Unwell from the Smog

I was looking forward to doing groceries and trying a new cafe last Monday. Started feeling unwell on Sunday though. I think the smog finally got to me even though I've been staying indoors with the air purifier on. I also wear a mask whenever I go out to water the plants and say hello to the cats. 

I guess it was inevitable. I battled the infection with Betadine nasal spray, my usual inhaler and Avamys, plus essential oils. As much as I can I avoid drinking more medication. My cardio in Singapore told me that I was already immune to some antibiotics. He tracked all the meds I drank since 2003 and he monitored my blood twice a year. It's great he did that for me and my doctors here are grateful I was care for really well in Singapore. 

I was able to hold up really well until Saturday. On Friday though, the air really stung even though I stayed indoors with air purifiers. At some point Miggy and I smelled something like gas in the air. We're not sure if it was from a passing vehicle or particles in the air. I started feeling bad the day after that. I also kept waking up in the middle of the night and noticed my oxygen saturation kept going down. 

Haze in Singapore, c 2011.

Skipped pulmo rehab yesterday since I wasn't feeling well. I had slight fever the night before and was down most of Monday. I knew though it was different from a viral infection since it lacked the weird fluttering on my chest. Told myself if I wasn't better by Tuesday I'd see my doctor. I guess the mix of concoctions helped and I'm glad I battled the smog infection without additional prescription meds. 

Do take care especially if you have a lung impairment like me (or asthma). It's not fun to have weak lungs, but as my doctor said, there are ways to strengthen it. Protect yourself as much as you could to prevent a trip to the ER. Remember also, the virus is still around. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Wellness Wednesdays: Why You Need an Air Purifier

The air quality today is really bad. I had to put the air purifier on high mode since it was triggering my asthma. I'm not sure what's causing the air quality to be bad lately. DOST-Philvocs reported that Taal Volcano emitted 4,422 tons of sulfur dioxide (Source: DOST-Philvocs Twitter). Add that plus vehicle and factory emissions, then that's maybe why the quality of air has been bad. 

Sadly though, we don't really have a government agency here in the Philippines that provides real-time data on air quality. In Singapore they track it everyday and it's posted by nea.gov.sg on their website and Twitter account. Air pollution is bad especially for those with respiratory ailments like asthma. I only started having asthma when I moved to Singapore. It became worse as years passed. 

The pollutants from bad air causes respiratory ailments and other diseases. The "WHO data show that almost all of the global population (99%) breathe air that exceeds WHO guideline limits and contains high levels of pollutants, with low- and middle-income countries suffering from the highest exposures." (Source: WHO). 

What I normally monitor is the status of PM2.5 in the air. It's fine particulate matter that can go into your lungs (more info here). Breathing this can make your illness worse or cause lung cancer and/or heart disease. That's why it was a double whammy for me, I already had a heart condition and my lungs were scarred from pneumonia even before I moved to Singapore. 

To protect myself and my boys we have air purifiers in all our rooms. It really helped me when I lived in Singapore and we brought home all of it. I've tried and tested a number of air purifiers in the past ten years and I made a review of which one is most useful and practical for me. So don't wait before things get worse. The air wasn't this bad before, but I guess with our volcanoes angry plus more vehicles out there it's just going to really get worse. 

#BeKind #StaySafe