Diet taboos for tuberculosis patients

Tuberculosis patients don’t have so many one-size-fits-all taboos. The only things that really need to be strictly avoided are tobacco, alcohol, and foods that are known to react with anti-tuberculosis drugs. The rest of the so-called "irritating foods" and "irritating foods" vary from person to person. There is no need to prevent yourself from eating for unreasonable taboos, which will actually slow down your recovery.

When many people are first diagnosed, the first thing they are taught by their elders is that "roosters, carps, and seafood are all hairy things and cannot be touched." In fact, there are different opinions in the industry on this point: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that tuberculosis is a "tuberculosis disease" and is mostly caused by a body with internal heat due to yin deficiency. Hot hairy things will aggravate the symptoms of hot flashes, night sweats, and coughs, so it is recommended to avoid ingredients such as mutton, dog meat, and seafood.； However, the view of modern evidence-based medicine is that tuberculosis itself is a highly consumptive disease, and supplementing high-quality protein is a top priority. As long as you are not allergic to these foods and do not feel uncomfortable after eating them, you can eat them normally. On the contrary, it can help gain weight and improve immunity. I once met an old patient from Hunan who had eaten spicy food for half his life. After the diagnosis, the family was not allowed to touch any chili peppers. He could not eat porridge and side dishes every day. He lost eight pounds in two months. Later, after evaluation, the attending doctor allowed him to add half a spoonful of chopped chili peppers to each meal. He gained three pounds in weight that month, and the lesions were absorbed faster than before during the review.

Talking about the real hard taboos, don’t even touch tobacco and alcohol. The nicotine in tobacco will continue to damage the respiratory mucosa. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is already destroying the lung structure. Smoking is equivalent to "handing a knife" to the bacteria and will also prolong the treatment period. ； Not to mention alcohol. The commonly used anti-tuberculosis drugs isoniazid and rifampin need to be metabolized by the liver. Alcohol itself will increase the burden on the liver. The combination of the two is particularly likely to induce drug-induced liver damage. In severe cases, the drug must be stopped first to protect the liver, which will delay treatment. Not long ago, there was a young man in his early 20s who thought that a few sips of beer was not a big deal, so he secretly drank three bottles at a party with friends. During the reexamination, his transaminases soared to three times the normal value. He had to suspend anti-tuberculosis treatment and stayed at home for half a month before returning it. It was a huge loss.

There are also several types of foods that are not completely forbidden to eat, but attention should be paid to staggering the time when taking medicine, or controlling the amount. For example, if you are taking isoniazid, avoid touching dried cheese that has been left out for more than half a year, salty cured fish, and deep-sea fish that have gone bad. The tyramine content in these foods is particularly high, and contact with isoniazid can easily trigger a tyramine reaction, which can cause a headache and a hot face. In severe cases, blood pressure may soar, so don't do it. It is best not to drink milk or strong tea two hours before and after taking rifampicin, otherwise it will affect the absorption of the medicine. This does not mean that you can't drink milk tea in this life. Adjust the time to take medicine to noon or before going to bed, so as not to delay anything.

As for the most frequently asked questions, "Can I eat spicy food?" and "Can I eat sweets?", there is really no unified answer. If you don’t like spicy food and you can’t stop coughing after eating even a little bit, then of course you should avoid it. ； But if you grew up eating spicy food, you won’t feel any discomfort after eating it. Adding less to stimulate your appetite is better than eating boiled vegetables all the time. Fried skewers and milk tea that are high in sugar and oil are not completely untouchable. It’s okay to satisfy your craving once in a while, but don’t eat them every day. After all, high sugar and oil will increase the inflammation burden of the body and easily lead to an increase in blood lipids. Taking medicine has already added a lot of work to the liver, so don’t add more workload to it.

Really, I have been in the tuberculosis clinic for almost six years, and I have seen too many patients go to extremes, not daring to eat or touch anything. When they came for review, they were so thin that their cheekbones protruded, and their recovery speed was more than twice as slow as that of patients who could eat and drink. Of course, if you are allergic to something you eat, or your cough gets significantly worse or your night sweats get worse after eating it, then you don’t need to ask, just stop. After all, everyone’s physical condition is very different, so you don’t need to copy other people’s experiences.

To put it bluntly, during the most half to one year of fighting tuberculosis, being able to eat well, sleep well, and gain weight steadily is much more effective than picking up on taboo details.