Steam inhalation at home with a cold

Cough, runny nose and "cloudy" condition of the body can happen at any time of the year. For treatment of colds many methods are tested. Some of them bear a quick cure, but the consequences of taking shock doses of medications can be deplorable and not immediately apparent. But the methods that traditional medicine has been offering for a long time, and now traditional, solve the problem gradually, but they do not harm health and strengthen immunity.

Indications for the use of inhalation

Inhalations in the home with a cold, cough or colds seem the most accessible way to get the desired result. The method works if the patient does not suffer from another disease that causes similar symptoms. For example, people who are not familiar with allergies and who first experience a reaction to an irritant agent, symptoms may seem like the onset of a cold. Not allergic diseases can be inhaled. Before starting the procedure, it is worthwhile to see a doctor for the diagnosis, otherwise as a result of treatment, the situation can be aggravated.

Inhalations in the home for cough and cold are used with the following indications:

• Exacerbation of upper respiratory tract diseases of chronic form.
• ARVI with complications( laryngitis, rhinitis, tonsillitis, etc.).
• Fungal diseases of the respiratory system.
• Tuberculosis of the lungs, asthma bronchial, bronchoectatic disease.
• Cystic fibrosis, pneumonia in stage 3( separation of sputum).
• Respiratory disorders in HIV.
• Prevention of congestion in the postoperative period.

Cough and runny nose are manifestations of the symptoms of the disease. Before you begin treatment, you need to make sure that inhalations will contribute to an early recovery.

Contraindications

The use of any type of therapy has its contraindications. Neglecting them can lead to complications, the emergence of new diseases, and often irreparable consequences. Do not use inhalation in the home for a runny nose, cough and other symptoms in the following conditions or diseases:

• Body temperature above normal( more than 37.5 ° C).
• Any bleeding from the nose.
• Arrhythmia, cardiovascular failure.
• Hypertension( grade 2 or higher).
• Pulmonary insufficiency.
• Pulmonary haemorrhage, pulmonary emphysema.
• Allergy to medicinal agents( medicinal, phytopreparations, essential oils, etc.).
• Age( children under 2 years are not recommended).

What is inhalation

Inhalation is a method of treatment in which shredded medicines are delivered with the help of heated steam, aerosols during inspiration. The word "inhalation" is an analog of the Latin "inhalo"( I breathe in).Steam inhalations in the runny nose at home help the finely divided particles of drugs to get directly into the focus of infection - bronchi, nasopharyngeal mucosa.

The treatment is local in nature, but the inhalation of vapors saturated with useful natural ingredients not only positively affects focal diseases, but also has a beneficial effect on the state of the immune and nervous systems. For women, you can add one more positive aspect - moisturizing and cleansing the skin, which occurs while you have to breathe useful steam.

Advantages of

Inhalations in the home with a runny nose have the following advantages:

• When breathing is done without a cold( dry rhinitis) inhalation saturates the mucosa and provokes mucus rejection.
• With a plentiful but difficult compartment, mucus helps to speedily evacuate it.
• In a cold caused by an allergy, help to quickly remove the allergen from the nasopharynx.
• With diseases of acute respiratory viral infection, they ease the general condition of the patient, saturate the tissues of the mucous membrane of the nasopharynx with moisture and strengthen the immune system.

Cough inhalations are no less effective:

• Moisturizing with mucous membrane vapor, which facilitates the condition with a debilitating dry cough.
• Reduces the irritability of irritated receptors, enveloping the mucous membrane.
• There is a stimulation of sputum formation and a less painful cough.
• Dilution of sputum, rapid evacuation.
• Eliminates spasm of bronchi in case of allergic origin of cough.
• Gradual destruction of pathogens of infection, strengthening of immunity.

Kinds of inhalation

In the arsenal of traditional and folk medicine inhalation for a runny nose in the home are held in several ways:

• Steam inhalation, or heat and moisture. The temperature of the solution ranges from +42 ° C to +50 ° C.Safe and effective exposure time is from 5 to 10 minutes. To create a medicinal solution used medicinal herbs and essential oils( for which there is no allergic reaction), medicines prescribed by a doctor, soda, antibacterial drugs. The greatest benefit this type of treatment brings to the primary stage of the disease.
• Oil inhalation. The oil is heated to a temperature of about 38 ° C, the exposure time is about 10 minutes. If desired, the oil can be added to hot water and breathed over the solution tank. This kind of inhalation helps with dry cough, absence of mucus from the nose. Use eucalyptus, olive oil, a positive influence exert tea tree oil, peach, coniferous and many others. Before use, make sure that there is no allergic reaction.
• Dry inhalation. We use plants with active antiviral phytocides: onion, garlic, horseradish root. Natural raw materials are ground and placed in the room where the patient is. Action - antibacterial.
• Hardware inhalation. Developed devices for home use allow you to perform inhalations both steam and without the use of steam. The device of the inhaler atomizes the drug to the aerosol state.

Inhalations are divided into types according to the temperature regime:

• Cold .The temperature of the solution for the procedure does not exceed 30 ° C.
• Heat Sink .The solution is heated to 45 ° C.
• Steam .The temperature does not exceed 50 ° C.

Rules for the procedure

The success of the treatment process directly depends on the correctness of its implementation. Inhalations at home with a cold, cough, ARVI have characteristics, and should not be neglected:

• Follow the procedure one hour after eating. The patient should not be hungry.
• After the procedure, you should not eat or drink for 30-40 minutes.
• Do not talk after treatment for 30-60 minutes.
• It is contraindicated to go out for two hours after the procedure.
• If medication is used for inhalation, it is necessary to know the formula and keep it to within 1 gram.
• During the inhalation process, deep, gentle breaths and exhalations need to be done.
• For children from 2 to 5 years, the time of inhalation is 3 minutes, from 5 to 12 years, the procedure is 5-10 minutes.
• The inhaler solution is prepared before use.
• With a cold, respiration should be through the nose, with cough and respiratory diseases through the mouth.
• In the appointment of several types of inhalations for the treatment of acute respiratory viral infections, the common cold first applies inhalation with bronchodilator drugs, after them - with expectorant properties.
• When using industrial-use inhalers, it is necessary to rinse the device before and after the inhalation session.

Therapeutic agents

For inhalation use vegetable raw materials, medicines, oils. There are many recipes, but some of them are time-tested and show effectiveness in application:

• Inhalation with a cold at home soda. The recipe of the basic solution: 1 teaspoon of baking soda is added to one glass of hot water( to 50 ° C).Breathe over solution vapors for 5-10 minutes.
• Alkaline mineral water is suitable as an inhalation solution - Essentuki-17, Narzan, Borjomi, etc. Water is heated to 50 ° C and a therapy session is conducted.
• Inhalation in the common cold at home with chamomile. First you need to prepare a decoction of chamomile, for this it is enough to pour one tablespoon of dry herbs with a glass of boiling water and let it steep for 20 minutes - the inhalation solution is ready. If the infusion has cooled, it is enough to add hot water and carry out the procedure.
• Inhalation with needles. To prepare the solution, needles should be soaked for several hours in water at room temperature, after which it should be heated until steam appears. If there is no needles at hand, you can do with essential oil( 2 drops per glass of warm water) of pine, spruce, cedar, etc. A few drops are added to the hot water. For small children, you can leave a bucket or a pot of hot solution in the room for the period of sleep. The container is closed with a lid, leaving a small gap for the escape of steam. To allow the solution to give more healing steam, the container must be thermally insulated( wrapped with a blanket, a thick towel, etc.).
• Inhalation in the common cold at home with potatoes. One of the most common and effective ways to conduct a procedure. The potato is boiled in a uniform, the water is drained, it is necessary to breathe, bending over the tubers. If desired and necessary, you can add eucalyptus essential oil.

How to inhale the house

There are three ways to create an inhalator at home. The simplest is to use a pan for this purpose. A warm or hot medicinal solution is poured into the container, so as not to lose steam it is necessary to cover the head with a towel while covering the borders of the pan. In general, it is necessary to create a closed space in which steam will circulate. In order not to burn the skin, on the area of ​​the lips, the skin around the eyes, it is necessary to apply a protective cream on the open areas. After 5-10 minutes, the procedure is completed.

The next method uses a kettle. It is filled with hot ingredients with medicinal ingredients, a funnel is inserted into the tip of the kettle, through which steam is supplied. The method is good for those who do not tolerate the effect of hot steam, as in the previous described method. The funnel can be made of cardboard.

For the procedures of inhalation at home with a cold or cough, there are appliances - household inhalers. To date, there are many such techniques, with different ways of carrying out the procedure. The question is only in the choice, before using, you should read the instruction.

Features of the procedure for children

Inhalation in the home with a cold to children is carried out with caution. For babies under two years the procedure is not recommended. The child is difficult to persuade to breathe the steam over a pot, potatoes or a kettle. Using the device simplifies the task, because the process can take place in a game form. But there are ways to help the child and arrange the inhalation in a somewhat enlarged form.

One way is to put the child in a small room and fill it with healing steam. An important condition is ventilation. If there is a bath, then the question is solved simply. You can persuade a child to breathe over the potatoes, and as an entertainment element to use a large umbrella, which close the container with potatoes. In this case, it should be ensured that the child is not burned. The timing of inhalation by home methods is 10 to 20 minutes.

Features of the procedure for pregnant women

Inhalation in the home during a runny nose to pregnant women is carried out with some features. Waiting for the child, the future mother tries to observe the regime of the day, avoiding diseases, but the runny nose overtakes almost everyone. It is dangerous because it provokes a lack of oxygen, which can damage the child. Inhalation is the safest method of treatment, in which there are limitations:

• Do not use drugs that have an allergic reaction or a predisposition to it.
• During pregnancy it is forbidden to use essential oils: cypress, rosemary, cedar, dill, nightshade, marjoram.
• During the procedure, iodine should be excluded from the list of ingredients used.
• General contraindications apply to pregnant women, refuse inhalation if they feel unwell.

Conclusion

Inhalation at home with cough and cold is a simple and effective way to get rid of stuffy nose and throat. It stimulates the body's internal reserves, does not violate human nature, but helps rather quickly and easily restore lost health.