Will a bath help with bronchitis, is it possible to steam, warm up and use a broom - we’ll talk about all this today.
Bronchitis is a common disease, most often occurring in spring and autumn. Both adults and children suffer from the disease; this disease is one of the most common.
Bronchitis ranks sixth in the world in terms of the number of requests for medical help.
What is bronchitis
The bronchi are an extensive network of tubes of different diameters in the lungs, into which inhaled air enters from the larynx. The inflammatory process of the respiratory system causes swelling of the walls of the bronchi and the release of mucus.
Doctors have determined that the cause of bronchitis is microorganisms that cause infection. Bronchitis is an infectious and inflammatory disease accompanied by a cough.
Smoking, predisposition, unfavorable external factors, hypothermia - these are only the factors that contribute to the development of the disease.
There are two forms of the disease:
Acute bronchitis
General malaise, weakness of the body, nasal congestion, pain in the sternum and abdominal area are characteristic symptoms of acute bronchitis. The disease is accompanied by a severe chest cough and increased body temperature.
Initially, the cough is always dry. After a few days, sputum is released, mucus is coughed up and the cough becomes wet.
The signs of acute bronchitis at the onset of the disease have features similar to ARVI (acute respiratory viral infection).
Chronical bronchitis
With chronic bronchitis, the disease becomes sluggish. The inflammatory process in the bronchi progresses, and the mechanism for clearing mucus fails. The walls of the bronchi thicken and become inflamed.
The disease is accompanied by a debilitating cough that does not go away for several months.
One of the forms of chronic bronchitis is smoker's bronchitis. As a result of the negative effects of tobacco, large, medium and small bronchi become inflamed.
Symptoms of smoker's bronchitis:
- bouts of coughing with thick sputum production
- dyspnea
- labored breathing
The symptoms of flu and colds are similar to bronchitis: poor health, cough, runny nose, fever and headaches.
Important! At the very beginning of the development of the disease, going to the bathhouse is strictly prohibited!
How does the disease progress in a mild form?
A viral infection can last up to one month, sometimes the disease resembles a long-lasting cold. If a person has a mild form of the disease, the symptoms will appear alternately:
- 1-3 days. You feel weak, body temperature can fluctuate from 37 to 38 degrees. Loss of sense of smell, headache, occasional cough;
- 4-5 days. Peak of the disease. A dry cough appears, the patient finds it difficult to breathe, but the body temperature begins to return to normal;
- 6-10 days. Shortness of breath and chest tightness may occur;
- 11-30 day. Recovery comes gradually, health improves, strength returns.
For each person, the period of the disease may vary depending on the immune system and the individual characteristics of the body. The average duration of a mild form of the disease is usually no more than two weeks. After 14 days, a repeat test for viral infection is carried out; if the result is negative, the patient’s recovery is stated.
Is it possible to take a steam bath with acute bronchitis?
In the acute stage of the disease, even with a slight increase in temperature, headache and general malaise, you cannot steam, warm up or wash in a bathhouse!
Visiting the bathhouse during this period of illness will only make things worse.
The body temperature will certainly rise even more, and the heat of the bath will provoke further development of the infection. The disease can develop into a completely different form, for example, into bilateral pneumonia.
Choice: sauna or steam bath
Is it possible to wash while visiting a bathhouse and a sauna, and are they significantly different?
A sauna differs from a bathhouse in that a person is exposed to dry air, whereas in a bathhouse there is constantly wet steam. If you have bronchitis, you can go to a bathhouse to separate mucus and remove it better due to the effect of steam on the mucous membranes of the respiratory organs.
The sauna is worse in terms of sputum separation. There, a person is exposed to dry air, which is not as conducive to the release of microbes with sputum as steam in a bathhouse. Visiting the sauna with bronchitis is recommended after all the symptoms of the disease have practically ceased to appear; there will only be residual effects. To prevent dry air from irritating the mucous membranes, it is recommended to drink herbal decoctions or mineral water after visiting the sauna.
To consolidate the therapeutic effect, you can brew tea from herbs and plants such as rose hips, chamomile, sage, St. John's wort, and thyme. You can boil a whole collection of herbs, or you can brew tea from a separate component.
Is it possible to go to the bathhouse after suffering from bronchitis?
When the inflammatory processes in the body have subsided, there are no allergic reactions and the body temperature has returned to normal, but the cough remains - at this time the bath will only bring benefits and relief.
You can safely visit the bathhouse and steam room if you have chronic bronchitis or smoker's bronchitis.
Elevated bath temperatures increase blood supply. Blood delivers oxygen to the bronchi, thins mucus, and adhesive formations dissolve.
High temperatures cause the heart to beat faster, so a person begins to breathe faster and deeper. The muscle fibers of the bronchi relax, the bronchioles open, swelling in the bronchi decreases, and the mobility of the chest is restored.
Advice! To relieve cough, it is useful to steam with linden and any pine brooms. The broom steaming procedure should not last more than 10 minutes.
After bath procedures, it’s easier to breathe, because the moist, warm steam in the bath is a real inhalation! Steam inhalations help the bronchi clear of mucus.
A bath for bronchitis gives impetus to the normalization of the body's protective functions, the inflammatory process in the bronchi subsides. A wet steam bath will only bring benefits and relief to the body.
Important! Bath and contrasting procedures complement each other. If you have a history of or chronic bronchitis, it is strictly forbidden to douse yourself with cold water, wipe yourself with snow, swim in an ice hole, or go out into a cool room!
The healing properties of the bath
The respiratory system often suffers from viral attack due to hypothermia, contact with sick people and for other reasons. The bathhouse is an excellent remedy that strengthens our body, restores its protective functions, by helping to remove toxins and waste through sweat.
This method also allows you to significantly moisturize and warm the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract.
In its properties, it resembles warming compresses for bronchitis - such a useful bathhouse, people go to the bathhouse to relax, and this can be explained from a physiological point of view. With the release of sweat, excess lactic acid also comes out of the muscles, which gives us a feeling of fatigue.
It turns out that you can and should take a steam bath for bronchitis! But don't rush to conclusions.
Sauna and bronchitis
Although the sauna is a close “relative” of the bathhouse, its operating principle is completely different. All saunas are dry air, there is no steam bath effect, the air is dry and hot.
Even in the non-acute form of the disease, bronchitis is painful. The chest is torn from coughing, chest and abdominal pain. The inhaled hot sauna air will only irritate the lungs, it will not bring relief.
Yes, the bronchi will warm up thoroughly, but they will miss the life-giving moist steam.
A not too hot sauna is suitable as a means of preventing bronchitis, but not as a means of treating the disease.
The healing effect of the bath on the body
It has long been recognized that the bath has a healing effect on all body systems. A visit to the bathhouse is recommended for the treatment of many diseases, ranging from heart problems to minor colds.
The impact of bath procedures on the body:
The impact of bath procedures improves mood
- General hardening and healing of the body.
- Strengthening the cardiovascular system.
- Relaxing effect on muscles after physical activity and sports.
- Relieves fatigue and tension.
- Improves appetite.
- Improves mood.
- Has a calming effect on the mental state.
Inhalations for bronchitis
Inhalations are a surefire way to treat chronic bronchitis (not acute). Inhalations with herbs will help the body restore the protective and cleansing function of the bronchi.
The high temperatures of the steam room, the healing steam, promotes metabolism and helps to absorb the beneficial power of herbal infusions.
Advice! Steam pine, juniper or fir branches in boiling water, and then pour the infusion onto the heater. Here is your healing aromatic inhalation for the lungs and it’s ready!
Can a child go to the bathhouse with bronchitis?
A child can go to the bathhouse and steam room only not in the acute stage of the disease. When the crisis is over, all that remains is a cough - the bath will be a good treatment.
Just like adults, it is useful to breathe in herbs and fragrant brooms. A light broom massage of the chest will help.
But it is not recommended to sit in the steam room for a long time; it is better to reduce the time spent on the upper shelves.
You cannot douse yourself with cold or cool water; it is advisable to dress in a warm room. Go outside only when completely cool and dry.
Folk remedies for treating bronchitis
In the initial, acute stage of the disease, taking diaphoretics will be beneficial: hot tea with raspberries and milk. An infusion of birch or pine buds is useful.
For severe coughs, warming procedures are recommended: mustard plasters, warm compresses.
Important! Any warming procedures can be done only in the absence of elevated temperature.
Black currant
Black currants, fresh and dried, are famous for their good anti-inflammatory effect.
Brew 5 grams of leaves per glass of boiling water. Take a glass of decoction 2 or 3 times a day.
Linden blossom
Brew one tablespoon of linden blossom with one glass of boiling water. Wrap and leave for one hour, then strain the broth.
Take a glass of decoction 2 or 3 times a day for colds, coughs, and headaches.
Coltsfoot leaf
Brew one tablespoon of leaves with a glass of boiling water. Wrap and leave for one hour, strain. Take one tablespoon 4 to 6 times a day for coughs, bronchitis, pneumonia, and hoarse throat.
Febrifuge
Pass one onion and apple through a meat grinder and squeeze out the juice. Mix the resulting juice with one tablespoon of honey. Take a tablespoon 3 times a day.
Since ancient times, people went to the Russian bathhouse to treat ailments. They warmed up when they had a cold, breathed in fragrant brooms, took steam, and even hardened themselves.
A bath for bronchitis is still considered an excellent means of warming the lungs and relieving cough. Remember that the body, weakened by disease, must be spared and not sweat too long or too hard. Drink herbal teas after the bath, do not go out warmed up in the cold.
The only good thing is in moderation!
How can you enhance the healing effect of visiting a bathhouse?
In the baths, various plants are used in the form of brooms for massage and self-massage. To enhance the therapeutic effect, it is recommended to use an oak or birch broom.
You can add a few drops of essential oil of eucalyptus, tea tree, pine - plants with antimicrobial activity (contraindicated if the patient is prone to allergies) to the water or on hot stones.
Before visiting a bath or sauna, you can drink an infusion of rose hips, thyme, sage, linden blossom or St. John's wort. To prepare an infusion, any of the above ingredients is poured with hot water (approximately 80 °C), left for 10 minutes, and then filtered.
While in a bath or sauna, you can drink warm infusions or decoctions of medicinal herbs. To prepare a medicinal decoction, take 4 parts of coltsfoot, 3 parts of licorice root, marshmallow, plantain leaves, 2 parts of thyme, fennel berries, peppermint and 1 part of sweet clover. Mix all ingredients, pour 2 tablespoons of the resulting mixture into 500 ml of boiling water, keep in a water bath for about 20 minutes, then strain the broth and dilute with 1 liter of warm water.
After suffering from bronchitis, a child is not recommended to visit a bathhouse or sauna until the body is completely restored, as obstructive syndrome may occur.
You can prepare an infusion from the leaves of plantain, coltsfoot, primrose flowers, and horsetail grass taken in equal parts. All ingredients are mixed, after which a teaspoon of the resulting mixture is poured with a glass of boiling water and left for 30 minutes. The liquid must be warm; soft drinks in a bathhouse or sauna are not recommended for patients with bronchitis.
