Inhalation is one of the best methods of treating infections of the upper respiratory tract. Inhaling the medicine as a vapor is a proven treatment not only for a runny nose, cough and clogged sinuses, but also for allergies, asthma and even bronchitis. In the last three cases, however, it is necessary to use a pocket inhaler or a nebulizer. How to perform inhalation? When can you perform the so-called sausage, and when should you use special inhalers?

Inhalationis a therapeutic procedure involving the administration of drug solutions or their aerosols to the respiratory tract together with the inhaled air. In the case of a runny nose, you can perform traditional inhalation, i.e. a sausage with the addition of relaxing herbs or essential oils. However, allergy sufferers or asthmatics who need specialized medications should reach forpocket inhalerornebulizer .

Important

» Inhalation should not be performed after eating a meal (then it may lead to vomiting), or when you feel hungry.

» Smokers should not smoke for at least half an hour before inhalation and two hours after it. Otherwise, cigarette smoke may increase the irritation of the mucous membranes.

» You should not talk or come into contact with cold air for half an hour after the procedure.

Who is the inhalation for?

Inhalationis intended for anyone who struggles with allergies, asthma or other chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract, such as sinusitis, rhinitis. The treatment can also be used by children over the age of one. The only contraindication to inhalation is an allergy to substances contained in water vapor.

Regardless of whether you use a bowl of hot water for inhalation, a pocket inhaler or a nebulizer, the effect of the treatment will be the same - alleviating the symptoms characteristic of a given disease and making breathing easier.

Home inhalation - how to do it correctly?

If the patient suffers from a slight airway obstruction, e.g. a runny nose, the so-called sausage. To prepare it, you need a bowl of hot water and a towel.

Put a handful of dried herbs into a bowl of hot water or add a few drops of essential oil.Then cover your head with a towel so that it also covers the bowl and lean over the steam. During the procedure, keep your eyes closed and do not bring your face too close to the water, as you may get burned.

While inhaling, breathe in deeply through your nose and breathe out through your mouth. If during inhalation the nose is blocked by secretions, stop the treatment and remove it.

Home inhalation should last about 15 minutes, but not longer than half an hour. If the treatment is used by children, this time should be shortened to 5 minutes, and the infusion should be cooled a little beforehand. It is best to inhale two or three times a day for 5-7 days.

Inhalation for people with couperose skin

This type of inhalation is not recommended for people with couperose skin, because the water vapor can cause broken capillaries. People struggling with the so-called spiders, instead of a bowl, they can use a glass:

  • put a mixture of herbs into a glass and pour boiling water over them. Instead of herbs, you can add a few drops of essential oil. Then cover the glass with a funnel and inhale the vapors through the opening with your mouth, and then with each nostril.

When is an inhaler necessary?

When the respiratory system disease is chronic (e.g. allergies) or severe (e.g. severe bronchial asthma or exacerbated cystic fibrosis) and it is necessary to take specialized medications, reach for a pocket inhaler: powder or pressure inhaler. Just put the mouthpiece in your mouth, hold it with your teeth and close it tightly with your lips. Then, when you take a deep breath, press the canister with the medicine to release it into the respiratory tract. The treatment can be repeated whenever the patient needs it.

How and when to use the nebulizer?

An alternative to pocket inhalers isnebulizer . It is a type of inhaler that allows you to perform nebulization - a procedure that involves administering a suspension of drug particles, i.e. an aerosol, directly to the respiratory system. It is useful when the patient is an elderly person who has less efficient respiratory function than adults, or when bronchitis is being treated. In both cases, the drug administered under pressure goes where it needs to be, despite the patient's inability to take a deep breath. The nebulizer does not require the patient to coordinate his inhalation with pressing the container with the drug in order to release it into the respiratory tract.

Aerosol therapyusually takes 10-20 minutes. Its duration depends on whether the nebulizer itself is filled with medicine or the medicine fromsaline solution. Remember that children should inhale shorter times.

This will be useful to you

Contraindications to the use of inhalation

  • acute rhinitis, laryngitis, pharyngitis
  • high fever
  • circulatory and respiratory failure
  • tuberculosis
  • purulent sinusitis of the side of the nose and tonsils
  • cancer
  • bleeding from the respiratory tract

Category:

Respiratory system