The unique properties of salt have long been known. In ancient times, it was considered an expensive gift and a symbol of hospitality. Today it is an integral part of cooking, and it is also widely used in medicine.
An effective way to treat various diseases is a salt compress. Such compresses often saved seriously wounded soldiers from gangrene, and all thanks to their ability to stretch pus. After 3-4 days of treatment with such dressings, the wound became clean, inflammation disappeared, and body temperature decreased.
What treats saline
Currently, salt is used to treat tonsillitis, bronchitis, laryngitis, pneumonia, runny nose, sinusitis, and frontal sinusitis. It is used as a disinfectant for various skin lesions, deep wounds, burns, hematomas.
A solution of sodium chloride relieves headaches, which is confirmed by reviews of many people. He effectively copes with inflammatory diseases of the liver, intestines, food poisoning. Salt dressings are used for mastopathy, prostate adenoma. Treatment with salt compresses is indicated for diseases such as arthrosis, arthritis, radiculitis, bursitis, gout.
How does salt solution work
An important feature of saline is its ability to absorb fluid from tissues. First, the sodium chloride solution draws it from the subcutaneous layer, then from the deeper. Together with the liquid, it relieves tissue from pus, pathogens, dead cells and toxic substances, which helps to eliminate the pathological process.
How to prepare a compress solution
To do this, you will need ordinary table or sea salt. Water should be taken clean, without harmful additives. You can use distilled, melt, rain or boiled tap.
For a compress, a salt concentration of 8-10% is used. More saturated can damage the capillaries, less concentrated has less efficiency. Store saline in a sealed container for no more than a day.
Simple salt compress
The recipe is very simple. Make a solution (3 tablespoons of salt per 1 liter of water) using water at room temperature. You will need gauze, which must be folded in eight layers, or a cotton cloth folded four times.
Gauze or tissue soaked in a solution is applied to the sore spot. This saline compress helps to quickly restore damaged skin with bruises, bruising , ulcers, burns and calluses.
Hot compress
Such a compress effectively warms up various parts of the body, promotes muscle relaxation, activates the processes of capillary blood supply. Salt applications are popular in cosmetology.
Gauze or tissue is dipped in a hot salt solution (2 tbsp. Per liter of boiling water) for one minute, slightly squeezed and applied to the problem area. The skin before this does not need to be lubricated with anything. The bandage is fixed with a patch or bandage. Saline compress for medicinal purposes is applied before bedtime and removed in the morning.
Steam compress
To prepare such a compress, make a bag of fabric and fill it with salt, the temperature of which should be 60-70 ° C. To protect against burns, a towel should be placed under such a bag. The compress is covered with wax paper or medical oilcloth on top, which provides a sauna effect.
Compress is applied to those parts of the body that need to be warmed up strongly. For example, such therapy has good results with gout or rheumatism. When carrying out cosmetic procedures, you need to keep the compress for 10 minutes, with therapeutic warming - from half an hour to 40 minutes.
In chronic diseases, when it is necessary to soften and bring out any hardening, the procedure is carried out twice a day.
Cold compress
As in the previous case, you will need a tissue bag filled with salt, which must be placed in the freezer for several minutes. Salt compress is used for localized pains that are caused by vasodilation - headache, bruises. Apply with varicose veins.
Salt dressing
For dressing use sterile linen or cotton cloth, which must be folded several times. You can use a 8-fold gauze cut. The fabric is sterilized in boiling water or ironed with a very hot iron.
Boil the water with salt, immerse the dressing in the solution, then remove and cool by slightly squeezing. Part of the salt will need ten parts of water. The skin area should be wiped with a damp cloth, apply a bandage and bandage. Used to treat a runny nose and headaches, imposing on the forehead and neck. With flu, a bandage is applied to the forehead, nape, neck, back. Effectively for burns, bruises, abscesses, rheumatism, radiculitis.
Salt clothing
An effective remedy for colds, arthritis, radiculitis. Salt solution (1 tablespoon of salt per 1 tablespoon of water) is impregnated with woolen clothes - a scarf, socks, a shirt. These things are used as a compress. The patient is carefully wrapped up. Wardrobe items are removed after the salt solution is completely dry.
The use of salt compresses for certain diseases
Using such compresses, it is worth remembering that this is only an additional therapeutic agent that does not replace the main treatment.
With abscesses
This method is suitable for the treatment of only uncomplicated abscesses. The dressing is soaked in a room temperature salt solution, applied to the wound and secured with a bandage. Remove it after two to three hours, wetting the skin with a sterile bandage. If a spontaneous breakthrough of the abscess has occurred, it is necessary to treat the area of the skin that is infected using an antiseptic.
For arthritis
A salt compress helps relieve swelling and soreness in the affected joint. The duration of the procedure and the frequency of the procedure are determined by the doctor. Most often, such compresses are used at the remission stage, which avoids complications.
With the flu
In this disease, which is accompanied by an increase in temperature, salt compresses are done only after the symptoms subside.
Applying to the throat area makes breathing easier. In order to remove tissue swelling and normalize drainage, it is applied to the chest.
Toothache
Folk remedies, of course, cannot solve such a problem, but salt compresses will help ease the condition before going to the doctor. Reviews of many people suggest that this tool saves from excruciating toothache. You can apply a compress to the inflamed gum.
With a cold
Compresses facilitate nasal breathing, eliminate edema of the upper respiratory tract, and contribute to the release of mucus. They are applied to the nose and nose, making sure that the solution does not get into the eyes.
With neurosis
In this case, a salt compress is applied to biologically active points, which contributes to their stimulation and normalization of the central nervous system. This tool is used as an addition to the main treatment, the duration of the procedure is determined by a neurologist.
General rules
In order for such a healing procedure to be effective and not cause harm to the body, you need to know how to make a salt compress correctly:
1. The fabric must be hygroscopic and breathable, such as natural cotton or gauze.
2. The concentration of salt in water should be no more than ten percent, otherwise pain may occur at the place of application of the compress, damage to small blood vessels that are located in the upper layers of the skin.
3. Before applying the dressing, the skin is washed with warm water and soap, dried with a towel, and at the end of the procedure, the damaged area is wiped using a warm, damp cloth.
4. Do not squeeze the fabric too much for a compress, because in this case the procedure will bring little benefit.
5. Depending on the disease, the time of exposure to the dressing with a salt solution is determined. How much to keep a salt compress if there are no contraindications? In this case, he is left for the night.
Contraindications
The use of salt compresses has its contraindications. A solution of sodium chloride is used with caution if a person has hypertension, heart failure, with migraines, diseases of the urinary tract, metabolic disorders. You can not apply this method of treatment for some infectious and non-infectious skin diseases.