04.03.2025
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4 min reading Inhalation for bronchitis: how not to harm the child?
Inhalation for bronchitis in children is an effective way to ease breathing, reduce coughing, and speed up recovery. In this article, we will tell you how to properly perform inhalations for a child, what products to choose, and what to pay attention to so that the procedure is safe and effective.
Zmist:
Pediatricians insist that children under the age of 7 should not be given any inhalations without consulting a doctor. However, with older children, you also need to be careful not to worsen the child's condition.
WHAT IS STEAM INHALATION?
All of us, well, or almost all of us, in childhood, under the supervision of our mother or grandmother, breathed in steam from boiled potatoes or decoctions of various herbs - this is how we were treated for cough, not always delving into its nature. In fact, a cough is a protective reaction of the body to excessive mucus formation in the respiratory tract - a way to get rid of its excess. The doctor makes the diagnosis of "bronchitis" after listening to the child's breathing, and its essence is an inflammatory process of the bronchial mucosa, most often as a result of a viral infection.
When a child breathes warm steam, the mucus that provokes the cough is actively moistened, its physiological composition changes, and it is easier to get rid of phlegm. Thus, the cough does not disappear, but becomes more productive, and phlegm is coughed up more effectively, and relief comes faster.
Carefully!
Parents should remember that the process of moistening dried mucus is accompanied by an increase in its volume, so steam inhalations can provoke airway obstruction in children, and the risk is higher the younger the child.
Source: instagram @csmedica
WHEN CAN I DO INHALATIONS FOR BRONCHITIS?
Since the purpose of steam inhalation is to moisten phlegm, to facilitate its discharge, you can breathe warm, moist air for diseases of the upper respiratory tract, including acute respiratory infections and bronchitis, but only if the child has a normal temperature and there are no signs of bacterial infection (weakness, pale skin).
HOW AND WITH WHAT TO DO INHALATIONS FOR A CHILD
- The simplest, though not the most convenient, way is to heat water (or boil potatoes) in a saucepan, let it cool a bit. Sit the child at the table, cover their head with a thin towel, and let them breathe in the warm steam.
- The second option is to use a funnel that is placed over the spout of a teapot and let the child breathe.
- A more convenient and safer option is an industrial electric steam inhaler, the principle of which is the same as with a saucepan, but there is a special restrictor (mask) that helps direct the flow of steam into a sore throat.
Importantly! The temperature of the solution for inhalation of a sick child should not be higher than 42-45 degrees, otherwise you can damage the delicate mucous membrane of the respiratory tract.
HOW TO DO INHALATIONS FOR BRONCHITIS
In principle, for steam inhalation it is quite enough to use water heated to the desired temperature. But you can also use soda solution - it helps to relieve dry cough, decoction of calendula, chamomile, eucalyptus leaves (but not essential oil). One of the safest is considered to be steam inhalation with saline solution.
The duration of steam inhalations for bronchitis should not exceed 5 minutes at a temperature not higher than 42-450 C.
Source: Fotolia
Inhalation for bronchitis with soda
Dissolve 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda in 1 cup of water and heat to 42-45 degrees. Inhale 2 times a day for 4-5 minutes.
Inhalation for bronchitis with eucalyptus
Pour 1 tablespoon of crushed eucalyptus leaves with 0,5 liters of boiling water, let it brew for 30-40 minutes, strain, let it cool to a temperature of 45 degrees. Let the child breathe for 3-4 minutes 1-2 times a day.
Importantly: нNever add medications, including expectorants, to the solution unless prescribed by a doctor.
WHAT IS A NEBULYZER?
Steam inhalations for bronchitis are difficult to call a treatment, rather, it is a way to alleviate the condition of a child who is coughing and help the body cope with the disease. However, there are situations when it is necessary to deliver medicine directly to the respiratory tract - this is possible, for example, with pneumonia or bronchial asthma. It is clear that in this case there is no question of any self-medication, only a doctor makes the appointment. For treatment, not steam is used, but an aerosol of a medicinal substance, the smallest particles of which penetrate into hard-to-reach areas of the lungs and bronchi. In order to create an aerosol, the drug is not heated, but crushed using special devices - nebulizers.
Nebulizers come in several varieties, and your doctor should recommend which one is right for you.
Ultrasonic nebulizer. An aerosol from a liquid is created using high-frequency vibrations of a piezoelectric crystal, which are transmitted to the liquid drug, atomizing it.
Compressor nebulizer. Creates an aerosol cloud using a sufficiently powerful air flow through a small hole in the device's chamber containing the treatment solution.
Electronic mesh nebulizer. The device produces an aerosol by passing the drug through thousands of microscopic holes in a membrane that vibrates in the ultrasonic range. The most modern device, which is most often recommended for inhalations for children.
Source: Fotolia
WHEN YOU CANNOT DO INHALATIONS TO A CHILD
Most pediatricians agree that inhalations should not be used on children under one year of age:
- With an elevated body temperature, even if the baby has 37,5 0 C.
- Without prior consultation with a doctor, especially if the child is under 7 years old.
- If your child is prone to allergies, especially hay fever, do not use herbs for inhalation.
- Inhalations are contraindicated for children prone to nosebleeds.
- In cardiovascular failure and arrhythmia
MAIN RULES OF INHALATION FOR BRONCHITIS
- The procedure can be done half an hour after the child's active games.
- Do inhalation 1-2 hours after eating and do not feed the child for 1 hour after the procedure.
- You should not talk during and after inhalation (for at least 30 minutes).
- You can drink after inhalation no earlier than half an hour or an hour later.
The editorial opinion may not coincide with the opinion of the author of the article.
Use of photos: Clause 4, Article 21 of the Law of Ukraine "On Copyright and Related Rights" - "Reproduction for the purpose of covering current events by means of photography or cinematography, public communication or communication of works seen or heard during such events, to the extent justified by the informational purpose."
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