The use of inhalations in the treatment of acute and chronic respiratory diseases is considered one of the most effective methods. The procedure can be done both in a medical institution and at home. For inhalation, you can use many drugs that help relieve the inflammatory process, facilitate the removal of sputum and mucus, remove microbes.
What are the benefits of inhalation
Such a procedure as inhalation, among other methods of treating respiratory diseases, occupies one of the first places. For example, if we compare this method with tablets and syrups, then it has a significant superiority:
- The nebulized drug gets on almost the entire surface of the mucous membrane, through it it is quickly absorbed into the blood, and thanks to this it helps to recover faster.
- Medicinal substances act directly on the sore spot, unlike tablets or syrups, which make a long journey through the stomach and intestines before reaching their destination.
- Through this procedure, the respiratory system is cleansed.
For what diseases do inhalations help
Inhalation helps well in the treatment of the following diseases:
- Rhinitis, it can be caused by a cold or an allergy.
- Sinusitis.
- Pharyngitis is an inflammatory process on the mucous membrane of the pharynx.
- Tonsillitis - inflammation of the tonsils, in this case, inhalation greatly alleviates the condition, acute pain disappears, relief comes.
- Pneumonia - inflammation of the lungs.
- Bronchitis. It is recommended to add a few drops of eucalyptus oil, which works very well on the bronchi (it is important to find out if the oil can be used in the inhaler model you have).
- Asthma attacks.
- Allergy to plant pollen.
How to do inhalation
Main inhalation rules for adults:
- The procedure should be done after meals (after 1-1.5 hours).
- During inhalation, you can not talk or do any other things. This will make it difficult to concentrate on proper breathing.
- Clothes should not constrain the neck, breathing should be free.
- After the end of the procedure, you can not talk, eat, smoke, go out into the cold for an hour.
- You should be especially careful with inhalers with boiling water, as you can burn yourself. These inhalers are not recommended for young children.
- In order not to cause the opposite effect, you must strictly observedosage of essential oils.
- Before starting treatment, it is necessary to check whether drugs will cause an allergic reaction.
- It is not recommended to mix essential oils together.
How to make an inhalation
To carry out a classic inhalation, you should use a regular steam inhaler. Of course, not every person has it at home, in which case you can use an ordinary pan. The only condition for kitchen utensils is that they should be wide. Water should be heated to a temperature of no more than 40 degrees. Various medicinal herbs and a small amount of essential oils should be added there. It is necessary to lean towards the pan so that there is a distance of approximately 25 centimeters from the face to the water. For a better effect of inhalation, it is recommended to cover your head with a regular towel.
During the procedure you need to breathe properly. If there are diseases of the nose or paranasal sinuses, then in this case, inhale and exhale through the nose. If the purpose of inhalation is to treat a throat or cough, then air should enter and exit only through the mouth. First you need to take a deep breath, hold the air in the lungs for 2-3 seconds, and then exhale as much as possible. You should not breathe over boiling water.
Not everyone knows how many minutes to do inhalation at home. The trial procedure should last no more than 1-2 minutes. If no allergy to the drug is detected, increase the duration of inhalation to 10 minutes.
Inhalation with a nebulizer
Nebulizer –This is a device that converts drugs into an aerosol and then sends them through the respiratory tract of a sick person. Thanks to this device, inhalation procedures can be carried out not only in the physiotherapy rooms of polyclinics and hospitals, but also at home. The neubulator is convenient and easy to use at home.
The device is suitable for patients of any age, it is considered comfortable, modern and the safest. Due to the continuous supply of the drug, there is no need to take deep breaths and exhalations. A very important advantage of the nebulizer is that it does not use propellants that create pressure to ensure nebulization.
When a nebulizer is recommended
Inhalations can be done not only when it is necessary to fight the disease, but also for prevention, to support the immune system, or if there are fungal lesions of the mucous membrane. Diseases that are treated with a nebulizer can be divided into groups:
- Diseases that manifest themselves in attacks and require urgent treatment. For example, if an allergic or asthmatic disease worsens, the drug is administered by inhalation. The medicine must be prescribed by an allergist.
- Inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract with a chronic course (chronic rhinitis, bronchitis). The nebulizer is recommended for use in families where there are small children who often catch a cold. Inhalations in this case help the child recover faster. Many parents are interested in the question of how many minutes to do inhalation with a nebulizerto kid. Children under 5 years old can be inhaled 1-2 times a day, the duration of the procedure should be 3 minutes. Doctors often prescribe treatment with this device for obstructive bronchitis.
- This group includes such acute respiratory ailments as rhinitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis. After using the inhaler, after just a few procedures, a person feels a significant relief from the condition. It is worth noting that not all drugs can help a person so quickly.
- Diseases, the appearance of which is associated with a certain professional activity. It can be miners, actors, chemists, etc.
- The fifth group. These are diseases of the heart, blood vessels, endocrine and nervous systems.
Inhalations for children
You can treat a child using inhalation for any kind of cough. Most often, inhalation is prescribed to children with a diagnosis of obstructive bronchitis. The procedure should be carried out only with those medicines that are prescribed by the attending physician. Often pediatricians prescribe Pulmicort for inhalation for children.
According to the instructions "Pulmicort" is used for such diseases:
- non-allergic and mixed asthma;
- hay asthma with an allergic component;
- hay fever;
- nasopharyngitis;
- various lung diseases;
- laryngitis;
- vasomotor rhinitis.
Inhalations with "Pulmicort" are effective for dry, wheezingon inhalation, barking cough. Thanks to the drug, the lumen of the bronchi expands significantly, and the swelling of the mucous membrane in the airways is removed.
According to the instructions "Pulmicort" for inhalation for children is mainly used when emergency treatment is needed. With systematic treatment, "Berodual" is used more, which perfectly fights cough, shortness of breath and relieves spasms in the bronchi.
The regimen for taking "Pulmicort" for children depends on the condition of the sick child and on his age. For small patients with acute laryngotracheitis with hoarseness, inhalations are prescribed twice a day (morning and evening) for 3 consecutive days. As the main therapy - used for a longer time.
Sometimes, in order for the treatment to be more effective and the sputum to come out faster, pediatricians recommend inhaling "Pulmicort" alternately with saline. Parents often ask how many minutes to do inhalation with saline? This type of procedure for children should take no more than 5 minutes.
If a baby has an attack of shortness of breath, it can be removed by alternating Berodual and Pulmicort preparations. First, using Berodual, spasms in the bronchi are relieved with a nebulizer, then after 20 minutes, Pulmicort is inhaled.
Many parents note that after the first procedure the child feels much better, the drug causes almost no complications and is well tolerated by children.
Inhalations with "Lazolvan"
To effect fromtreatment was maximum, any modern devices are used, most often it is a nebulizer.
The rules for inhalation with "Lazolvan" are the same as with other drugs. In addition to these rules, doctors categorically do not recommend doing this procedure at night. Since "Lazolvan" liquefies well and removes sputum, the patient may begin to have a strong cough.
How to make a mortar
Before starting inhalation, the medicine and saline should be properly diluted.
Saline solution in its pure form is unsuitable for treatment. This drug must be diluted with Lazolvan in a ratio of 1:1.
If the baby is not yet three years old, then for 1 ml of saline you need to take the same amount of the drug. It should be understood that increasing the dose will not only not give a positive result, but in some cases can only exacerbate the condition, so it is extremely important to comply with all these proportions.
Children from three to six years old for inhalation should increase the dose exactly twice as compared to the previous case.
You need to know how many minutes to inhale with "Lazolvan" to the child. In childhood, the procedure should not last more than 3 minutes, it can be done twice a day. The course of treatment is determined by the doctor, its duration depends on the severity of the disease. If the disease is mild, then the treatment lasts 3-4 days, and in a more severe course - up toweeks.
For adults, the dosage is 3 ml of "Lazolvan" and saline. The duration of the procedure is 5 minutes. It happens that a person has discomfort, in which case stop inhalation for a while, and then repeat it again after a while.
Each patient should understand that in no case should you increase the dose of the drug yourself, otherwise, instead of relief, on the contrary, side effects may appear, which will complicate the course of the underlying disease.
Patients are often interested in how long the effect of inhalation procedures lasts. As a rule, it depends both on the severity of the disease and on the individual susceptibility of the person.
Inhalation for sore throat
When the throat feels sore or tickled, essential oils and solutions prepared from medicinal plants help. For sore throats, it is recommended to use the following essential oils: eucalyptus, menthol, pine, fir. 10-15 drops of oil are added to 100 ml of hot water (60 degrees). From herbs, coltsfoot, chamomile, sage, thyme, lavender give a good effect. A tablespoon of a mixture of herbs is brewed in 250 ml of water.
Rhinitis treatment
With a runny nose, inhalations using essential oils of eucalyptus, pine, menthol, geranium help well. Also, procedures that use plants such as pine needles, juniper, birch, oak leaves, mint, chamomile flowers, blackcurrant leaves give an excellent effect.
When inhalation is not allowed
As already noted, inhalations help in the treatment of many respiratory diseases, but despite their effectiveness, there are also contraindications for their implementation. Inhalation treatment is prohibited if the patient has the following pathologies:
- diseases of the heart and blood vessels, such as myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, hypertension and others;
- purulent tonsillitis;
- people often experience nose or lung bleeds;
- pathology in the respiratory system.
Before starting treatment, you should consult with a specialist. The doctor will determine if there are contraindications and advise which medications are best to use.
