Hyderabad: The festival of Holi does bring euphoric joy to people of all ages, but many times, the joy also leads to negligence which might take a toll on people's health. Traditionally, on the day of Holi or 'Phag', people meet their close friends and loved ones, play with colours, and enjoy various fried delicacies such as Pakoras or Chaat along with Bhaang or alcohol. But after Holi, the number of patients in hospitals and clinics increases, which mostly consists of children and elders.
Dr Rajesh Sharma, a general physician from Bhopal, says that post-Holi, many people are affected by skin problems, respiratory issues, and digestive or stomach infections. But, due to constant changes in the climate, and the effects of some air-borne viruses, the number of cases has been increasing in recent years. Therefore, children and elders must celebrate Holi while being a little more cautious.
Dr Rajesh acknowledges that trying to control the excitement of children during Holi is a tedious task. Children start playing with colours, Pichkaris and water balloons a week before the actual festival. During these activities, children also start eating while they are sometimes still covered in dry colours and water, which helps the colours and germs enter their bodies and makes them sick. Therefore, after Holi, cases of stomach problems increase in a large number of children.
But, we need to be more careful this year due to the increasing number of cold and flu infection cases in children because of the weather. And also due to their weakened immunity because of the COVID-19 virus and its frequently increasing cases. Dr Rajesh explains that the immunities of children who have been infected with the COVID-19 virus have been severely affected due to the infection. Many children still experience problems in digestion, fatigue and weakness due to weakened immunities.
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In such situations, taking extra precautions before and while playing Holi will help the children stay healthy. Some of the precautions required for children are as follows:
- Take special care of their diet. As far as possible, give them only homemade food items to eat, in a controlled quantity.
- Ask children to avoid eating anything with dirty hands, and also to wash their hands thoroughly with soap before eating or drinking anything.
- Avoid giving children cold drinks, chips, processed and salted foods and sweets. Increase the number of fruits, dry fruits, fresh fruit juices and coconut water in their diet.
- Explain to the children the damages of using permanent and chemical-induced colours, using extremely cold water Pichkaris, and using water balloons to hit each other.
- Before playing Holi, apply oil to the children's bodies and dress them in clothes that will cover most of their bodies, to prevent any skin damage due to colours.
- As far as possible, do not let children stay in wet clothes for a long time.
Being cautious during Holi is not just for children, but also for elders. Elders too experience problems such as skin infections or digestive issues, but there are often incidents of road accidents or injuries due to careless alcohol consumption or other intoxications during Holi. Dr Rajesh explains, a large number of patients suffering from long COVID symptoms such as an increase in cholesterol, increased heart speed, shortness of breath, weakness, digestive problems, etc. may get affected further leading to severe conditions.
Therefore, there is a need to pay attention towards their health as well as the seasonal infections that might affect them during Holi. Here are some precautions to follow for the elders:
- To avoid breathing problems and skin allergies, stay away from chemical-induced permanent colours as much as possible.
- It is necessary to keep your diet in check while visiting friends and family, consuming controlled quantities of fried foods and sweets can help you stay away from digestive problems and stomach infections.
- people suffering from diabetes, heart problems or hypertension should refrain from fried foods and sweets during festivities.
- To maintain your energy during and after the celebrations, and to get rid of the toxins collected in the body due to colours and unhealthy food, people should drink lots of water.
- Also, it is essential to stay away from intoxicating substances, alcohol, Bhaang, etc. no matter how tempting they are. These intoxications can lead to other complications in comorbidities.
