Soda Inhalation For Coughing At Home For Children And Adults

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Inhalation with soda when coughing at home

The content of the article:

How to prepare a soda solution for inhalation
Medicinal supplements for soda solution
How to properly inhale with baking soda for dry cough
Indications and contraindications
Video

Inhalation with soda for coughing at home is very popular, they have a softening and anti-inflammatory effect, help to effectively eliminate the symptoms of colds of the respiratory system. An improvement in the patient's condition is often noted after the first inhalation. This is a simple and at the same time effective method with a minimum of contraindications, but one should not engage in self-medication - if used incorrectly, the method can cause harm to health.

Soda solution is an affordable and at the same time effective inhalation remedy for dry cough

How to prepare a soda solution for inhalation

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, chemical formula - NaHCO ₃) is widely used in the preparation of drugs for the treatment of many diseases. Baking soda is effective for infectious respiratory diseases, as it has an antiseptic, antihistamine, analgesic effect, promotes thinning and early removal of phlegm from the respiratory tract, reduces inflammation and helps eliminate swelling.

In case of diseases of the respiratory system, the substance is used both as a part of means for oral administration and for external use (compresses, warming cakes, gargling, rinsing the nasopharynx, etc.) and for inhalation.

To get the maximum benefit from baking soda, it must be used correctly. Preparing a soda solution for inhalation is simple: dilute 1 tablespoon of baking soda in 1 liter of water. The water should first be brought to a boil, cooled to 70-80 ° C, then add soda and mix thoroughly. The solution is allowed to cool to 40-55 ° C and used as directed.

Children are usually advised to carry out the procedure with a weaker solution of baking soda (1 teaspoon of baking soda in 1 liter of water) at a lower temperature.

Note that 4-5 tablespoons of baking soda are taken for the treatment of a cold with the help of inhalations with a soda solution per 1 liter of water.

Soda inhalation can be done in two ways - the usual, steam, and using a nebulizer. Nebulizer baking soda solution is best purchased at a pharmacy, as home remedies can damage the device. For nebulizer inhalation, an adult needs 3-4 ml of soda solution, a child - 1-2 ml.

Note: at home, inhalation with soda when coughing for children under 5 years old can only be done with a nebulizer, steam is prohibited. However, this applies not only to soda, but also to any other inhalations.

Medicinal supplements for soda solution

With a runny nose, sore throat and sore throat, 1-2 drops of essential oil with antiseptic and anti-inflammatory effects can be added to the soda solution. For this purpose, pine, eucalyptus, lemon, bergamot, fir, cedar essential oils, as well as tea tree oil, are used. This remedy is contraindicated for young children and allergy sufferers.

An additive that enhances the anti-inflammatory and anti-edema effect can be sea salt. For 1 liter of soda solution, 1 teaspoon of sea salt is taken (sold in a pharmacy or grocery store, when buying, make sure that the salt does not contain aromatic additives).

This recipe is also popular: add two heads of chopped garlic and a teaspoon of baking soda to 700 ml of boiling water. The solution should foam. The prepared mixture is proposed to be used for steam inhalation.

In a solution with baking soda for steam inhalation, you can add 2-3 drops of an alcoholic tincture of iodine, which promotes the speedy healing of damaged tissues, and will have an additional antiseptic effect. The product is not used for thyroid diseases and iodine allergy.

When coughing, you can also inhale with potatoes and soda. To do this, carefully washed, but unpeeled potatoes are boiled, the liquid is drained, the potatoes are kneaded with a crush, adding a pinch of soda. The patient needs to bend over a pot of potatoes, cover his head with a towel and breathe in steam for 5-10 minutes.

To liquefy and remove sputum as quickly as possible, as well as reduce inflammation, traditional medicine suggests doing inhalations with soda and infusions of medicinal plants (chamomile, sage, coltsfoot, eucalyptus, etc.). To do this, pour 1 tablespoon of dry grass with 1 glass of water, bring to a boil, add a teaspoon of soda, cool a little and use for inhalation.

How to properly inhale with baking soda for dry cough

The recommended duration of inhalation is 10-12 minutes for adults and 3-6 minutes for children, for adults 1-3 times a day, for children - 1-2 (the exact amount is determined by the doctor). The procedure for children should be done under the supervision of adults.

It is best to inhale 1-2 hours after eating. The course of treatment lasts an average of 3-5 days.

For steam inhalation, you can use an inhaler or a container with a prepared soda solution. Before the procedure, the patient should remove all jewelry and other accessories from the neck, loosen clothes that may interfere with normal breathing.

It is desirable that the diameter of the container for steam soda inhalation be at least 30 cm, in this case the optimal evaporation area is achieved. The container with the solution should be placed on a flat surface, check its stability.

The patient needs to bend over the container with the solution so that the distance from the head to the surface of the liquid is about 30 cm. Cover the head with a towel and breathe over the solution through the mouth. Breathing over baking soda when coughing should be calm and deep. Inhalation of excessively hot steam can lead to the development of burns of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, therefore the optimal temperature of the solution for inhalation is 55-65 ° C.

Children under 5 years of age can only inhale with a nebulizer

After inhalation, you must refrain from eating for 1 hour. During this time, physical activity should also be avoided, it is not recommended to go outside, sing, smoke, ventilate the room, breathe through the mouth.

The procedure should be stopped immediately if the patient has difficulty breathing, dizziness, severe coughing. If, after several inhalations, the patient's condition does not improve or even worsens, it is necessary to stop treatment in this way and consult a doctor.

Indications and contraindications

Soda inhalation is used for dry or wet coughs, runny nose, pain and discomfort in the throat. Soda inhalation with a nebulizer is indicated for coughing, hoarseness, sore throat, colds, laryngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, bronchial asthma. Inhalation of an alkaline solution can reduce the intensity and frequency of coughing attacks, including in lung cancer (strictly as prescribed by the attending physician).

Soda inhalation for coughing is used to treat children, however, for this category of patients, there are a number of features of the procedure that cannot be neglected (duration of inhalation, concentration of solution, etc.). Up to 12-15 months, inhalation with soda is not prescribed, from one and a half to 10 years - only after consulting a pediatrician.

Soda inhalation is contraindicated in case of purulent discharge from the nasal cavity, pathologies of the cardiovascular system, arterial hypertension, tuberculosis, frequent nosebleeds, individual intolerance to the components of the solution. Steam inhalations are not performed for children, as well as for patients with fever, regardless of their age.