people in intense emotion often have strokes.

Also monitor your own blood pressure and lipids. Health accidents often arise from ignorance and neglect, and many people regret only after a sudden illness. Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents are preventable, yet they pose a tremendous threat to health and life.

Chinese medicine says, "deficient wind and rogue evils must be avoided in their season." The three winter months should be dominated by "storing inward," and avoiding cold while keeping warm is the top priority. Northerners speak of "cating out the winter": during the three winter months people should minimize unnecessary going out, especially on days of strong wind and cold snaps, staying indoors and not stirring up their "yang qi."