

Wang Chun Mei

About me
Associate Chief Physician, graduated from Qingdao Medical University, has studied at Peking University First Hospital. Engaged in the diagnosis and treatment of various severe and common diseases in respiratory medicine for a long time, especially proficient in the treatment of severe pneumonia, asthma, respiratory failure, pulmonary embolism, and the use of ventilators, pulmonary function testing, and bronchoscopy. Has rich clinical experience. Has received two municipal scientific and technological progress awards, authored three books, and published over 20 papers.
Proficient in diseases
Severe pneumonia, asthma, respiratory failure, pulmonary embolism, as well as the use of ventilators, lung function tests, bronchoscopy examinations, etc.

Voices

Is having phlegm in a cold due to wind-cold or wind-heat cold?
Simple cases of colds accompanied by coughing phlegm cannot distinguish between cold-induced colds and heat-induced colds. Clinically, patients with heat-induced colds often have yellow phlegm when coughing occurs, and heat-induced colds are more common in summer. Patients will also experience fever, chills, and sore throat among other clinical symptoms. Wind-cold colds clinically manifest with nasal congestion and a runny nose, usually with clear nasal discharge, as well as fever, itchy throat, and dry cough. When patients cough, it is typically characterized by clear phlegm. Therefore, if one simply states that a cold involves phlegm, it is not possible to differentiate between wind-cold cold and wind-heat cold.

Can you drink alcohol when you have a cold and a stuffy nose?
A cold, also known as an upper respiratory tract infection, causes patients to experience symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, and sneezing due to the congestion and swelling of the nasal mucous membrane from viral or bacterial infection. Some patients may also experience fever and coughing. Therefore, for patients with upper respiratory tract infections, it is not advisable to consume alcohol. Alcohol, which is spicy and stimulating, could worsen cold symptoms. Alcohol promotes blood circulation and can exacerbate congestion and swelling of the nasal and pharyngeal mucous membranes. Consequently, drinking alcohol can intensify symptoms like nasal congestion. Thus, it is not recommended to drink alcohol when experiencing nasal congestion during a cold.

Can you drink yogurt when you have a cold?
Colds are a relatively common type of illness, often occurring in people whose immune functions are compromised. For such patients, it is recommended that they consume foods high in protein and vitamins. Commonly, individuals catch colds due to inadvertent exposure to cold environments leading to viral infections. For such cold sufferers, it is generally advised to consume items like yogurt and milk, as yogurt has high nutritional value due to its fermentation process. It typically contains high-quality proteins, probiotics, calcium, and various vitamins, including B1 and B6. Therefore, consuming yogurt when suffering from a cold can greatly supplement the nutrients needed by the body, and indirectly boost the patient's immunity. Thus, yogurt is advisable during a cold.

The difference between pneumoconiosis and silicosis
Pneumoconiosis and silicosis are both occupational diseases. In clinical terms, silicosis is a type of pneumoconiosis. Pneumoconiosis encompasses a wide range of causes. Patients develop the disease due to long-term exposure to dust particles in the environment, such as carbon graphite, dust, silica dust, and other types of cement dust, all of which can cause pneumoconiosis, leading to fibrotic changes in the lungs. Silicosis specifically refers to an occupational disease caused by inhaling free silica, leading to interstitial fibrotic changes in the lungs. Therefore, silicosis is a type of pneumoconiosis, which is a key distinction between them.

Can you not exercise with acute bronchitis?
Acute bronchitis has a relatively rapid onset and occurs fairly frequently. It typically causes clinical symptoms such as fever, cough, sputum, shortness of breath, and wheezing. During an acute episode of bronchitis with fever, it is generally not advisable to engage in strenuous exercise, as the body’s ability to dissipate heat is already compromised due to the fever. Continuing to exercise might lead to a rapid increase in body temperature because intense physical activity enhances heat production while the cooling functions are relatively diminished. Therefore, it is not recommended to exercise during the feverish phase of acute bronchitis. Exercise can be considered when the body temperature returns to normal and other clinical symptoms have significantly improved.

How to alleviate dizziness from a stomach cold?
Gastrointestinal cold is a common type of cold seen clinically, primarily due to low immune function in patients, viral infections, leading to varying degrees of nasal congestion, runny nose, fever, dizziness, and cough, as well as some gastrointestinal discomfort symptoms like appetite loss, nausea, vomiting, abdominal bloating, and diarrhea. For patients with gastrointestinal cold, fever can inevitably cause varying degrees of dizziness, and some patients may experience severe dehydration due to diarrhea caused by the gastrointestinal cold, leading to electrolyte imbalance, which can also cause dizziness. Therefore, for dizziness caused by a gastrointestinal cold, the first step is to control the body temperature back to normal, then appropriately rehydrate. If the patient already has electrolyte imbalance, it should be timely corrected, generally relieving the symptoms of dizziness caused by the gastrointestinal cold.

Does tracheitis require surgery?
The so-called tracheitis is a non-specific inflammation caused by various triggering factors that irritate the trachea. For patients with tracheitis, as long as appropriate antiallergic treatment is given, relieving tracheal spasms, anti-infection, cough suppression, expectoration, asthma relief, and other symptomatic treatments, the discomfort caused by tracheitis can be effectively controlled. Therefore, patients with tracheitis do not require surgical treatment, and surgery cannot cure tracheitis. Therefore, in cases of tracheitis, some are caused by allergic factors, some by excessive vigorous exercise, and others by viral or bacterial infection. Thus, for tracheitis caused by different triggering factors, symptomatic treatment can usually effectively control the symptoms caused by tracheitis.

What to do when you catch a cold and cough in summer?
During summer, due to the hot weather, air conditioning is often used. If the air conditioning is set too cold, it might cause some people to catch a chill, leading to various symptoms such as nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, coughing, and sore throat. For patients with such symptoms, the first step is to check if they have a fever and identify any other accompanying clinical symptoms. If the patient simply has a dry cough, it may be appropriate to use some heat-clearing and detoxifying traditional Chinese medicines. Then, depending on the nature of the cough, central cough suppressants should be used as symptomatic treatment. Generally, recovery can happen within a week under such treatment. In cases of a summer cold where the patient starts to produce phlegm in the later stages of coughing, it is then necessary to use some anti-inflammatory medicine for symptomatic treatment, as this may indicate a possible bacterial infection. (The use of medications should be done under the guidance of a professional doctor.)

Can pneumoconiosis be treated by lung washing?
Pneumoconiosis is generally caused by long-term inhalation of dust particles, resulting in a type of pulmonary fibrosis. Typically, the clinical symptoms experienced by patients are recurrent over a long period. These patients usually suffer considerably, and when clinical symptoms occur, appropriate medications are needed to provide symptomatic treatment for relief. Symptoms may worsen even with slight activity, and in such cases, patients generally receive symptomatic treatment. There are no specific drugs that can cure this condition. Treatment for pneumoconiosis is usually symptomatic. While some patients may opt for lung lavage if circumstances allow, it is not necessarily a treatment for pneumoconiosis. Lung lavage carries certain risks and has not been widely implemented clinically. Therefore, it is generally recommended that patients with pneumoconiosis stick to symptomatic treatment and avoid lung lavage due to the significant risks involved.

Why drink more hot water when you have a cold?
A cold, also known as an upper respiratory tract infection, commonly occurs in patients due to a decrease in immune function, exposure to cold, or being infected by other viral colds. Typical symptoms in these patients include nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing, and may also include an itchy throat and cough. For cold patients with strong resistance to viral infections, medication may not even be necessary as the cold can completely heal on its own. It is advised that these patients drink more hot water, which can help not only by providing hydration but also can serve to reduce fever in patients with mild fevers. Drinking more water can improve symptoms like nasal congestion and also accelerate the recovery from a cold, as increased water intake boosts metabolism. Therefore, for patients with lowered immune function and viral infections, it is recommended to drink an adequate amount of hot water.