Only man gets unique health problems in winters. Because man refuses to respect the winters. Some of the points that you need to respectfully follow to maintain the health of your body in winters are here:
Do not use bathing soap on the entire body. Use a very mild bathing soap. Apply soap only on underarms and groin region. Soaps take away oil from skin and cause winter dryness. Our body produces excess oil to balance the winter colds. Moisturizer cannot provide all the benefits that naturally produced oil from our skin does.
Drink plenty of water. In winters, thirst is reduced and urination is increased. So, most people drastically reduce water intake. This increases the skin dryness. Taking more water keeps the skin naturally hydrated and prevents drying and cracks. To avoid frequent disturbances in sleep, reduce water intake in evening hours. Drink plenty of water from morning to evening.
Do not take bath with hot water. Too hot water removes the moisture and natural oil from skin. This causes dryness and cracks. Take bath with lukewarm water instead.
Go for daily morning walks. Many people make excuses in winters and avoid morning walks. This is very bad for the health. Winter walks are much more important than walks in other seasons. Daily walks keep your body warm, maintains blood circulation in extremities, provides you fresh air and sunlight.
Warm clothing is a must. Our body cools down after mid night everyday. This coupled with cold nights, increases incidence of Asthma, Allergies, Flu and Headaches. Use genuine woollens and keep your foot, chest, back and head warm during winters.
Avoid low fiber foods. Digestion is slower in winters. So, avoid low fiber foods made of maida, wheat, white rice, sugar & milk. If you consume these more, digestive system diseases will develop.
Use oils daily. Apply coconut oil on entire body after bathing. Apply coconut oil in nostrils at night. Apply 1-2 teaspoon of mustard oil, castor oil or sesame oil on tummy & navel and rub in circular motions before going to sleep. This simple routine prevents skin dryness, lip dryness and cracking.
Avoid synthetic clothing. Synthetic clothes like polyster, nylon etc do not hold body heat, thereby makes the body continuously cold. Use khadi, handloom and cotton clothes. These keep the body warm during winters.
Beware of tiles. You might have invested a lot in costly floor and wall tiles in your homes. Unfortunately these become very cold during winters. If you have such tiles, consider carpeting the floor. Cold tiles lead to joint pains.
Room heater etiquettes. Room heaters are mostly avoidable in regions where snowfall doesn't exist. If you use a room heater, keep it at lowest possible heating. A bucketful of water should be kept nearby the heater as heater completely removes moisture from the room. Water from the bucket compensate the moisture loss. Another option is to use a humidifier. Avoid keeping heater on all night. Use it for most colder hours. High quality woollen blankets and clothing are better than using a room heater.
Dairy products restrictions. Do not eat any dairy product in evenings & dinners.
Sesame is made for winters. One homemade sesame jaggery laddu per day keeps the body warm during winters. If you cannot make the laddus, 4 teaspoons of lightly roasted sesame and a spoonful of jaggery can be taken daily. Sesame also prevents dry skin.
Bajra is for winters. One bajra roti at night during winters is a traditional way of keeping the body warm.
Hot water tricks. Do not drink hot water in winters if you are healthy. Drink plenty of hot water only if you have a flu, cold, cough or feeling very cold. However, if you drink hot water daily, you will be dehydrated as you will be drinking much less water. Hot water cannot be taken in large quantities.
Fruits are good for winters. There are many misconceptions about eating fruits in winters. I have seen many people avoiding bananas, custard apple, coconut, guava, ber / barekai etc in winters. These beliefs are all baseless. It's best to have more fruits during winters because digestion is slower in winters and fruits provide lots of fiber that helps in digestion. Have plenty of tender coconut water without any fear.
Soups for dinner. Having homemade fresh hot soups in evenings is a very good way to keep the body warm.
Keep the dinners lighter. Have dinners early and keep them lighter. Kichdi and soup is the best dinner for winters. Due to cold temperature, heavy dinners will be difficult do digest.
Go for Papaya. Papaya is our favorite winter food. We get plenty of papaya from our garden during winters. We eat papaya daily as a sole breakfast food. Papaya digests very well. And most importantly, papaya keeps the body warm. Papaya is safe for girls and pregnant women too. Toothless babies and old people can also have papaya.
Get out. Winters have short days. Sun intensity is also lowest in winters. If you don't go out for morning walks or work indoors, you don't get much sunlight. So, make some deliberate efforts to go out in winters for morning and evening walks.
Migrants beware. If you were born in plains, tropics or areas with higher sunlight, your body is accustomed and used to daily sunlight exposure. If you have migrated to low sunlight areas, snowfall areas, or forested areas, you will be unable to get daily sun exposure. This leads to WINTER BLUES. An unexplainable feeling of low or depression during winters. Most suicides happen in winters. So, beware if you are such a migrant.
Hit the beach. Winters are the best time to go to beaches. Beaches are warm and humid in winters and give a much needed respite from winters. Beaches are everyone's favorite. Our family's favourite is Kudle Beach in Gokarna. After discovering Kudle Beach, we never looked for another beach.
Avoid salts & sours. Salty and sour foods are difficult to digest and also cause dehydration. Avoid these during winters.
Enjoy frozen foods. Frozen foods like chocolates, ice-creams, etc can be taken during winters. Make sure that they are not too much chilled when you take the bite.
Hide your skin, stupid. You may like to show your skin. But, winter is not that show time. Wearing sleeveless dress, belly button exposing clothes, half pants during morning walks etc, you are being plain stupid. Help yourself and wear full clothing.
Avoid dehydrating beverages. Coffee, tea, colas have a dehydrating effect on the body. Avoid these during winters, especially during evening and night.
Be alert. Respiratory (Asthma, Allergies, Pneumonia etc), joint and skin diseases become worse during winters. If you have these, you need to take extra care. Also, heart attacks are more common in winters.
Don't miss the sex. Winters are the best time to enjoy sex with your partner.
Take Care
Dr. Madhukar Dama