Is it possible to take a steam bath if you have the flu?

Several centuries ago, the inhabitants of Rus' believed that the bathhouse could cure all diseases. It is enough to plunge headlong into the warm steam - and everything will pass. Now many villagers and summer residents are not averse to taking a steam bath with a broom on the weekend to wash away all the toxins and stress. In the city, it is fashionable to visit the sauna for cosmetic and health purposes. Is it possible to go to the bathhouse when you have ARVI? Let's figure it out. We will tell you about all the pros and cons, give useful advice, and warn against possible troubles.

Why is a bathhouse better than a bathtub?

Its main advantage over conventional hygiene procedures is its high temperature. In fact, the bath is physical therapy for the body. Under the influence of heat, skin pores open, sweating increases, and microcirculation improves. Intense heating increases vascular tone, eliminates muscle spasms, and helps free blood and lymph from toxins. The bathhouse is good for relieving nervous tension, which is important in case of severe stress or sleep disturbances.

Steaming regularly is very beneficial. One procedure can replace several healing techniques and trips to the spa. People with respiratory diseases are also often advised to get rid of illness in a steam room or sauna. It is believed that in a couple of sessions you can deal with the most ferocious flu, enter the bathhouse sick and leave healthy.

This opinion is partly correct. Water vapor and heat help reduce intoxication and improve well-being during ARVI. But we must not forget about the high load they place on the body. There are firm rules on how to visit the steam room in order to recover faster.

Medicinal tea

When visiting a bathhouse during a cold, you can also use teas based on medicinal plants. They help to increase the reactivity of the immune system, as a result of which symptoms of the disease such as:

sore throat;
runny nose;
headache;
body aches;
malaise.

Important! It is advisable to drink herbal teas after steaming .

It is better to take the following herbs as a basis for preparing an anti-cold drink:

linden;
thyme;
currants;
St. John's wort;
peppermint;
chamomile;
raspberry leaves.

Who can go to the bathhouse and when?

Steaming is recommended if the symptoms of the disease are just beginning to develop:

body temperature does not exceed +37.5°C;
my throat is slightly sore, my voice has sunk;
joints ache a little;
no severe headache, asthenia, or congestion in the lungs.

Typically, this picture is typical for the first 1–2 days after infection, when the main flu symptoms are ahead. A bath during this period can prevent its rapid course, speed up recovery, or completely destroy the disease in the bud. For people whose cold has lasted for several weeks, severe malaise is behind them, but the cough continues and periodic low-grade fever occurs, bath procedures will also not harm.

The effect of visiting a steam room when you have the flu:

improving blood circulation, preventing swelling of the mucous membranes;
active removal of toxins from the body;
elimination of dull pain, discomfort in muscles and joints;
clearing the respiratory tract: diluting and removing mucus clots from the sinuses, bronchi and lungs;
increased immune activity: stimulation of leukocyte production.

Most people who visited the steam room in the initial stages of the disease confirm that they feel much better after the procedure. Steam inhalations free up nasal breathing and have an expectorant effect. Immediately after the sessions, fever, cough disappear or sharply decrease, and discomfort in the body disappears.

People with a sluggish course of ARVI, when the temperature fluctuates for a long time at +37–37.5 ° C, would also do well to go to a traditional steam room or sauna. Warming up the body by 2°C during the washing process will help their immune system produce the necessary interferons. It will not be surprising if after one or several sessions there is no trace of infection left.

What happens due to the increase in temperature from steaming

When a person is in a hot room, his body temperature rises by 1-3 degrees. Due to the fact that such a jump occurs, the body believes that an emergency situation is occurring and activates reserves.
Such temperature fluctuations occur due to poisoning, an allergic reaction, or infection in an open wound. Therefore, the main immune response consists of an increase in white blood cells and their certain modifications.
Phagocytosis begins in the body, special leukocytes (phagocytes) begin searching for damaged cells and enveloping them. Essentially, phagocytes absorb any abnormalities, and if the mass of such viruses or bacteria is too large for one cell, it falls apart along with pieces of pathogenic agents.
The entry of a portion of whole phagocytes into the lymphatic system, due to which the immune system recognizes the pathogen and begins to produce specific antibodies. Thanks to this, the destruction of the pathogen is accelerated.
Approximately the same situation occurs with a natural increase in temperature that occurs during illness. But unlike the usual course of the disease, a bath for colds and coughs has a temporary effect on the body, but the immune system continues to produce antibodies that kill viruses and bacteria for a long time.

Does a bath for a cold have a good or bad effect on the respiratory system? It was precisely because they noticed the positive effect of the bath on expectoration of mucus and softening of the mucous membrane that prompted the invention of inhalation in ancient times. This is exactly what happens when visiting a Russian bathhouse for a cold, when you can use many decoctions to form a cloud of steam.

How the respiratory system is cleansed:

When exhaling warm fumes, the nasopharynx is first cleared, abundant mucus is released from the nose, as well as the urge to expectorate.
When the nasopharynx is cleared, hot steam enters the trachea, which first leads to a softening of the formations enveloping its walls, and then the urge to cough occurs. Because of this, expectoration of sputum occurs.
Thanks to the release of the nasopharynx and trachea, mucus begins to be removed from the alveoli, which interfered with proper gas exchange.

Is it possible to take a steam bath when you have a cold and use a broom tap? Most often it is advised to do this in order to get rid of aches in joints and ligaments, but in fact they don’t even occur if you go to the bathhouse on time when you have a cold. This procedure can be used to speed up blood circulation, which will increase the reaction rate of the immune system, and it will destroy all pathogenic agents in a shorter time.

How to increase the benefits of a bath

Procedures according to the rules will help you cope with a cold faster. They should last about half an hour. In order not to overload the body, it is useful to do not one, but several passes:

for the first time - sit in the steam room for a few minutes and go out to rest;
again - steam, preferably with a broom, for 10 minutes, then rest again in the dressing room;
the third time you are allowed to steam for 10 to 15 minutes.

Experienced sauna lovers can stay there longer. For those visiting the steam room for the first time, a more gentle regime is recommended. You should leave it at the slightest disturbance in your well-being; it is undesirable to climb onto the top shelves and let on steam too often.

Inhalations with essential oils of citrus, fir, pine, juniper, eucalyptus or peppermint will help in the fight against the virus. It is recommended to steam with a broom made of coniferous trees or oak branches. These plants have antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects.

Immediately after the procedures, without leaving the dressing room, it is useful to drink medicinal tea. For influenza, diaphoretic drinks with mucolytic and anti-inflammatory effects are suitable:

from linden flowers;
St. John's wort herbs;
thyme;
ginger with honey;
coltsfoot leaves;
licorice root;
raspberry leaves and berries.

When using bath procedures during colds and flu, you need to abandon the idea of extreme hardening. When leaving the steam room, you should not douse yourself with cold water, jump into an ice hole, or wipe yourself with snow. This may result in a further increase in fever.

Aromatherapy against acute respiratory infections

Inhalation of hot and moist steam affects the body in a similar way to inhalation. In the process of warming and moistening the airways, pathogens are destroyed and sputum in the lungs is liquefied. Such reactions help improve the drainage function of the bronchi and speedy evacuation of mucus from the respiratory system.

You can enhance the inhalation effect with the help of aromatherapy. To prepare a medicinal solution, 1 liter of boiled water is mixed with approximately 20-25 drops of essential oils. Some of the most effective oils include:

spruce and lavender;
ginger and sandalwood;
juniper and lemon balm;
tea tree and fir;
bergamot and peppermint;
eucalyptus and lemon.

During the steaming process, the prepared solution is poured onto hot stones, which creates the effect of therapeutic inhalation.

Contraindications

It is believed that in a hot environment all conditions are created for the spread of bacteria. A person who has had the flu, inhaling moist vapors, can re-acquire harmful microorganisms, which will lead to a relapse.
In conditions of elevated temperature, weakening of the body may be accompanied by general malaise and dizziness. Loss of consciousness is also possible.

It is better to avoid visiting the steam room if, in addition to the flu, the development of third-party diseases is observed:

Hypertension is a pathology in which there is a systematic increase in blood pressure.
Hyperthyroidism is a disease in which the thyroid gland produces a large amount of active substances. characterized by a large production of active substances by the thyroid gland.
Stomach ulcer - with this disease there is a risk of bleeding inside the organ.
Skin diseases.
Oncological diseases.
Vegetative-vascular dystonia, which is accompanied by frequent fainting, especially in stuffy rooms.

Herbal infusions for the runny nose for the steam room

Colds and rhinitis will go away much faster if thermal procedures in the bath are combined with taking special herbal decoctions.

You can prepare such infusions yourself or buy them at a pharmacy. The following herbs are mainly used for bath inhalations:

To prepare a healing mixture, add 15-20 drops of oil to 1 liter of water.

To get rid of a runny nose, you can prepare the following infusion:

Take a teaspoon of dry mustard and pour a glass of boiled water over it.
Splash this liquid onto the hot stove stones.
Inhale healing steam.

You can use a cracker of rye or wheat bread, which is placed on hot stones. This will also give off a pleasant smell.

Ledum infusion also effectively treats rhinitis. To do this, take 100 g of crushed dry grass and add 1 tablespoon of olive or sunflower oil. The mixture should be infused for a month in a dark place, shaking constantly. To quickly prepare the medicine, this mixture is heated in the oven.

Then the infusion should be strained and diluted in 3 liters of water. The prepared liquid is gradually poured onto the stones during sauna inhalations.

The same infusion can be dripped into the nose, 2-3 drops in each nostril.

If a runny nose is accompanied by a cough, then there is an excellent recipe that relieves illness in the upper and lower respiratory tract. We are talking about an infusion of elecampane, marshmallow and licorice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgHhfYfO-B0 To do this, take a teaspoon of crushed dry roots of each of these herbs and pour boiling water over the mixture. Water is taken in an amount of 400 ml. The infusion should sit for at least a day. Then you should strain it and dilute it with 2 liters of water.

The prepared mixture is poured over the hot stones. In order for the healing effect of herbs to be not only from the outside, but also from the inside, you should take this healing infusion orally.

Healing teas bring greater effect in the bath. To get rid of a runny nose, you can prepare the following decoction:

Take 5 g of dry leaves of coltsfoot, raspberry, meadowsweet, linden blossom.
The dry mixture is poured with boiling water in a ratio of 1:40. This means that 40 g of water is taken per 1 g of mixture.
The infusion is kept in a dark place for 1 tea.
The herbal tea is cooled, filtered and drunk.

The bath is an excellent remedy in the fight against runny nose and colds. If there are no contraindications or fever, go to the bathhouse.

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Contraindications

Sometimes vaping can cause harm:

It is believed that in a hot environment all conditions are created for the spread of bacteria. A person who has had the flu, inhaling moist vapors, can re-acquire harmful microorganisms, which will lead to a relapse.
In conditions of elevated temperature, weakening of the body may be accompanied by general malaise and dizziness. Loss of consciousness is also possible.

It is better to avoid visiting the steam room if, in addition to the flu, the development of third-party diseases is observed:

Hypertension is a pathology in which there is a systematic increase in blood pressure.
Hyperthyroidism is a disease in which the thyroid gland produces a large amount of active substances. characterized by a large production of active substances by the thyroid gland.
Stomach ulcer - with this disease there is a risk of bleeding inside the organ.
Skin diseases.
Oncological diseases.
Vegetative-vascular dystonia, which is accompanied by frequent fainting, especially in stuffy rooms.

Massage treatments

To eliminate the symptoms of acute respiratory infections and speedy recovery, experts recommend steaming in a sauna with a broom. Massage speeds up the blood circulation process, which promotes the rapid removal of waste and toxins from the body. To carry out the procedure, it is better to take one of the following brooms:

birch – eliminates muscle pain and helps thin the mucus in the bronchi;
linden – promotes sweating and cleansing tissues of pathogen metabolites;
juniper – disinfects the air in the steam room, which accelerates the process of eliminating pathogenic flora in the respiratory system;
eucalyptus - helps relieve cough, runny nose and sore throat.

The manifestation of acute respiratory infections symptoms is associated with severe intoxication of the body, which occurs due to the active proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms in the mucous membranes of the ENT organs. To cleanse the body of waste products of pathogens and alleviate the course of the disease, you can use “sweating” rubbing.

To prepare the medicine, you need to mix melted honey and table salt in equal proportions. The heated mixture is applied to the skin in a steam room to speed up the sweating process. For incipient rhinitis, cough and throat discomfort, this procedure works no worse than medication.