Useful and medicinal properties of inhalation
There are natural and artificial inhalations. The first is inhalation of discharged air in the mountains, air saturated with moisture and salt on the seashore, balsamic vapors and ozone in coniferous forests, hydrogen sulphide or carbon dioxide from gases emitting gases, etc. This type of treatment is widely used in sanatorium-resort conditions duringstay of patients in the climatic zones, most shown for the restoration of their health.
Special medical substances are used for artificial inhalation, which are mixed with air, oxygen, in the form of steam, gas, smoke, dry dust, moist or oil mist. For this purpose, the treatment of patients at home should be carried out using special inhalers of individual use, the design features of which allow for steam, warm-moist medicinal and oil inhalations. These medical devices are easy to operate, safe, effective.
The absence of necessary equipment for inhalation in home conditions does not exclude the possibility of carrying out certain types of medical inhalations. These are primarily steam and heat-moist inhalations. An effective remedy, which has been used in folk medicine since ancient times, is the inhalation of a hot steam of boiled potatoes. This is done as follows. Immediately after the cooking of the potatoes, the water is drained, the lid of the pot is opened, and the patient, bending over the hot potatoes, inhales his steam. For a greater therapeutic effect, the patient's head, along with the pot, should be covered with a large terry towel or rug, thus creating a closed space where the patient closes in contact with the moist warm steam. It must be ensured that during the entire treatment procedure, which takes 15-20 minutes, the patient is not burned with hot steam, leaning too low over the pan. To achieve the desired therapeutic effect for steam and heat-moist inhalations in patients with exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, chronic pneumonia, other inflammatory processes of the respiratory system can be done using steam of hot herbal decoctions. To do this, brew certain herbs or their collection, for example lime blossom, nettle leaves, eucalyptus, sage or coltsfoot, on the recommendation of the doctor, and inhale the hot steam of herbal decoctions described above.
In patients with coughing and difficult to separate sputum, in addition to inhalation with steam decoction of herbs, a good effect can be given by inhalation with steam of hot water with dissolved drinking baking soda( 1 tsp for 3 liters of water). Soda inhalation dilutes sputum in the lumen of the bronchi, facilitating its retreatment and expectoration. Do not forget about a couple of decoctions of the green part of coniferous trees( spruce, larch, pine, etc.), which, due to the high content of phytoncides and other extractive
substances in them, have a damaging effect on the pathogens of the respiratory tract, have an anti-inflammatory effect,increase the protective abilities of the respiratory system, saturating their tissues with vitamins.
Carrying out inhalations requires a number of conditions.
1. Inhalations are performed no earlier than 1.5 hours after ingestion or physical exertion.
2. At the time of inhalation, the patient should be in a calm state, do not feel fear or dislike for this treatment, do not get distracted by conversations. Clothes should not constrain the neck and make breathing difficult.
3. After inhalation, rest lying for 30-40 minutes is necessary. Immediately after inhalation, you should not sing, talk, smoke, eat for an hour.
4. In case of diseases of the nose, paranasal sinuses, inhale and exhale should be carried out through the nose without tension. In diseases of the pharynx, larynx, trachea, large bronchi after inhalation, it is necessary to delay breathing for about 2 seconds, and then make a maximum exhalation.
5. It is better to exhale an exhalation, especially for patients with diseases of the near-nasal sinuses, because during the exit part of the air with the medicinal substance contained in it, due to the negative pressure in the nose, gets into the sinuses.
It should be noted that contraindications for inhalation are widespread and severe pulmonary emphysema, pulmonary-cardiac and cardiopulmonary insufficiency III( severe) degree, condition after massive massive pulmonary hemorrhage, Meniere's disease with frequent attacks, hypertensive disease of stage III-III,individual intolerance to inhalations. In each case, the need for inhalation in the home, its form and method of implementation requires consultation with a doctor.