How to cure bronchitis in children. The most effective ways to treat bronchitis in children at home

The main causes of bronchitis:

If you decide to treat the child yourself, first, create a calm regime for him, which would contribute to treatment and recovery.

Do not force your child to bed. Let him spend his time in quiet games.
Ventilate the room often enough and regularly, and also carry out wet cleaning.
The child must wear warm clothing.
Diet, during the period of illness, remains unchanged for age. Add more vegetables and fruits to your child's diet.
In order for the process of liquefaction of sputum and its discharge to be at the proper level, the child needs to drink more fluids (juices, fruit drinks, etc.).
Along with the use of drugs, use other methods of treatment: baths - foot, general; mustard plasters; inhalation, etc.

Symptoms and course of bronchitis

- Beginning of bronchitis

The first symptoms of bronchitis, as with the common cold, are a runny nose and cough. The cough is usually dry and hacking.
There may be an increase in body temperature.
Behind the sternum there are pains and wheezing.
Sometimes shortness of breath may occur.
A dry cough after a few days is replaced by a wet cough and sputum production begins.
By the type of sputum secreted, you can determine the type of bronchitis. In the acute form, the sputum is transparent; in the chronic form, the sputum contains purulent inclusions.

- Acute bronchitis

Acute form of bronchitis usually lasts 3-4 days. If you start treatment in a timely manner and carry it out correctly, the acute form will be cured in 10 days. Otherwise, the disease can gradually become chronic.
When diagnosing bronchitis, first of all, they are interested in the nature of the cough, the color and consistency of the sputum. The doctor listens to the child for the presence of wet or dry wheezing, prolonged exhalations. In addition, they must be sent for x-rays of the lungs and a general blood test.

How to protect a child from bronchitis?

Children of younger and preschool age suffer from bronchitis most often. To protect them from this disease, it is necessary to prevent prolonged runny noses, protect the child from hypothermia, provide him with a healthy diet, provide optimal sanitary conditions and prevent the child from being in a smoky room.

When treating a child at home, you need to know that the temperature in the room should not be lower than +18 degrees, and the humidity should not be lower than 65%. Along with medications, traditional medicine methods are widely used to treat bronchitis.
If there is the first suspicion that the child is ill, place onion and garlic on plates in the children's room. You need to give the child something to drink that will help him sweat well. To do this, use teas or decoctions of dry raspberries, mint, sage, linden, elderberry. It is advisable to drink antipyretic decoctions that cause severe sweating in the evening.

How to cure a child's bronchitis quickly: 14 easy ways

1. Milk with honey

In the morning it is good to give the child hot milk with honey, goat fat and a pinch of soda. Boil the honey first. Although this partially neutralizes its beneficial properties, the drink will not cause coughing fits.

2. Black radish juice

Finely grate a black radish and squeeze out the juice. Combine it with liquid honey and let the child cough up - before eating 2 tbsp. spoons. Warm serum will help to get out sputum well.

3. Compress on the chest

Compress for infants. Grate 1 radish, add 2 tbsp. spoons - flour, honey and mustard powder. Mix the ingredients and make a cake. The chest under this mustard plaster must be lubricated with sunflower oil. Wrap your baby in a wool scarf. Do every evening for 7 days.

4. A mixture of honey and lard

Treatment of bronchitis in infants - boil honey (50 g), add goose or goat lard (100 g). Mix and chill. Put 1/2 teaspoon of this mixture into milk or porridge for a baby. It is advisable to give this dose to the baby twice a day.

5. Warm milk with cocoa butter and massage

For the treatment of bronchitis, let's drink warm Borjomi or warm milk with cocoa butter. To remove sputum from the body, children are given a chest massage, in the collar zone, in the back area. You can do honey massage in these parts of the body.

6. Aromatherapy

If the child is not allergic to aromatic oils, fir, cedar or eucalyptus oil can be used with an aromatic lamp.

7. Inhalations

After a year, the child can be steam inhaled from thyme, a drop of fir oil and potato peelings.

8. Ointment on lard

Very well helps to treat bronchitis ointment on pork internal fat. Melt the internal fat, drain and cool it. Add turpentine to pork fat and make an ointment. Use this ointment to rub your chest.

9. Onion tincture

Chop 0.5 kg of onion, squeeze the juice and combine with 0.5 kg of sugar. 15 days to insist on the sun. Take 1 tbsp. l. three times a day 20 minutes before meals.

10. Coltsfoot, Elderflower, and Asparagus Tea

Coltsfoot leaves, black elderberry flowers, asparagus grass - take all 5 g each. Pour the mixture with boiling water (200 g). Infuse in a thermos for 1 hour. Drink infusion like tea - three times a day.

11. Infusion of bran

2 l. boil water and pour 500 g of bran. Boil for 10 minutes, add sugar to taste. Drink warm instead of any drinks: tea, juice, compotes.

12. Decoctions of herbs

Used in the treatment of bronchitis decoctions of marshmallow root, plantain leaves, black currant.

13. Badger fat

Bronchitis is very well cured with badger fat. Its use improves protein metabolism and improves immunity. Use badger fat both inside and for rubbing. 8 teaspoons of melted badger fat, 6 teaspoons of cocoa, 100 g of good butter, a bar of dark chocolate (no additives). Make a homogeneous mass, spread on bread and consume 3 times a day. Badger fat is also used for preventive purposes.

14. Breathing exercises

If the child is active enough, then you can cleanse the lungs with the help of breathing exercises that will help the process of sputum discharge and coughing. Be sure to ventilate the room before class. If your child already knows how to inflate balloons or you have the opportunity to blow soap bubbles, combine useful work with pleasant entertainment. These are a kind of breathing exercises that will help clear the lungs and recover faster.

Whatever the baby is ill with, it is important to make an unambiguous diagnosis as soon as possible. If attentive parents notice signs that are not characteristic of a common cold (shortness of breath, wheezing in the chest), then bronchitis is likely.

Providing assistance in the early phase of the disease brings the best results and reduces the risk of complications. In this case, alternative treatment of bronchitis in children can become the main therapy, and hospital stay is not required.

Bronchitis is diagnosed with inflammation of the inner lining of the bronchi. At the initial stage, the disease can be confused with SARS or influenza.

Children's bronchitis is determined by a number of symptoms:

the formation and discharge of sputum;
the temperature in the armpit is about 38⁰С;
unusual cough (wet gurgling or, conversely, dry, with whistles and wheezing),
weakness, drowsiness and poor appetite.

Parents should be alerted by shortness of breath, pale skin, body temperature above 38⁰С - in this case, the child needs an immediate examination by a pediatrician.

Types of disease

When diagnosing, the type of bronchitis is also established.

Viral - has a viral origin and affects the lower respiratory tract. The virus spreads among children with fragile immunity, especially in large groups.
Bacterial occurs with complications of viral bronchitis due to incorrect treatment (or lack of it), or with weak immune protection. In this case, the bacteria are activated, contributing to the formation of foci of inflammation. The patient is tormented by a prolonged high temperature (from 38.5⁰С), sputum with pus and blood, increased sweating, chills and headaches.
Allergic - is usually detected at an early age, when the immune system fails and sensitivity to any substance progresses (for example, pollen, pet hair). This non-infectious form of bronchitis is practically eliminated when contact with the allergen is eliminated. During exacerbations, wheezing, nocturnal cough, runny nose, conjunctivitis, skin rashes are characteristic. The body temperature remains normal.
Obstructive - accompanied by spasm of the bronchi, which makes it difficult to separate sputum. Complications of obstructive bronchitis in children are dangerous. If it is difficult for a child to breathe air, he begins to suffer from a lack of oxygen, breathing becomes shallow and frequent, do not put off calling the doctor. When a baby often suffers from airway obstruction, bronchial asthma may develop.

Depending on how long the disease has lasted, bronchitis is distinguished:

acute (disables the patient for 14-21 days),
recurrent (if symptoms of bronchitis were observed at least 3 times a year),
chronic (if for a period of at least 2 years the disease was diagnosed at least once a year and lasted more than 3 months).

If in children the symptoms of bronchitis are rapidly progressing, and the state of health is getting worse, this is an indispensable reason to call a doctor at home. Self-medication is not allowed here.

With a mild course of bronchitis and the positive behavior of the baby, it is allowed to try alternative methods of treatment by discussing them with the attending pediatrician.

Traditional medicine to help the smallest

Incomplete recovery after a poorly cured cold, combined with the action of pathogenic factors, can provoke bronchitis in the crumbs. Treatment at home for newborns is complicated by the fact that they cannot cough up properly, and mucus settles in the bronchi. But already our grandmothers knew ways to cure bronchitis in infants.

Making a child a full-fledged inhalation seems like an impossible task. But you can put a large container next to the bed with a fresh decoction of oak, birch, chamomile, raspberry, wormwood, sage leaves (these herbs are used both individually and in combination), and for a better effect, drop a little fir or eucalyptus oil into the decoction.
Oil compresses are effective, for which you need a towel and any vegetable oil. Boil the oil for a short time in a water bath, and then soak a towel in it. When the fabric has cooled to a temperature pleasant to the body, you need to wrap the baby with it, put a film on top and wrap it with a warm blanket.
Healing effect have coltsfoot with plantain. Their juices, mixed in equal volumes, are diluted with water 1: 1 and give the baby 1 tbsp. l. three times a day.
An affordable and effective folk remedy is juice obtained from radish. Peeled, finely chopped and sprinkled with sugar, the vegetable releases juice for 12 hours. Honey can be used instead of sugar. The child is given 1 tbsp. l. of this juice during the day with an interval of 2 hours.
Helps and infusion of plantain leaves. 10 g of dry leaves are poured into a glass of very hot water, boiled for another 10 minutes and let the broth brew. Filtered infusion of the baby is drunk every three hours for 1 tsp.

If children older than 3 years are sick

To cure bronchitis in an older child, you can use recipes that provide for the consciousness and some perseverance of the patient.

Hot and cold inhalations

Whatever the diagnosis - viral or obstructive bronchitis - in children, treatment with folk remedies is usually successful. So, they quickly reduce the intensity of coughing and contribute to the discharge of sputum inhalation. They are made on the basis of simple components:

potatoes (they wash it without peeling it, boil it, add a spoonful of soda and salt, make a puree);
honey (it is dissolved in warm boiled water at about 40⁰С in a ratio of 1:5);
mineral water (for bronchitis, they take alkaline non-carbonated water, heat it in a saucepan to 50⁰С);
baking soda (1 tsp is mixed in a liter of water, heated to 50⁰С, allowed to cool to 40⁰).

Hot steam inhalations are contraindicated at body temperature above 37.5⁰С. But they are replaceable by sessions of inhalation of phytoncides coming from garlic pounded into gruel. Garlic is placed in a deep container and the child is explained to breathe alternately through the mouth and nose. Procedures are carried out several times a day.

To practice inhalation for the treatment of bronchitis in children, these conditions must be observed:

arrange a treatment session at least 1.5 hours after eating;
the mixture used for inhalation should not be scalding hot;
children should not inhale vapors for longer than 1 minute;
you can repeat the procedure no more than 5 times per day;
at the end of inhalation, you need to rest for at least an hour and take care of your throat (do not sing, do not shout).

Juice therapy in the fight for children's health

Juices of medicinal plants and simple products will help to quickly cure bronchitis, minimizing the possibility of complications. Treatment of bronchitis in children with folk remedies is justified only in the absence of allergies to the constituent components.

To squeeze garlic juice, 3 cloves of garlic are pre-crushed on a fine grater. Add 1 tsp to a glass of warm milk. juice, insist 10 minutes. Kids can take the remedy for 1 tsp. hourly.
Carrot juice will soften the cough. Carrots are rubbed on a grater (preferably on a plastic one, so more vitamins will be preserved), juice is squeezed through gauze and given to the child 1-2 tsp each. before the main meal.
Onion juice is mixed with honey 1:1, diluted with warm water and offered to the baby 1 tsp during the day.
Viburnum juice has an antiseptic effect. A glass of berries is kneaded, mixed with 10 tbsp. l. any honey and half a glass of water. Then it is boiled for so long that the water boils away and a thick mass remains. First, the patient takes it in half a small spoon once an hour, and then, starting from the second day, every 3-4 hours.
Beetroot juice with its hematopoietic and cleansing properties helps as part of complex therapy. Finely rub the beets, squeeze out the juice and insist in the refrigerator for 4 hours. The daily norm of this juice should not exceed 100 ml. For children, it is not very pleasant in taste due to astringency, so it is recommended to mix it with other, sweet, juices.
You can extract juice from aloe leaves, which is then mixed with honey in equal volumes. You will need fresh large leaves of this plant, which are wrapped in paper, placed in the refrigerator for 5 days, and then scrolled with a meat grinder and passed through gauze.
Treatment of obstructive bronchitis at home is successfully carried out using onion broth. A few medium-sized onions are boiled in water for 2 hours over very low heat. After cooling, they are crushed, mixed with 1 tbsp. l. vinegar (apple) and 4 tsp. honey (preferably lime). Half a teaspoon of the mixture is given to a small patient every hour. A day later, the cough is noticeably relieved.

Benefits of rubbing and warm compresses

These physiotherapy procedures help warm up the body and, importantly, distract the patient.

A popular recipe for rubbing ointment from melted butter with chopped garlic. Rub the warm mixture on the child's back and chest.
“Potato cakes” are used as a compress. Potatoes are washed and boiled in their skins, kneaded, mixed with soda. Two large cakes are formed from the mixture: one is placed on the child's chest, and the other is placed on the back. They are fixed with a towel, and after cooling they are removed. When the session is over, the baby is recommended to sleep.
“Warming cake” is prepared from 1 tbsp. l. mustard powder, honey, vodka, 3 tbsp. l. flour and vegetable oil. The mixture heated in a water bath is spread on gauze, which is placed on the patient's chest, covered with a film and a blanket on top. After half an hour, the compress is removed.
This compress does not require much time to prepare: honey is applied to the chest, and a towel soaked in 3: 1 diluted vodka in water is applied on top. Everything is fixed with a dry towel.
Folk remedies for bronchitis are good because their components are inexpensive and accessible. There is always a piece of bread in the kitchen. To prepare a bread compress, a piece a couple of centimeters wide must be sprinkled with water and heated in the oven. Warm bread is wrapped in a cloth and applied with the wet side to the chest or back.

If the acute period of the disease has passed and the body temperature is normal, then you can enhance the effect of compresses and rubbing by doing them in the bath. This will help relieve severe bronchospasm. However, this treatment is applicable only for children older than three years.

Conclusion

When parents intend to treat bronchitis in children with folk remedies, one should always remember that crumbs can suddenly and unexpectedly react to even the most harmless component. It is necessary to check the allergenicity of products and the susceptibility of the baby to them.

Better yet, enlist the support of an observing pediatrician and agree with him on how to treat bronchitis in children at home.

Folk recipes are also good for disease prevention along with hardening children, preventing them from overheating and hypothermia, frequent exposure to fresh air and good nutrition.

Bronchitis is a pathological inflammatory process that develops in the wall of the bronchus under the action of provoking factors - viral or bacterial agents. Due to the total action of provoking factors and the emergence of favorable conditions for the further growth, reproduction and spread of microbes in the bronchial tree, bronchitis appears.

The main symptoms of the disease are the presence of intoxication of the child's body (fever, headache, nausea, lack of appetite, weakness, lethargy, apathy, drowsiness), the appearance of a dry cough, unproductive or wet with sputum and shortness of breath.

Favorable conditions for the development of the inflammatory process in the bronchi are:

hypothermia of the body;
malnutrition;
lack of vitamins (hypovitaminosis, beriberi);
decreased immunity;
frequent acute inflammatory diseases in other organs of the child;
exacerbation of chronic processes.

Treatment of bronchitis is reduced to the appointment of several groups of drugs, which are selected based on the action of the provoking factor (virus or bacterium) and the presence of relevant symptoms (fever, dry or wet cough and shortness of breath). Conservative treatment in conditions of improved well-being should be supplemented by physiotherapy, courses of which are carried out for another 1-2 weeks after the cessation of the main symptoms.

Also, to alleviate the condition of the child, alternative treatment is prescribed with the use of decoctions and infusions of herbs, applications on the chest area and rubbing using badger, goose or pork fat.

Conservative therapy

It is worth treating bronchitis with drugs on the first day of the onset of the disease. The choice of drugs depends on the manifestations of the disease themselves.

In the presence of high body temperature (up to 40 0 C), severe symptoms of intoxication and meager manifestations of damage to the bronchial tree - a slight dry or unproductive cough with clear or whitish sputum discharge, antiviral drugs are prescribed, since presumably, according to the child's symptoms, this bronchitis was provoked viral infection.

The most effective antiviral drug in children with bronchitis is human recombinant interferon - Laferobion, which has an immunostimulating and immunomodulatory effect by stimulating an increase in the level of immunocompetent cells (mast cells, leukocytes, lymphocytes, plasma cells, basophils, antibodies) in the blood. It is prescribed for children up to a year at 150,000 IU 3 times a day in the form of rectal suppositories, for children from 1-2 years old, 500,000 IU 3-4 times a day. It is best to treat with this drug for 3 to 5 days.

If there is a slight body temperature, a relatively good and active condition of the child, along with severe symptoms of bronchial tree damage, which are characterized by an intense cough with yellow or greenish viscous sputum with an unpleasant odor and shortness of breath, they indicate the presence of bronchitis of a bacterial nature and in this case antibiotics are prescribed wide spectrum of activity.

Azithromycin (Sumamed) is the drug of choice for bacterial bronchitis, as it is a broad-spectrum antibiotic and additionally affects protozoal and intracellular infection. The drug is available in tablets and syrup, which allows it to be prescribed even to infants. It is necessary to take the medicine 1 time per day. Treat with the drug for no more than 3 days.

Bronchitis in a child is often accompanied by severe manifestations of intoxication, which can be stopped and help to improve well-being such drugs as:

Ibuprofen (Nurofen), which has antipyretic, analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects. It is prescribed for children under 2 years old in rectal suppositories, 1 suppository 2 times a day, for children from birth and up to 12 years old in syrup:

For children over 12 years of age, chewable tablets or capsules. It is allowed to treat with this drug for no more than 7 days.

Children's paracetamol (Panadol) has an antipyretic and anti-inflammatory effect, improves the well-being of a child with bronchitis. It is prescribed in drops, rectal suppositories and syrup for children under 12 years old, over 12 years old in capsules. This remedy must be taken 3-6 times a day. You can treat the drug for no more than a week.

Citrulline malate (Stimol) is a general tonic that has detoxifying activity and normalizes metabolic processes in the child's body. It is prescribed 1 sachet, which must first be dissolved in ½ cup of boiled water, taken 2 times a day for 10 days.

In order to relieve cough and improve sputum discharge, mucolytic drugs are prescribed.

Mucolytic drugs are prescribed when a child has a dry or wet cough. Cough is a reflex to foreign bodies (dust, pollen, food, water) entering the bronchi or excessive accumulation of mucus (sputum) in them. The drugs eliminate cough by acting on the cough center in the brain, as well as by thinning sputum and stimulating the motor activity of cilia on the surface of the bronchial epithelium, which additionally helps to clear the lumen. The cough first becomes unproductive, then productive, and after 5-7 days of taking the drugs completely disappears.

Ambroxol (Ambrobene, Flavamed, Lazolvan) in drops and syrup are prescribed from 1 year old, in tablets from 12 years old 3 times a day. Treat for at least 10 days. There is also a children's Lazolvan, adapted only for inhalation using a nebulizer. It can be used by children from birth.

Acetylcysteine (ACC) is used to thin sputum in children over 4 years of age who have a cough. The drug is available in tablets and sticks with a dosed powder, which must be dissolved in ½ cup of boiled water. Acetylcysteine 200 mg is taken 4 times a day, 400 mg - 2 times a day and 800 mg - 1 time per day for 10 days. One of the pronounced and common side effects of this drug are stomach pain and heartburn, since the drug contains acid in its composition.

If a child develops choking (shortness of breath at rest) or shortness of breath, which is associated with minor and moderate physical exertion, bronchodilator drugs are prescribed.

Salbutamol - has a relaxing effect, which is directed to the smooth muscles of the bronchi. It is used in children from one year old in the form of aerosols, in children under one year old in the form of nebulizer inhalations only on demand, that is, at the time of suffocation. The medicinal effect of the drug lasts from 30 minutes to 2 hours, and begins its action immediately after the erosol has hit the walls of the bronchial tree.

Plentiful drinking helps to reduce the manifestations of intoxication. For children, it can be teas, warmed fruit drinks, milk, compotes and herbal decoctions. Some herbs, along with detoxifying activity, help eliminate the cough reflex and improve sputum production.

St. John's wort, succession, chamomile, sage and plantain are taken in equal proportions. Herbs are ground with a coffee grinder or blender to a powder. 2 tablespoons of herbs are poured with a glass of boiling water and infused for 10 minutes. Children should be given this remedy warm 1/3 cup 3 times a day. One dose of tea leaves is enough for a day. You can treat with these herbs for 1 - 2 weeks. Cough in children on average goes away after 4 to 5 days.

Licorice root, marshmallow root, cranberries, viburnum and wild rose are crushed in a meat grinder. 4 tablespoons of the resulting mixture is poured with a liter of boiled water and brought to a boil over a fire. The broth is allowed to boil over low heat for 15 minutes and then covered with a lid and allowed to brew. It is recommended to take this remedy 2 times a day for ½ cup. For a child, add 1 tablespoon of honey to the decoction before drinking. Honey is used to improve taste and is a natural antioxidant, the purpose of which is to strengthen the protective properties of the body (immunity) of the child. Cough becomes much less after 3 to 5 days of taking the decoction.

Milk, especially cow's milk, is used in children when a severe, debilitating cough occurs. Milk can calm the cough reflex, which in patients with bronchitis is exacerbated in the evening and at night, making it difficult to rest and disturb sleep. Milk also contains a large amount of protein, fats and vitamins that nourish the child in conditions of poor appetite during intoxication and thereby strengthen the body and help fight pathological microbes.

Boiled cow's milk is well heated, but not brought to a boil, ½ teaspoon of baking soda and the same amount of butter are added to 1 glass of milk. To improve the taste of the resulting mixture, use honey, 1 teaspoon per 1 cup. In the absence of cow's milk, goat's milk can be substituted.

Give this remedy to a child with bronchitis should be at night, already in bed. It is necessary to drink in small sips for 5 to 10 minutes. After taking the remedy inside, the cough completely calms down after 5 minutes.

One of the methods of alternative treatment is rubbing the chest. Rubbing stimulates blood flow in the lung tissue and, as a result, cleanses the bronchial tree from microbial agents, which significantly speeds up the healing process of children. Rubbing also has a warming effect, which gives them the opportunity, albeit for a short time, to save children from coughing.

The most effective among rubbing in children with bronchitis is such a remedy as badger fat.

Badger fat is a subcutaneous fat that is rich in organic and inorganic amino acids, unsaturated fats and vitamins.

Badger fat has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immunostimulatory effects.

The versatility of this tool lies in the fact that it can be used both externally and taken internally.

Outwardly, badger fat is used in children who are tormented by a dry or unproductive cough with a warming function. Badger fat also stimulates blood circulation in the lung tissue and eliminates congestion in the bronchi of medium and small caliber.

Badger fat for external use is applied at night, on the skin of the chest and back with light massaging movements in a thin layer and rubbed into the skin until a film forms on it. After that, the body of the child is wrapped in a blanket.

Inside, badger fat is used to increase immunity, which is also important for children with bronchitis.

The remedy should be given 1 dessert spoon (10 ml) 2 times a day. Badger fat is best taken with food, as the predominance of the substances contained in it are fat-soluble, and the therapeutic effect is thus more pronounced.

Badger fat can be used externally in children over 1 year of age and internally over 6 years of age. Badger fat, according to the observations of doctors, did not give pronounced side effects when taken orally or externally.

Applications on the chest

Applications or lozenges on the chest and back are used to calm coughs and improve blood circulation in the bronchi of children.

A cake with honey is used for children over 1 year old. Honey, sunflower oil and flour are mixed in equal quantities. The mixture is applied to the skin of the chest and back, then wrapped in polyethylene or tracing paper, covered with a terry towel on top.

Mustard tortilla is used for children over 6 years old. Mustard powder is mixed with warm boiled potatoes and laid out on the skin of the back, covered with tracing paper and a terry towel.

Applications are performed at night. The child is treated like this for no more than 3-4 days.

Physiotherapy

inhalations with aromatic oils;
chest massage;
electrophoresis - the introduction through the skin of the chest using an electric current
medicines;
heating with the use of low-frequency electric currents and magnetic fields.

Video: Bronchitis, bronchitis in children, acute bronchitis in children

Children's bronchitis is a common disease. Many parents recognize him practically by the first symptoms - wheezing in the bronchi. And all because there is, perhaps, not a single child who has never had bronchitis in his life. With this ailment, as you know, treatment must be quick and accurate so that unwanted complications do not appear. Many mothers and fathers ask if it is possible to get by with folk remedies for bronchitis. This is what we will try to understand in this article.

What is it, symptoms and signs

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the lining of the bronchi, both the mucosa and the entire bronchial wall. In children, it can appear in two ways - as a separate ailment (primary), and as an echo or complication of another disease (secondary).

As a result of inflammation, the ability of the bronchi to produce and promptly remove a special secret is disrupted, which initially serves to protect the respiratory organs from the penetration of viruses and other foreign "guests". During illness, more secretion is formed, and if its output to the outside (in the form of sputum as a result of expectoration) is disturbed, this is fraught with serious consequences, such as pneumonia.

In chronic bronchitis, coughing plagues the child for several months in a row. As a rule, it intensifies in the morning and subsides somewhat in the evening. However, the reflex does not bring much relief, since a small amount of sputum is released, although the cough is wet. Children with allergies suffer more than others from the chronic form of the disease.

Not every child who has a viral infection or suffers from allergies develops bronchitis.

In many ways, the features of the state of the baby's immune system play a role, as well as the presence or absence of factors that are considered to be predisposing to bronchitis:

Air pollution (dust, smoke, fumes, gases).
Too dry or too humid air.
Unfavorable ecological situation.

What is the danger?

Bronchitis can worsen and become bronchopneumonia. This is a rather dangerous disease in which, against the background of reduced immunity, a secondary bacterial infection joins a viral infection. Another unpleasant possible complication is pneumonia (pneumonia). Long-term chronic bronchitis can develop into obstructive pulmonary disease. In the most severe cases, bronchial asthma, pulmonary emphysema and cardiopulmonary failure develop.

Methods of treatment

Since most cases of childhood bronchitis are viral in nature, antibiotics are not effective for this ailment. But a good result is the use of anti-inflammatory drugs ("Ibuprofen", etc.). Doctors willingly allow patients to treat this disease with alternative medicine. Moreover, both in addition to drug treatment, and as an independent therapy. First of all, this is a large number of special decoctions, teas and infusions for liquefying sputum.

If the sputum does not have impurities of pus, rubbing and warming compresses can be done. For children of any age, vibration (drainage) massage will be useful, we will talk about it below.

When folk methods are not enough?

Despite the positive attitude of doctors towards traditional medicine recipes in the treatment of bronchitis, there are conditions that require exclusively drug therapy. These are bacterial bronchitis, severe, sometimes requiring hospitalization. If a child develops a secondary infection of a bacterial nature, the doctor will also not allow the use of folk remedies, with the exception of vibration massage.

Another "contraindication" for alternative medicine is the presence of impurities of pus and blood in expectorant sputum. Chronic bronchitis is not always treatable with home remedies.

Folk remedies

Beverages

It is best to brew teas with raspberries, currants for a child, make fruit drinks from frozen or fresh berries, pediatricians recommend drinking more compotes and decoctions for this disease. However, it is advisable to coordinate the use of herbal decoctions and infusions with a doctor in advance in order to reduce the risk of an allergic reaction to herbal substances and essential oils. At home, you can brew simple but effective medicinal drinks.

A decoction of plantain helps well, for the preparation of which you need to take a tablespoon of crushed dry leaves (not sold in a pharmacy), and brew 200 ml of boiling water. Babies are dosed with a decoction of teaspoons, older children can be given a quarter cup per dose.

Radish juice contributes to the withdrawal of sputum and the reduction of the inflammatory process. To do this, the root crop is cleaned, cut into small pieces and sprinkled with sugar. It is necessary to insist in a closed container for about 12 hours, after which the resulting juice should be given in a teaspoon several times a day. Radish and sugar are contraindicated for infants. And a child after 3 years can put honey instead of sugar if he does not have an allergic reaction.

A good drink can be prepared from pharmacy chamomile and raspberry leaves. You need to take a tablespoon of herbal raw materials and pour half a liter of boiled water. Insist on a water bath for about 10 minutes, and then cool, strain and give the child a quarter cup 3 times a day.

The best "helpers" of parents in the treatment of childhood bronchitis are onion and garlic, lemon, figs, horseradish, mint, cinnamon, milk and ginger.

Rubbing and wrapping. Children from 3 years old can rub their chest and back with warm camphor oil or fir oil. With ordinary sunflower oil or sea buckthorn oil, special wraps can be made. To do this, heat the oil in a water bath, soak a towel in it, wrap the child's torso for several hours.

The most famous rubbing for bronchitis is rubbing with badger fat. The chest and back of the child are generously lubricated with this remedy, and then the patient is covered with a warm blanket. It is strictly forbidden to do warming rubbing and wraps at elevated body temperature, as well as in the presence of pus and blood in the sputum.

Compresses

The withdrawal of sputum will become easier and faster if a cottage cheese compress is applied to the baby's chest all night. To prepare it, you will need 300 g of granular cottage cheese, put it in gauze, give it a rectangular shape. Apply the resulting layer to the chest, after making sure that there are no wounds and abrasions on the skin. You can use cling film as an intermediate layer. According to parents, 3-4 days are enough to notice the effect of curd compresses.

In the same way they make warm potato compress, which is imposed for 1-2 hours in the daytime.

In no case should children make compresses based on alcohol and vinegar. These substances are highly irritating to the skin, and inhalation of vapors complicates the course of bronchitis itself.

Massage

This is a great way to rid the child of stagnation of sputum in the bronchi and speed up recovery. The infant is picked up and the fingertips are gently tapped on the back, and then on the chest in the region of the bronchi and lungs.

Older children are placed across the knees of an adult, so that the head is higher than the priests. Fingertips tap and make circular movements along the back in the region of the bronchi. Then ask the child to stand up abruptly and cough.

With tapping (vibration) movements, the area of \u200b\u200bthe ribs on the sides of the sternum in a standing position is also massaged. It is important to repeat each technique at least 10-15 times in one session.

These simple actions, which any mom and even dad can do on their own, help to avoid stagnation and drying of mucus in the bronchi.

In the treatment of bronchitis, especially the acute form, it is very important to give the child frequent and abundant water (from 2 to 4 liters per day). The drink must be warm. This will help the removal of bronchial secretions from the inflamed respiratory organs.

It is necessary to humidify the air in the room where the child with bronchitis is located. To do this, you can use special devices - humidifiers, or simply hang wet towels and sheets more often and make sure that they do not dry out. It is especially important to create sufficiently humidified air in winter, at the height of the heating season. The level of air humidity should be at the level of 50-70%.

With bronchitis, children sweat more often and more profusely. It is important to ensure that the baby is dressed according to the weather, not warmer. With severe sweating, the child should be rinsed in the shower and changed into dry clothes.

As soon as the acute phase of the disease is left behind, the temperature has returned to normal values, allow the child to lie in bed less during the daytime. In order for the cough to pass faster, at this stage you need to move a lot, walk in the fresh air, play actively.

Doctors allow bronchitis in children to be treated at home with strict adherence to the prescribed drug therapy. The disease is successfully treated. Along with drugs, the treatment of bronchitis with folk remedies gives a good effect. They help in the fight against the disease: they remove cough, remove sputum, destroy bacteria, increase immunity, and contribute to a speedy recovery.

bronchitis in a child

It must be remembered that infants and children under two years of age are treated only in a hospital. Older children are allowed to be treated at home, provided that there are no complications, elevated body temperature, and the child feels satisfactory. Treatment of bronchitis in childhood requires special attention from parents and strict adherence to all doctor's prescriptions. A decrease in bronchial patency with simultaneous respiratory failure in children can develop rapidly and lead to sad consequences.

The effectiveness of traditional medicine for bronchitis

Folk remedies help strengthen children's immunity

The pediatrician prescribes appropriate therapy, taking into account the severity of the disease and the stage of bronchitis. With the consent of the doctor and to speed up the healing process, it is possible to connect alternative methods of treatment. Treatment of bronchitis in children with folk remedies is most effective at the first symptoms of the disease or at the chronic stage.

Substances of plant and animal origin used for folk recipes for bronchitis have healing properties:

increase the body's defenses;
stop the inflammatory process;
produce a productive cough with sputum discharge;
have fewer side effects than synthetic drugs.

Varieties of funds

You can treat bronchitis at home with a variety of means, such as:

herbal infusion

herbal infusions and fees;
honey and garlic preparations;
oil-honey compresses;
juice therapy;
rubbing;
inhalation;
massage.

Before you start using any of the listed methods, you need to be sure that the child is not allergic to the components that make up folk recipes.

Home inhalations

Inhalation of vapors of medicinal herbs or essential oils in the fight against bronchitis is considered an effective remedy. This procedure successfully helps the child fight a debilitating cough, promotes sputum discharge.

It is necessary to carry out inhalation to the child with extreme caution, following the rules, so as not to aggravate the situation:

Inhalation at home

start the procedures after eating, after waiting 1.5-2 hours;
when inhaling steam, hold your breath;
conduct sessions no more than 5 times a day;
within an hour after the completion of the manipulations, you need to convince the child not to talk. With young children, the process of silence can be organized as one of the game forms (communicate with eyes, gestures, facial expressions) or come up with an interesting reward for silence.

Inhalations with coniferous extracts are especially effective for a child with bronchitis. Oak and birch leaves, sage, chamomile, wormwood also have anti-inflammatory properties. Of these, chest fees are usually made up.

Among the folk remedies for children, you can use the following inhalations:

pairs of boiled potatoes "in uniform";
the simplest solution is 4 tsp. soda, 1 liter of hot water;
solution of 1 liter of water, 6 drops of iodine, 1 tsp. soda and a little balm "Asterisk", boil before use;
garlic porridge (you need to breathe over it);
dilute honey with water (temperature 40 ° C) in a ratio of 1: 5, inhale the steam.

Inhalation with a nebulizer

When treating children, it is allowed to do inhalations through a nebulizer. It is desirable to use non-carbonated and slightly alkaline mineral water for a nebulizer, for example, Borjomi, which has a unique chemical composition and healing properties, thereby reducing catarrhal phenomena.

Inhalation with bronchitis moisturizes the airways, thins the sputum, which facilitates its evacuation. Such inhalation is also good because it does not cause allergies at all, and therefore it is suitable even for newborns and pregnant women.

Massage

Bronchitis is dangerous for young patients in that stagnant mucus does not come out and interferes with ventilation of the lungs, which can lead to obstructive syndrome, the characteristic features of which are wheezing, shortness of breath.

Massage will help to quickly alleviate this condition, contributing to:

Massage techniques for bronchitis in a child

breathing stabilization;
increased blood circulation in the lungs;
facilitate the evacuation of mucus.

For bronchitis, the following types of massage are used:

drainage - with this method, the back is massaged, and the patient's head is tilted down and is below chest level. Includes a complex of patting and rubbing, thanks to which mucus is successfully removed;
vibrational - in a given rhythm, light taps on the back are made;
point - impact on specific parts of the body;
cupping - carried out with medical banks, which are moved along the massage lines of the back.

One session can combine several techniques at once. When conducting therapeutic massage at home, you must adhere to some rules:

Performing breast massage

any manipulations are performed with minimal pressure;
a small pillow should be used to give the child the desired position;
first, the chest is massaged, and then the back;
massage can be started 4-5 days after the onset of improvement.

If the patient is an infant under one year old, it is necessary to coordinate the procedure with a pediatrician and take into account possible contraindications (high temperature, complications).

Physical exercise

In inflammatory processes in the bronchi, physical exercises are effective. As soon as improvement occurs and the temperature subsides, you can start exercising for 3-4 days. And for kids, it’s better to put training in the form of a game. For example, one-year-olds will undoubtedly enjoy blowing soap bubbles or launching paper boats. Sending sailboats to sail, inflating their sails like the wind, the baby will be able to perform the simplest exercises.

Classes for children over one and a half to two years old may consist of the following exercises:

Cough exercise for kids

"Ball". The child lies on his back, hands on his stomach. The stomach is gradually inflated, exhaling, slowly blowing it off.
"Wave". Begin the exercise lying on your back, arms lie calmly along the body. On inspiration, the child takes his hands behind his head, trying to reach the floor, exhaling, hands back and says "Come-and-and-out."
"Grow Big". The kid stands straight, heels together. Raises hands up, spreading through the sides. While inhaling, you need to rise on your toes and stretch, saying "Uh-uh." As you exhale, return to the original position.

The list of exercises is prescribed by the doctor, but it is quite acceptable to carry them out at home. Such a simple complex in the treatment of bronchitis will only benefit the health of the child:

strengthen immunity;
increase the outflow of sputum;
restore drainage in the airways;
reduce inflammation in the bronchial region.

Effective Recipes

There are a great many traditional medicine remedies to alleviate the condition of a child suffering from bronchitis. For children, decoctions and infusions should not be bitter, it is advisable to make them sweet so that the child willingly accepts them.

The most popular folk recipes for cough relief in bronchitis:

Black radish with honey

Bring milk (1 cup) to a boil with the addition of 1 tbsp. tablespoons of honey and ½ of a small onion, previously grated, drain. Drink warm in small sips.
In a large black radish, cut a hole in the center, take out part of the pulp, fill the resulting space with honey. Cover with a lid from the cut top and leave for 12 hours. Take before meals.
Boil potatoes in their skins, peel, puree, add chopped onion and garlic. Form a cake of arbitrary shape from the mass. Spread the child's chest with vegetable oil and apply a warm cake. Cover with a blanket and leave to lie for 30 minutes.

Recipes that help improve mucus discharge and increase sweating:

Ginger tea with cinnamon

grate the ginger root and pour boiling water in a ratio of 1:5, add honey and a pinch of cinnamon, leave for 10 minutes, strain, drink throughout the day;
raspberry leaves, coltsfoot, linden flowers pour boiling water (2 liters per 100 g of dry raw materials). Infuse for 15 minutes, strain, take warm;
Spread the patient's back and chest with badger fat, put him in bed, covered with a blanket. The child must sweat.

Treatment of bronchitis in children, including chronic forms, should be a whole range of measures, including drug treatment, physiotherapy and traditional medicine available at home. Despite the positive attitude of doctors and parents to traditional medicine, bronchitis in a child is not always possible to cure only with homemade recipes. Without proper parental control over the condition of the child during illness, the risk of developing serious complications is high.