Steam inhalation is dangerous for children

Here we go again. The child came from a walk hoarse, complains of a sore throat and a stuffy nose. It seems to be early to the hospital, but there is no one to leave the child at home with. We urgently need to take emergency measures so that tomorrow he can go to school or kindergarten. Since a magic pill for a cold incipient has not yet been invented, "proven" folk methods are used. One of them - inhalations "over potatoes", which (according to our grandmothers) put more than one child on his feet. What effect do they give and how can they be dangerous for children? Pediatrician Yevhen Komarovsky told about this on the channel "Ukraine".

What are steam inhalations?

Throughout the civilized world, steam inhalation at home is carried out using a special device, which is called a steam inhaler. It is also called warm-humid, because it provides an effect on the mucous membrane using two factors, heat and moisture. Inside such an inhaler there is a device that heats water or a solution of essential oils to a certain temperature. In the course of this, steam is formed, which the patient breathes.

In our country, a different method has been used since my grandmother's times. At the first signs of illness, you need to boil potatoes, cover yourself with a blanket directly over the pan and inhale steam in such an impromptu "house". According to Yevgeny Komarovsky, this is a "completely sadistic technique" that not only will not help from the disease, but can also greatly harm the patient (especially if it is a child).

What is the effect of steam inhalation?

In principle, steam inhalation does not have any therapeutic effect, notes Evgeny Komarovsky. Unlike a nebulizer (which sprays the medicine onto microparticles, and they "fly" deep into the respiratory tract under pressure), a steam inhaler simply produces steam. And he cannot penetrate further than into the nasopharynx. Therefore, the effect of steam inhalation is purely physiotherapeutic. They moisturize the mucous membrane of the nose and throat, stimulate blood circulation, loosen dry and hardened mucus and help to drain mucus.

What is the danger of inhalation with open steam?

The main advantage of steam inhalers is the specific temperature at which steam comes out of the device. It ranges from 55 to 65 degrees. At this temperature, it is impossible to burn the nasopharynx, which cannot be said about inhalations "over potatoes". When a child breathes in such vapor, you cannot regulate its temperature, says Yevgeny Komarovsky. If he is closer than necessary, bends over to the saucepan, he will receive elementary burns of the respiratory tract.

The doctor notes that he saw many children with a similar diagnosis in hospitals: it is excruciatingly painful, and requires long and painstaking treatment. In addition, in the process of such inhalations, the child may accidentally turn over a pot of boiling water over himself. And to get, in addition to burns of the mucous membrane, burns on the body.

For small children, such inhalations are dangerous for another reason. When hot steam is inhaled, the mucus crust that is in the nasopharynx swells very quickly. “This swelling often results in mucus simply blocking the airways. The child does not have enough strength to cough it up, and he begins to suffocate in the literal sense of the word, ”warns the pediatrician.

How to replace inhalations "over potatoes"?

The effect of the steam inhaler can be repeated in a simple and safe way for the child. Close the doors to the bathroom tightly, take a bath with warm water, throw toys in it and put your child there for 15-20 minutes. “If the child sits in the bathroom and breathes in air with almost 100% humidity, the effect will be the same, as from inhalation, but there will be no risk of respiratory tract burns at all, ”emphasizes Evgeny Komarovsky.

You will also be interested in reading:

Komarovsky named the only vitamin that needs to be given to a child

Don't do this: Komarovsky named the most dangerous mistake in dislocation