Cryotherapy is prescribed for children who are often ill. But the procedure is controversial and has side effects. Is it worth it to strengthen the child's immunity in this way? Otolaryngologist's opinion
The season of colds is in full swing, and many parents after the fifth sick leave in two months begin to look for emergency methods to strengthen the child's immunity. Someone runs to the pharmacy for vitamins, someone relies on drops with interferon, and someone decides to give the child an express hardening of the nasopharynx using cryotherapy. This is a procedure for "freezing" pathogenic microbes on the mucous membrane with liquid nitrogen vapor. It is believed that it increases local immunity and helps the body to more easily cope with ARVI and colds. Is it so? Who is this procedure indicated for and what can be its consequences for the child? The otolaryngologist at the Evidence pediatric clinic told us Vadim Boyko.
Cryotherapy of the nasopharynx: what is the essence of the procedure
Cryotherapy is usually prescribed for frequently ill children / istockphoto.com
Cryotherapy of the nasopharynx, which is now offered by many clinics for children and adults, is based on the properties of liquid nitrogen. This is a chemical with a boiling point of -196 C, which, when exposed to the skin or mucous membranes, provokes a cold burn. It is believed that this burn eliminates pathogenic infections on the mucous membrane of the nose and throat, and also activates the protective function of the tonsils. With regular exposure, something like "hardening" occurs: the burn provokes an increase in the number of leukocytes in the nasopharynx, thereby stimulating local immunity.
This procedure is recommended for a variety of indications. The most common of them are frequent ARVI and sore throats in a child, chronic tonsillitis and nasopharyngitis, an increase in the palatine tonsils. The course of cryotherapy for children is usually standard: the first three procedures are interrupted a month, then once a quarter, and then one procedure every six months (in spring and autumn). The procedure itself is painless and rather inexpensive (on average, 300 UAH session), and there is only one contraindication to it: acute infectious processes in the nasopharynx.
Cryotherapy of the nasopharynx: what is the effectiveness
Cryotherapy kills not only pathogenic, but also beneficial flora / istockphoto.com
On the Internet, you can find many positive reviews about the procedure. People write that children after a course of cryotherapy get sick less often than before, 4-5 (!) Times. To test as far as possible, we turned to evidence-based medicine. However, the position of evidence-based physicians turned out to be not at all as rosy as the advertising descriptions of cryohardening.
“Today, two types of manipulations are carried out by means of liquid nitrogen in medicine,” explains Vadim Boyko. - These are cryosurgery (that is, the removal of abnormal skin cells or mucous membranes) and cryotherapy (cold burn with liquid nitrogen vapor). Cryosurgery is really justified: for example, in oncological practice. Here she often acts as an alternative to other, more traumatic methods of removing neoplasms. As for cryotherapy, there is no such concept in the evidence-based guidelines today in principle. Moreover, this method is not included in any Ukrainian clinical protocol on otolaryngology. "
“What exactly is the mechanism of cryotherapy for ENT diseases is still unknown,” continues Vadim Boyko. - After all, under the influence of a cold burn in the nasopharynx, not only pathogenic microorganisms die, but also saprophytic (normal) flora, which protects our mucous membrane from other pathogens. As a result, the nasopharynx remains "naked", which, on the contrary, reduces local immunity. "
Cryotherapy of the nasopharynx: side effects
Cryo cannot be used to treat routine diseases / istockphoto.com
According to Vadim Boyko, cryotherapy of the nasopharynx could be considered an empirical method. Simply put, the same as gargling with oak bark - some believe, some do not. If not for one thing: possible side effects. It can be hemorrhage, scarring of the tonsils (which greatly impairs drainage and normal blood circulation), atrophy mucous membrane, numbness and a change in sensation when swallowing (this can be fraught with aspiration if the child does not feel that something is stuck in throat).
Of course, these side effects may not be present, or they will not appear immediately. However, whether it is worth risking a child's health in such a situation is a rather controversial question. According to Vadim Boyko, neither the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) nor The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) does not recommend the use of cryo for the treatment of routine diseases. And in our country, the procedure is carried out at your own peril and risk, only because there is no ban on it. However, in fact, no one has compared its results with what can be achieved with conventional treatment and prevention.
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