Many of us are coughing in the office.
I recently had the flu and now still have a lingering cough. Others are hacking away perhaps getting over their colds.
One theory for the irritated throat is that since the heat was officially turned on on November 15, the warm air has sucked all the moisture out of the air, making it drier than usual. Oh yes and the pollution is accumulating in the air, with no chance of precipitation in sight.
I've resorted to drinking lots of chrysanthemum tea, while one colleague has installed a humidifier on her desk (in the shape of a blue elephant so the mist sprays out of its trunk), and occasionally spritzing her face.
"My skin feel so dry," she complains. Gotta keep that complexion fresh somehow I guess.
A foreign expert who has been here for a shorter time than me claims he has a lung infection. He used to be a smoker and explained that he now feels as if he were lighting up again. He sounds like he has a stuffed up nose rather than a sore throat.
Another foreigner tells me he has coughing fits at night keeping him up until two or three in the morning. Other than the coughing he doesn't think he's sick. And yes it only happened recently.
I think I may break down and buy a humidifier for my home. For now I have the dual purpose method -- since I have to hang up my laundry to dry, I put the damp clothes in my bedroom in the evening and presto! The next morning they're all dry.
But I don't think the blue elephant is for me.
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2 comments:
Don't neglect your health! The humidifier sounds like an excellent idea. As does all that tea drinking.
i think the blue elephant or similar machine is an excellent idea. it is a decorative piece and serves a purpose. the central air conditioning has to have humidity control to make the air moist to avoid drying the air. all these hacking coughs are due to dryness in the throat. sucking some of the lozenges such as bentasil, hall's , ricola to stimulate saliva may help to alleviate the irritation. there are lots of chinese candies such as preserved plums, sweet gum quat etc may help too. any citrus fruit such as orange and lemon slices are also helpful.
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