How to do inhalation at home - Causes, symptoms and treatment. MF.

The term "inhalation" comes from the Latin verb "ihalo" - I breathe in. The history of inhalation goes back to ancient times. The first mention of the benefits of inhaling salt particles refers to 180 AD, when the ancient Roman physician and philosopher Galen described the therapeutic effect of sea air in diseases of the bronchopulmonary system. In 1858, the first inhaler was invented in France, which operated thanks to a hand pump. After that, an inhaler was invented in Germany, which worked for a couple. In 1930, the era of compressor inhalers began. In 1945, Freon was used to supply the aerosol. And in 1955, ultrasonic nebulizers began to appear. For the first time the term "nebulizer"( from the Latin "nebula" - fog) began to be used in 1972 to refer to "a tool that converts a liquid substance into an aerosol for medical purposes."

In this article we will consider the most common and available types of inhalations that can be carried out at home:

1. Inhalation over a steam - all of us familiar from childhood procedure when a person drops his head over a saucepan with steam, covering his head with a towel.

2. Inhalations using the aroma lamp - for this type of inhalation, essential oils or their mixtures are used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes.
3. Inhalation with nebulizer. For this type of inhalation, the above-mentioned device is used in which the therapeutic components are mixed with water and then the steam saturated with the drug comes in by inhalation through a special nozzle, which ensures a more complete intake of the drug.

It should also be said that all inhalations are divided according to the temperature regime:

1. Wet inhalations - steam temperature up to 30 ° C
2. Warm-humid inhalations - steam temperature up to 40 ° C
3. Steam inhalations - steam temperature up to 45 °With

Important! Remember that the maximum allowable temperature of steam for inhalation is not more than 52 - 57 ° C. If this temperature is exceeded, there is a risk of burns with steam of the mucosa of the upper respiratory tract.

At home, I recommend not to exceed the temperature of steam for inhalations above 45 degrees C. And for children above 30 degrees C. In general, when performing self-inhalation for children, you need to start with a comfortable steam temperature, gradually with good tolerability increasing, but not more than 40- 45 ° C.

And one more important point: observe the duration and the frequency of inhalations.

• For adults: 5-10 minutes 2-3 times a day( in rare cases, such as exacerbation of bronchial asthma, the frequency of inhalations can be increased up to 4-6 times a day).
• For children: 1-3 minutes 1-2 times a day.

Important! Do not exceed the duration and frequency of inhalations without prescribing a doctor. This applies particularly to cases where bronchodilators of chemical nature are used for inhalation.

Indications for the use of inhalations

1. ARI, acute respiratory viral infection, accompanied by a sore throat, cough, etc.
2. Inflammatory diseases of the upper respiratory tract: rhinitis, sinusitis, inflammation in the nasopharynx and oropharynx, pharyngitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis.
3. Inflammatory diseases of the lower respiratory tract: tracheitis, acute and chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchial asthma, bronchiectatic disease.
4. Tuberculosis of the lung
5. Cystic fibrosis
6. In the postoperative period for the prevention of complications

Contraindications to the use of inhalations

1. Intolerance to the drug substance
2. Severe diseases of the cardiovascular system( medical consultation is required)
3. Severe respiratory diseasessystem( medical consultation required)
4. Departure of purulent sputum
5. Hemoptysis
6. Nasal bleeding at the time of inhalation or anamnestic
7. Increase in body temperatureand at the time of inhalation above 37.5 ° C

We will take a closer look at each of the methods.

Inhalation of steam at home

This type of inhalation is the simplest and most affordable. To perform it, you need to have a pan, water and a towel. The technique is as follows:

1. Take the pan for 1-1.5 liters of
2. Pour the water, bring to the boil
3. Add the medicinal fees
4. Cool to 30 degrees C( humid inhalation)
5. Lean over the saucepan
6. Coverhead with a towel
7. Inhalation with the nose( with a cold, infectious diseases of the nasopharynx) or the mouth( with inflammatory diseases of the larynx, respiratory tract and lungs).

For more comfortable and productive inhalation, this procedure can be modified:
• Instead of the pot, use the kettle and sniff the
through the tip of the kettle. • You can also make a nozzle for your "home-made inhaler": the cardboard paper is rolled into a tube( for a kettle) orin the form of a cone( for a pan).

Inhalation with aroma lamp

This kind of inhalation is used more often for preventive purposes during the season of colds and SARS and with initial signs of colds.

1. Before starting the procedure, it is necessary to ventilate the room well.
2. Begin inhalation only with closed windows.
3. Duration of inhalation from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
4. It is necessary to add water to the aroma lamp during the inhalation so that the essential oil is not burnt.
5. Warm water is added to the aroma lamp.
6. Add the essential oil( or a mixture of essential oils) from the calculation of 1-2 drops to 5 ml of water.
7. If you are using inhalation for the first time, start with 1 drop of essential oil, gradually increasing.

Inhalation using the nebulizer

Preparing the nebulizer:

1. Wash the nebulizer water reservoir with water before starting the inhalation
2. Pour the treatment fluid into the appropriate reservoir in the
nebulizer 3. Connect the nebulizer to the
4. Check the
5. Have the devicemask for inhalation - for diseases of the nasopharynx, or mouthpiece - for inhalation in diseases of the lower respiratory tract( both the mask and the mouthpiece must be pretreated)
6. If the medicineThe substance was in the refrigerator, it must be preheated by holding it at room temperature
7. As a solvent for the drug substance, physiological saline or water for injection is used in a volume of 2-3 ml( sometimes 5 ml) of
8. As a medicineuse only prescribed medications
9. Average time of inhalation 10-15 minutes
10. Do not add oily substances, essential oils to the inhalation solution, as this can lead to breakage of the skyLASER

Preparing the patient for inhalation with a nebulizer:

1. Measure body temperature, it should not exceed 37.5 ° C.
2. If possible, at least 1-1,5 hours should pass from the time of the last meal until the inhalation
3. Do not smoke 1 hour before the procedure, and if possible, give up cigarettes for the entire period of treatment.
4. Wear comfortable clothes that do not compress the neck
5. Wash hands before inhalation, blow your nose.
6. Start the inhalation by tightly pressing the mask to the face or tightly grasping the mouthpiece of the
7. Do not talk while inhaling and do not get distracted
8. Breathe slowly and deeply
9. If a cough occurs, remove the mask orremove mouthpiece from mouth, cough well, and then continue inhalation

Important! After the inhalation procedure, it is necessary to treat the inhaler, mask and mouthpiece and fluid reservoir according to the instructions for the inhaler. For some inhalers - treatment only with soapy water, for others it is allowed to use disinfectants or boiling.

Drugs and medications used for inhalations

For inhalations over steam:

- Boiled potatoes or oats
- Herbal decoctions( see the article "Herbs for coughing" for an example of herbal remedies)

For inhalation using an aroma lamp:

•
fir•
Pine •
Pine • Eucalyptus
• Rosemary
• Salt
• Essential oil mixture
• Peppermint
• Chamomile
• Calendula
• Lavender
• Artemisia
• Crimean or Damask rose

For ingayatsii nebulized:

1. Herbal infusions( see the article "Herbs for coughing" for an example of herbal remedies)
2. Mineral inhalations:
• Soda: mineral waters Borjomi, Sairme, Dilijan
• Sulphite( hydrogen sulphide): "Essentuki"Pyatigorsk", "Ekmeri", "Matsesta"
• Carbonates: Smirnovskaya, Slavyanovskaya
• Salt-Alkaline: Essentuki No. 4, Essentuki No. 17, Narzan, Arzni
3. Drugs of a chemical nature( when using these medications for inhalation, ALWAYS consult your doctor
• Bronchodilators: salbutamol, fenoterol, combined: berodual, atrovent
• diluting sputum: ambroxol, ambrohexal, hypertonic solution, fluimycil, pulmosim
• Antibacterial drugs: fluimycil antibiotic
• Anti-inflammatory drugs: glucocorticoids: pulmicorts, cromones: cromohexal
• Antitussives: Lidocaine may be used 2% 2 ml

Important! When carrying out inhalations using herbs or mineral water, the effect of the treatment can be enhanced by ingestion 30 minutes prior to the procedure for herbal doses or mineral water used for inhalation, respectively.

The effect of inhalation

Carrying out inhalations at home is shown both at the first signs of cold and SARS, and at the stage of the expanded clinical picture of the disease of the respiratory system. With the help of inhalation, it is possible to "quickly" and "deliver" the medicinal preparation to the most painful organ of the respiratory system in the most convenient form. All organs of the respiratory system are "lined" with a mucous membrane, through which the drug sprayed in the air with steam easily penetrates, which makes it easy to moisten the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, improves the sputum and enlarges the bronchial tree. Depending on what drug you will add, you can achieve the desired result from inhalations, whether it is antibacterial, antiseptic, refluxing, bronchodilating effect, etc.

Observe the rules for inhalation, take into account the indications and contraindications for this procedure, duration and frequency of inhalation. It is advisable to consult with your doctor about which inhalations are indicated exactly in your case. This is especially important if you use chemical substances for this procedure! Be healthy!

Doctor phytotherapeutist Akimova N.S.