With the onset of autumn, the number of colds increases dramatically. At risk are children, the elderly and pregnant women. Treatment is further complicated by the fact that many drugs are banned. We have to pay attention to the means of traditional medicine. And it should be noted that many of them help no worse than pharmacy medicines. If you know how to properly breathe over a potato when you cough, then you can definitely resist any seasonal ailment.
Familiar problem
Infections or colds are almost always accompanied by a strong cough. You can get rid of itching and irritation in the throat by using non-traditional methods of treatment. If, when choosing pharmaceutical preparations, parents are afraid of side effects and contraindications, then when choosing popular methods, the listunwanted processes is extremely small. Therefore, with most throat diseases, more and more parents are interested in how to breathe over potatoes when coughing, and then widely use this method.
Simple and accessible
Pharmacy drugs are expensive today. And if the remedy causes an allergic reaction, then you will have to change it and select another one. Inhalation of steam from potatoes is the simplest and most affordable method of treatment. Its effect has been proven, so parents use it without fear for the he alth of the baby. Inhalation with potatoes allows you to quickly get rid of a runny nose and significantly improves the patient's well-being. The main advantage is the rapid therapeutic effect. But for this it is important to know how to breathe over potatoes when coughing.
Effect on the body
Treatment by inhaling potato steam has been known for centuries. This method allows you to get rid of colds and infections at the beginning of the development of the disease and helps to improve the patient's condition during the acute stage.
Hot steam, which is released from boiled potatoes, contains a large amount of biologically active substances - phytoncides. They have a devastating effect on inflammation and inhibit the growth and development of pathogenic microorganisms. When inhaled potato vapors, these substances enter the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract and affect the diseased area not only throughout the entire procedure, but also for some time after its completion.
Volatile substanceshave a pronounced antibacterial effect and moisturize the patient's respiratory system. In addition, this method warms the mucous membranes and has an antiseptic effect. If there are children in the family, it is especially important to know how to breathe over potatoes when coughing.
Main Effects
Inhalations using potatoes have the following effect:
- Allow to stop the development of the inflammatory process.
- Have a dilating effect on the blood vessels of the mucous membrane.
- Produce normal blood flow.
- Reduce swelling in the throat.
- Allow to thin mucus and facilitate its removal.
- Cleans the respiratory system from dust, dirt and other unwanted objects.
When you can use inhalation
Breathing over potatoes with a runny nose and cough is not only possible, but necessary. There are situations when this is simply a necessary remedy. Doctors recommend to resort to the procedure in the following cases:
- Prolonged rhinitis of an infectious nature.
- For allergic cough.
- Itchy and irritated throat.
- In case of an infectious or viral cough.
- For bronchitis.
- In case of inflammation of the mucous membranes.
- Pharyngitis.
- In the case of the initial stage of development of sinusitis.
- Tonsillitis.
Keep in mind that you must exercise caution despite the obvious benefit. Breathe over potatoes should only bedoctor's recommendations. In some diseases, such measures can aggravate the situation and worsen the he alth of the child. But if the pediatrician is sure that there are no wheezing in the lungs and the baby’s condition is not severe, then inhalation can become the main method of treatment.
Contraindications
To breathe over potatoes when coughing, a child is often offered not only by relatives, but also by doctors. Despite the fact that inhalation is considered a universal method, even it has some contraindications.
The main restrictions are as follows:
- Treatment should not be given if the patient has pneumonia.
- In case of a malfunction of the cardiovascular system, inhalation is strictly prohibited, as the steam dilates the blood vessels.
- You can not perform the procedure if the child has an accumulation of pus in the maxillary sinuses. That is, in any case, one cannot do without consulting a pediatrician.
Steam inhalations are prohibited in the treatment of children under three years of age. This is due to the anatomical features of the child, since their airways are not fully developed. In addition, inhaling potatoes when coughing can cause burns and damage mucous membranes if safety rules are violated. It is more difficult for a child to explain how close he can lean to the pan, so an adult should supervise the whole process.
How to perform the procedure
Assessing the possible risks and consequences for the patient, it is important to clarify how to properly perform the procedure. You can take potatoes for inhalationany, there is no fundamental difference. But there are a few important points:
- Firstly, do not inhale immediately after eating. It is best to wait about two hours.
- Secondly, steam treatments are best done in the evening, when the child is getting ready for bed.
- If parents have the opportunity, inhalations are best done twice a day.
In the morning, procedures should be done on an empty stomach. Immediately after treatment, the patient should lie under the covers and not talk for forty minutes. Remember that immediately after treatment, your child should not go outside or stand in a draft.
The duration of one session depends on the severity of inflammation and current symptoms. As a rule, the treatment of children lasts about seven minutes. If the child develops dizziness or discomfort during the procedure, the procedure should be discontinued.
Your actions
Preparation for inhalation takes some time. Consider the main points:
- Wash five medium potatoes. Make sure that there is no dirt, soil, rot or other signs on the surface of the vegetables.
- Green potatoes are not suitable for treatment. This one will have to be rejected immediately.
- Next question: how long to boil potatoes? Selected tubers should be boiled in one liter of water until tender. This means about thirty minutes on medium heat. It is advisable to take a deep pan for this. In general, most questions arise just about how much to boil potatoes. Who-then considers that it is necessary to boil it to the state of mashed potatoes. It's not.
- When the potatoes are ready, transfer the pan to the table. Make sure that the child is comfortable sitting with his hands on his knees. The most dangerous thing in this procedure is a thermal burn, so the child should be monitored throughout the entire treatment.
- Before starting the procedure, make sure that the potatoes are not hot. Permissible temperature - fifty degrees Celsius. Inhaling hotter vapor is dangerous for baby's mucous membranes.
- Cover your baby's head with a large towel or thick cloth. Now his task is to breathe deeply. How much to breathe over potatoes depends on the age of the child and the severity of the disease. But on average, five to seven minutes is enough. You can increase this time by another 3-4 minutes.
- If the child is weak, the head does not need to be completely covered. Leave a small passage for airflow.
- After the procedure, the child should be dried with a clean towel and change clothes to dry.
If a child has a severe runny nose, then before the procedure you need to clean the passages as much as possible with sprays such as Dolphin, Phrase, Aqua Maris.
Additional recommendations
During the procedure, the child needs to slowly inhale warm steam. To achieve the best effect, it is important to clean the sinuses periodically. It is best to blow your nose regularly, for which the child should be provided with fresh wipes. It should be noted that when coughing due to bronchitis or laryngitis, vapors should be inhaled through the mouth.and exhale through the nose.
For best results, some experts recommend adding oatmeal husks, a tablespoon of baking soda, or s alt to your potato water. This combination allows you to destroy pathogens in the respiratory system and eliminate inflammation.
- Potatoes with baking soda can remove germs from the respiratory system, which is useful for inflammation of the bronchial mucosa.
- It is also useful to combine inhalations with essential oils. When treating children, oils of eucalyptus, pine, clove, mint, sea buckthorn are chosen.
After inhalation, you can perform a physiotherapy. For this, the remaining warm potatoes are useful. It needs to be kneaded, put on a gauze napkin, transferred to the child’s chest and warm the bandage on top. It turns out an analogue of mustard plaster.
Conclusion
The described method, if used correctly, will have a beneficial effect immediately after the procedure. There will be fewer bouts of severe coughing, and the child's he alth will improve significantly. For a complete therapeutic result, inhalations are carried out twice a day, daily, for five days.
It is important to remember that a high temperature is a signal to immediately stop inhalation and consult a doctor. If there is no improvement in the first two days, then you should also take a break and seek the advice of a doctor. Cough is just a symptom, and there can be quite a few reasons for it. Therefore, it is important to conduct a complete diagnosis. In some casesinhalation is all you need. In another case, you will need to undergo a course of antibiotic treatment, which can be supplemented with physiotherapy. For some patients, they will be completely contraindicated.
