Viral and cold infections are an unpleasant condition that almost every one of us faces every year, in particular during the off-season. Sore throat, annoying tickling, nasal congestion, coughing are sure signs of a respiratory disease that can completely unsettle a person. Inhalations for colds, which can be done at home, can significantly alleviate the condition, reduce the manifestation of symptoms, and also effectively eliminate the cause of the disease. Before you get acquainted with the most effective recipes, you need to understand in more detail how inhalation specifically affects the human body.
The action of inhalations
The meaning of inhalation for colds is to get the medicine directly into the respiratory tract and inflamed mucosa in the form of steam. When the agent settles on the focus of inflammation during breathing, it immediately begins to destroy all harmful bacteria. Inhalations for colds are usually divided intoseveral species, which will depend on the source. These should include:
- Natural inhalation. As you know, a person receives a dose of phytoncides when he is resting in the forest. When we inhale moist air mixed with s alts on the sea coast, this also has a positive effect on our body. Rest in such places helps to cleanse the whole body from accumulated toxins. Due to the strong healing effect, being at the sea or in the forest is recommended for children, as well as for those people who have a weakened immune system.
- Artificial inhalation. At home, you can carry out inhalations for colds without leaving your home. For this, inhalation is used with a nebulizer or with the help of improvised materials. It is this method that we will talk about in our article.
Special inhalers
You should pay attention to the fact that for inhalation for colds at home, you can use special inhalers, which can be steam, compressor or ultrasonic. Between themselves, they differ in the principle of influence. For example, ultrasonic nebulizers are able to create a fine dispensary aerosol of medicines due to vibration, while compressor nebulizers direct the air flow.
Steam inhalers produce steam from liquid. To do this, it is first necessary to pour the prepared mixture of drugs into a special container. The disadvantage of such an inhaler is that the drughigh temperature affects, due to which the effectiveness of the product is sometimes reduced.
Don't be upset if you don't have these inhalers at home. You can use an ordinary basin for these purposes or a kettle with an impromptu spout through which you will inhale the steam.
Rules for a medical event
In order for therapeutic inhalation to bring maximum benefit and not harm the body, it is very important to know how to carry it out. Many believe that this method of therapy is ineffective, in fact, there is no result due to the fact that a person simply makes a mistake during the event. The procedure can successfully eliminate a cold if the patient adheres to these rules:
- 2 hours before the treatment, you must refuse to eat any food.
- It is also recommended not to eat for 1 hour after inhalation.
- Compositions for the treatment procedure after preparation should be cooled for 10 minutes. The fact is that too hot steam can provoke a burn of the mucous membrane.
- After the implementation of such a medical procedure, you should change into some dry clothes. The fact is that all patients begin to sweat heavily during inhalation. And this negatively affects recovery.
- To achieve maximum heat transfer, inhalations should be done with a towel over your head.
- The duration of the medical event should be no more than 20minutes.
- When inhaling, the patient should wear collarless clothing that will not compress the chest.
- Inhale vapors through your mouth and exhale through your nose.
- During the procedure, breathing should be as slow as possible.
- After the medical event, you can not leave the room for 2 hours.
- It is unacceptable to talk during the procedure.
- Before inhalation, in case of a severe runny nose, thoroughly rinse your nasal passages.
If you did not make any mistakes during the treatment, you can hope for a powerful therapeutic effect, resulting in a significantly reduced recovery time.
Inhalations for adults
For colds, inhalation can be done for both adults and children. However, please note that the recipe and procedures may vary slightly. To begin with, you should familiarize yourself with folk remedies for inhalation against colds, which can be used by adults. The products below are suitable for people over the age of 16.
Tea Tree Oil
This remedy is very effective, it is often used in the fight against viral infections, including the common cold. Such inhalation for colds can only be done by adults. To do this, 20 drops of oil should be poured with a glass of boiling water, then cool the composition for 10 minutes. During this time, the patient should inhale the vapors, but very carefully, not too much.close to the medicine. When the product has cooled down, you can carry out a full inhalation, the duration of which is also about 10 minutes. It is not recommended to cover yourself with a towel too tightly, because due to the strong aroma, a person can burn.
Essential Oil Blend
When you have a cold, you can do inhalation from a mixture of essential oils. To do this, in 500 ml of boiled water, it is necessary to dissolve 10 drops of eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil, juniper oil, 5 drops of mint oil, and the same amount of clove oil. It is necessary to inhale the vapors from the resulting mixture without covering yourself with a towel. The duration of the procedure is 20 minutes. If there is an unpleasant sensation, then the procedure must be interrupted. It should be repeated three times a day. The duration of such therapy is 4 days.
Please note that this type of therapy is contraindicated for those people who are prone to an allergic reaction.
Onion inhalation
Is it possible to do inhalation with onions for a cold? The answer to this question will be positive. This medicine is no less effective than the above. This will require two large heads of onions, from which it is necessary to squeeze the juice, dilute it with ten parts of boiling water. The composition must be poured into a wide bowl, after which you can carry out a full inhalation, following all the rules. The duration of inhalation is 15 minutes. If there is a burning sensation in the eyes, as well as on the mucous membranes, then there is no need to be afraid, since such a phenomenon is absolutelynormal. The procedure is repeated every 8 hours. The duration of therapy is 5 days.
Propolis
To prepare this remedy for inhalation, you need to take 2 grams of propolis and 2 tablespoons of natural honey. These products should be mixed with each other, and then dissolved in half a glass of furacilin solution 0.2%. The effectiveness of inhalation with such a remedy is noted immediately, because each ingredient has its own strong antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties. This recipe is one of the best for fighting pharyngitis.
Inhalations for children
Speaking about whether it is possible to do inhalations for colds in children, it should be noted that in this case it is important to use mild products that cannot harm the baby's mucous membrane. The same formulations can be used to treat adults. Consider a few effective recipes.
Sea s alt and soda
If you mix sea s alt and soda, then the resulting product is able to cleanse the mucous membranes well, accelerate the process of removing toxins from the child's body, which are produced by the virus. To carry out a similar procedure, it is necessary to dissolve one tablespoon of baking soda in one glass of boiled water poured into a bowl, as well as the same amount of sea food s alt. When the composition has cooled down, after about 5 minutes, inhalation can be carried out. The duration of the procedure should be 10-15 minutes, depending on the child's reaction to inhalation.
It is necessary to breathe under a towel, butif the baby is difficult to tolerate too high a temperature, then you can not cover his head during the procedure, but in this case it will be necessary to extend the steam time to 20 minutes. It is necessary to carry out such therapeutic measures three times a day. The duration of therapy should be no more than 1 week.
Potatoes
Potato boiled in their skins is a classic remedy that is used for inhalation in children with colds. To carry out the treatment procedure, you need to take a few root crops, boil them until fully cooked, then drain the water, put the pot with potatoes for a few minutes on low heat to evaporate the remaining water. After that, the baby should be inhaled, the duration of which should be a quarter of an hour.
Please note that in this case, you can not refuse to use a towel. During the day, 3 such procedures are carried out. The duration of therapy with this method is no more than 1 week.
Honey
We continue to consider what inhalations can be done for a cold at home for a child. A very effective method is inhalation, which is carried out with the help of honey. However, you should pay attention to the fact that this product is used only if the child does not have allergies. To do this, in 300 ml of hot water, but not boiling, put one tablespoon of natural honey. When the composition has cooled to a temperature of about 80 degrees, it must be poured into a wide bowl, after whichshould be inhaled. The duration of the event should be about 10 minutes. Two inhalations are performed on one day. The duration of honey therapy is 5 days.
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is very effective in the form of inhalation for colds. To carry out activities, you need to take one tablespoon of dry leaves of the plant, pour them with 500 ml of hot water, bring to a boil over low heat. Infuse the product for 10 minutes, then pour into a bowl, dissolve a large spoonful of soda. Inhalation is carried out, covering the baby with a towel. The procedure should be carried out once a day. The duration of therapy is 10 days.
Pine inhalations
Of course, coniferous inhalations must be mentioned without fail. To do this, take a handful of pine or spruce needles, pour two glasses of water, bring to a boil, cook for 10 minutes. After this, the agent should cool slightly, after which it is used for inhalation. The duration of the therapeutic event should be at least 15 minutes. You may or may not use a towel, depending on your baby's response to the medication. It is necessary to carry out this therapy every morning and every evening. The duration of treatment should be 5 days.
Inhalation for pregnant women with colds
Above, we discussed that inhalations can be done by both adults and children. But is it possible for pregnant women to do inhalations for a cold? During this period, the immune system in the female body is greatly reduced. The woman becomes vulnerable to infections. Even a simple cold canturn into a mysterious rebus, since many therapies are contraindicated. However, inhalations are an excellent alternative to medications. Therefore, a pregnant woman can carry out inhalations at the first sign of a cold with the help of herbs. However, the choice of medicinal plants must be approached quite carefully. Some of them can harm the fetus, as well as provoke miscarriage, premature birth. These herbs include St. John's wort.
A pregnant woman can use exactly the same cold inhalations for adults as described above. However, it is best to check with your doctor first.
Inhalation with a nebulizer
And how is inhalation for a cold with a nebulizer? This device is very convenient to use, it can be used both for inhalation by adults and children. You should also pay attention to the fact that at present in pharmacies you can buy special nebulizers that are designed for children. They are made in the form of toys. As a remedy for colds, you can use the following remedies.
Alkaline mineral water
For inhalation with a nebulizer for colds, you can use mineral alkaline water. This tool fully moisturizes the mucous membrane, cleanses it of mucus, and has a softening effect. In addition, water can eliminate the sensation of tickling in the nasopharynx. It is best to choose Borjomi water for these purposes orEssentuki. If you carry out a similar procedure for a child, then 4 ml of mineral water is taken. Adults can use 6 ml. It is necessary to carry out inhalation using a nebulizer with a mask. The duration of one treatment is 10 minutes.
Furacilin
Many use inhalation to prevent colds. For these purposes, furatsilin is perfect. Currently, this solution can be purchased ready-made. Antiseptic effect allows you to get rid of pathogenic bacteria in the nasal cavity and pharynx. Thanks to this, any pain is eliminated, nasal congestion disappears, and the risk of infection entering the lungs is reduced. The duration of inhalation should be 7-10 minutes. In case of a cold, activities are carried out no more than 3 times a day. In order to prevent inhalation, it can be done once a week.
Physical solution
Inhalation for colds with saline is no less effective than those described above. This remedy well accelerates the excretion of sputum from the lungs, which provokes a strong cough during a cold. In addition, such a remedy cleanses the sinuses, as well as mucous membranes from crusts of dried secretions. Therapeutic activities are carried out every morning and evening. The duration of one treatment is 10 minutes.
Contraindications
So, now you know what inhalations to do with a cold. However, before carrying out such a therapeutic event, it is necessary to follow the rules, as well as take into account some contraindications. If youif you neglect these rules, then the therapeutic event can cause serious harm to your he alth, no matter what oils you used for inhalation for colds. Such an event should be abandoned if a person has:
- Frequent nosebleeds.
- Fever.
- Tendency to pulmonary hemorrhage.
- Arrhythmia.
- Heart failure.
- Brain disruption.
- Asthma.
- Neoplasms in the organs of the respiratory system.
- Severe diseases of the respiratory system.
- Any neoplasm in the brain.
If a person has no contraindications, then inhalation is not only possible, but necessary. Such activities will contribute to the speedy cleansing of the entire respiratory system, and will also prevent complications of the disease.
Conclusion
The cold is a very unpleasant ailment that every person faces. Many of us are quite difficult to tolerate colds, as they provoke a cough, runny nose, and lead to a deterioration in the general condition. The peak of the disease falls on the off-season, when dampness, cold weaken our immune system, and the viruses that provoke colds reach their maximum activity, as well as vitality. Most people who experience a cold carry the illness on their feet, which is a fatal mistake that leads to dire consequences. It is strictly forbidden to do this, as a cold can cause the mostvarious complications. One of these is pneumonia.
In order to cure a cold that has arisen as quickly as possible, as well as qualitatively, it is necessary to add inhalation to the main methods of treatment. They are able to have a strong therapeutic effect on the respiratory system, as well as the pharynx. This is very important in the fight against colds. In addition, treatment activities can be suitable for adults and children alike.
