As temperatures begin to fall, physicians have advised the public to take preventive measures against common symptoms of fall, including overactive bladder, itchy skin and skin rashes.
Cheng Wei-ming (程威銘), a physician in the Department of Urology at Taipei City Hospital’s Zhongxiao Branch, said that, based on National Health Insurance statistics, colder temperatures lead to increased cases of “overactive bladder.”
Cheng recently diagnosed a women in her 50s, surnamed Wang (王), with overactive bladder, as she experienced the need to urinate more frequently, about once per hour, causing her to shy away from drinking water, even when she felt thirsty.
“Overactive bladder occurs more often in cold weather, because when the body is cold, nerves conduct signals to bladder muscles, causing them to contract and become more sensitive,” Cheng said. “It leads to a more urgent need to urinate, more frequently, and nocturia or even urinary incontinence.”
Cheng said the causal factors of overactive bladder have yet to be determined, but that low temperatures can make symptoms worse. Relief of symptoms is possible by keeping the body warm on cold days, avoiding drinking caffeine or liquor, or eating foods containing stimulants, as well as urinating before going to bed or leaving the house, he added.
Cheng said medical treatment — including taking anticholinergics or beta-adrenoceptor agonists, or injecting botulinum toxin into the bladder — is covered by National Health Insurance if examinations show oral medicines proved ineffective.
Chuang Chia-ying (莊佳穎), a traditional Chinese medicine dermatologist at Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital, said that, according to department statistics, about 80 percent of patients sought treatment for symptoms caused by seasonal allergies in fall.
A man in his 60s, surnamed Lin (林), has suffered from skin redness, itchiness, and peeling — and sometimes cracking and bleeding — of the skin every fall and winter for the past 30 years, causing him discomfort and embarrassment, Chuang said.
She said Lin’s symptoms are caused by seasonal allergies and are treated using traditional herbal medicine, as well as by avoiding liquor and spicy food.
Chuang said that, according to traditional herbal medicine, during the dry cold season, eating white fungus (白木耳), Chinese yam (山藥), okra, lotus root, lotus sees, lily, wolfberry (枸杞) and dates can help moisten the skin, adding that people who often suffer from itchy skin in fall or winter should avoid bathing in hot springs or water that is too hot, to prevent natural skin oils from being depleted.
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