One symptom of a cold is a dry cough. For colds and flu, doctors consider soda inhalation to be an effective treatment. This procedure has a disinfecting property. It is effective for diseases of the respiratory tract.
The healing properties of sodium bicarbonate
This white powder has antiseptic and mucolytic properties and is a universal remedy. It is widely used in medicine and in the food industry. Soda is used to treat respiratory organs, diseases of the nasopharynx and oral cavity. Inhalations with soda with a dry cough moisturize the nasopharyngeal mucosa, providing a softening effect, and with a wet one, they dilute and remove sputum from the respiratory tract.
In addition, inhalation with soda is effective for laryngitis and sinusitis, tonsillitis and tonsillitis. Sodium bicarbonate relieves gum disease.
How does dry cough develop
It can be caused by various diseases. When foreign microorganisms enter the respiratory tract, a cough reflex occurs due to the protective reaction of the body. Cough develops with irritation of nerve receptors located on the bronchial mucosa.
You should know that a dry cough is unproductive: with it, sputum does not discharge. One of the common causes of its occurrence, experts consider the inflammatory process in the respiratory tract. Dry cough can develop with:
- bronchitis;
- inflammation of the larynx and trachea;
- bronchial asthma;
- pneumonia;
- pleurisy.
Dry cough can occur with a neoplasm in the respiratory system, as a result of an allergic reaction. Home steam inhalation with soda with a dry cough in combination with conservative treatment methods help to quickly eliminate the inflammatory process and stop the attack. As a rule, such attacks are worse at night. If the cough is barking, with a hoarse voice, then this may indicate inflammation of the larynx.
With tracheitis or bronchitis, the cough is dry for the first three days, and then gradual sputum discharge begins. Dry cough with asthma is aggravated by attacks of suffocation.
Inhalation with soda when coughing is one of the methods of treatment in which healing substances enter the respiratory tract. In this procedure, fine particles are delivered to the disease focus faster, which contributes to a speedy recovery.
Such physiotherapy can be natural and artificial. In the first case, medicinal substances get by inhalation of air enriched with salts and phytoncides, for example, on the sea coast or in coniferous forests. For inhalation with soda with a dry cough, a special composition is prepared, the vapor of which is breathed using special devices.
Selection and use of a steam inhaler
At home, it is not difficult to carry out inhalation with soda. With a dry cough, it quickly improves the patient's condition. To do this, it is enough to have a pot, a kettle with a funnel or an inhaler. During this procedure, a person receives a whole range of moisturizing and thermal procedures that have beneficial effects on the respiratory system.
The most common type of inhaler for home treatment is a nebulizer. Inhalation of soda when coughing using this device for dispersed spraying of drugs is effective in the treatment of the bronchopulmonary system. Its name comes from the Latin word nebula, which translates as “fog” or “cloud”.
Nebulizer and baking soda
Soda buffer is a special solution used for inhalation with a nebulizer. Due to the design of this device, the medicine is sprayed and irrigates the mucous membrane evenly. The advantage of a nebulizer is the ability to use it even at elevated temperatures. Modern appliances are compact, convenient to use. Today on sale there are various types of portable devices, therefore, when purchasing a device, it is necessary to take into account the objectives of the procedures.
You can buy a soda buffer in a pharmacy or prepare a soda solution yourself. If desired, two drops of iodine can be added to it. The composition is prepared before the procedure, which must be carried out after a meal. You should not talk for an hour after inhalation with soda. With a dry cough, this is especially important. This procedure will soften the mucous membranes and relieve a coughing fit.
How to carry out the procedure
Inhalations using a home inhaler are carried out in compliance with certain rules:
- First of all, it is necessary to prepare a solution before inhalation with soda. When coughing, the proportions of the composition are as follows: 200 ml of water will require half a spoon (of tea) baking soda. The components are loaded into a special container of the device. By connecting it to the power supply, they begin the procedure.
- Between sessions, you must maintain a gap of at least two hours. Carefully read the instructions for use with the dispersed atomizer.
- Inhaling useful medicinal substances through the mouthpiece or mask, the patient receives a complex of wet and thermal breathing baths. It is forbidden to use a nebulizer if the temperature rises above + 37 ° C, with pulmonary hemorrhage, with cardiac arrhythmias, or with allergies to the components of the solution.
Inhalation of soda when coughing
If there is no nebulizer, do not abandon this treatment method. You can carry out the procedure using a conventional pan with water. Dilute in boiled hot water (1 liter) a tablespoon of soda. Lean over the container and inhale the vapors. This is the most common and simple soda solution recipe. Other formulations are no less effective:
- Soda and iodine. Dissolve a spoon (tablespoon) of soda in a liter of boiled water and add 2-3 drops of iodine. Thoroughly mix the composition. The procedure lasts eight minutes.
- Garlic and soda. Finely chop 5-6 cloves of garlic, add water and put on low heat. When the water boils, boil the garlic for five minutes. Then add a spoonful of soda and begin inhalation. Vapors are inhaled through the mouth, and exhaled through the nose.
- Salt and soda. Add the components of the solution (per teaspoon) to a liter of boiled hot water. Salt can be either ordinary table salt or sea salt. Procedures can be alternated: first use herbal decoctions, and then soda and salt.
- Medicinal herbs. This procedure is effective for dry residual cough. Inhalation with soda and herbs will help to remove phlegm faster. For it you will need: 0.5 l of hot water, 1 tbsp. l chamomile flowers and sage herbs, 1 tsp. drinking soda.
Herbs are poured with hot water, then soda is added to them and mixed until dissolved. The procedure lasts no more than 10 minutes.
Tips & Precautions
- If the water temperature is above +55 ° C, soda loses its beneficial properties. Such vapor must not be inhaled.
- It is strictly forbidden to breathe over steam of a boiling composition.
- The temperature of the solution for children should not exceed 30 ° C.
- Do not lean too low over the pan.
- For adults, the procedure lasts no more than 10 minutes and no more than 2-3 minutes for children.
- During inhalation, breathe first with your mouth and then with your nose.
- The procedure should be performed two to three times a day, but no more than two times a week.
- After inhaling the healing vapors, one should not immediately go outside and should not eat for an hour.
Contraindications
Treatment of cough at home should be carried out with great care. Especially when it comes to treating a child. With steam inhalation, non-compliance with the temperature regime can cause thermal damage to the respiratory tract.
There are a number of contraindications that should be considered in order to avoid side effects:
- inhalations are contraindicated in children under one year of age;
- for preschool children, inhalation with soda when coughing is prescribed only with the permission of the pediatrician;
- such treatment will be harmful in case of respiratory infection, which is confirmed by a diagnostic examination;
- when coughing is accompanied by stuffiness in the ears or pain, the procedure is prohibited;
- with an increase in temperature, steam treatment should be agreed with the attending physician;
- when bleeding blood, soda or any other steam inhalation is prohibited.
It should be remembered that steam procedures are effective only at an early stage of the disease.
Inhalation during pregnancy
During pregnancy, protective functions decrease in women and quite often, especially in the cold season, catarrhal diseases develop. Runny nose, cough worsen the condition of a woman, as a result of which the child lacks oxygen.
Most drugs are prohibited during this period, as they enter the bloodstream and have a negative effect on the fetus. Inhalations with soda will help eliminate all types of cough, will have anti-inflammatory and decongestant effects. This is a safe and harmless treatment method, thanks to which, after the first procedure, improvement begins. Inhalations during pregnancy do not harm the fetus and do not have a negative effect on the mother's body.
This procedure is allowed at any stage of pregnancy, provided that there are no contraindications. Steam inhalations with soda are used for tracheitis and laryngitis, sinusitis and rhinitis. For pathologies of the respiratory tract, the use of a nebulizer inhaler is recommended.
Cough soda inhalation: patient reviews
Many patients note that such procedures are effective and effective provided that the rules for their implementation are followed. In addition, contraindications must be considered. Steam inhalation with soda helps both adults and children with any type of cough.
For children older than a year, the procedure is more convenient to carry out using a nebulizer. Many patients note that inhalation with soda helped them quickly get rid of dry cough during pregnancy. Improvement is felt after the first procedure.