A runny nose (or rhinitis) is an inflammatory process localized on the nasal mucosa. In this case, rhinitis may be the only symptom and occur on its own as a result of hypothermia and a sharp decrease in immunity, or it can manifest itself as one of the signs of an acute respiratory infection, flu and other diseases. A runny nose is the most common symptom of various diseases of the nasopharynx, especially in children, so it is important for parents to know how to quickly cure a runny nose in a child at home.
Causes
Often, a runny nose in a child can be cured in one day, but first you need to determine the reasons that provoked the appearance of mucous discharge from the nose.
Hypothermia
Hypothermia can often cause a sharp decrease in immunity and cause a cold. So, if a child returned from a walk with wet feet, cold hands and nose, then there is a high probability of a runny nose. In this situation, an unpleasant symptom is simply enough to cure in one day. You need to quickly warm the child, change into dry warm clothes, give him a drink of warm tea (with honey, lemon, lime, blackcurrant or raspberry jam) and make a warming compress.
Allergy
Often a runny nose in a child at 2 years old can be caused by allergic reactions, because at this age the immune system is not yet fully formed. Allergic rhinitis is triggered by such factors:
- dusty air;
- pungent odors;
- wool;
- pollen;
- food, etc.
If it was possible to determine that the cause of rhinitis was an allergy, in this case it is easy to cure a runny nose in children at home in 1 day, the main thing is to exclude the unfavorable factors that caused such a reaction of the body.
Foreign body
If the patient is not more than two years old, then the cause of rhinitis may be a foreign object (bead, pea) stuck in the nose. Here it is better not to self-medicate and entrust the removal of a foreign body and the treatment of a common cold in children to a specialist.
Infections
Often, a runny nose in children of different ages occurs against the background of an infectious disease. In this case, the infection can be of both viral and bacterial nature. It is necessary to direct therapy at the same time to eliminate the infection that caused the disease, as well as to treat the runny nose in children and other accompanying symptoms. However, don't expect quick results. With the right therapy, the first improvements usually occur no earlier than the second day of illness.
Treatment
At the very beginning of the disease, it is important for parents to know how to quickly cure a runny nose at home in order to prevent further development of the disease and the occurrence of complications. There are many ways to quickly eliminate rhinitis at home without the use of medication.
Saline solutions
The use of saline solutions is one of the most effective treatments for rhinitis of any etiology. For the procedure, special pharmaceutical preparations (Aquamaris, Solin, physiological solution) are suitable, as well as solutions of sea or table salt prepared at home (a teaspoon of dry matter per liter of clean boiled water). Using a saline solution, the nasal passages are washed in turn. However, it is often quite difficult to treat a runny nose in a 2-3 year old child by rinsing the nose, since this process can cause him fear. It is enough to simply irrigate the nose with a spray bottle or instill a few drops of saline solution five to six times a day.
Important! At the age of one year, children are contraindicated to carry out the procedure for washing the nasal passages and use preparations in the form of sprays to treat the nose.
Warming up
To speed up the healing process, it is advisable to use warming up the nose from the first day of the onset of a cold. This method is especially effective for those who are looking for ways to cure a child's runny nose on their own in one day, without using medication. Offer your child an interesting procedure, using a warm boiled egg wrapped in gauze to warm it up. Alternately warm up the maxillary sinuses on both sides; to achieve maximum efficiency, repeat the procedure at least seven times a day for ten to fifteen minutes.
Inhalation
Inhalation is a good way to quickly cure rhinitis. The main advantages of such procedures include their availability, the minimum number of contraindications and high efficiency.
Important! Steam inhalation is contraindicated at a body temperature above thirty-eight degrees, the presence of purulent inflammation and diseases of the cardiovascular system.
Distinguish between steam inhalation and inhalation with a nebulizer.
For steam inhalations, medicinal decoctions are used, prepared on the basis of various plants (sage, chamomile, eucalyptus) with the addition of essential oils (tea tree, fir). A warm solution is placed in a small bowl, bend over the liquid, and, covered with a towel, inhale the healing vapors. In this case, entry and exhalation should be carried out with the nose.
In childhood, it is better to inhale with a nebulizer. This procedure is safe, since there is no risk of burns to the nasopharynx when inhaling a very hot solution. However, the use of decoctions of herbs and essential oils is not allowed in all models of nebulizers, therefore, in such devices for diseases of the nasopharynx organs, saline solutions or special medications are used.
Rinsing
In order to cure a runny nose as soon as possible, it is advisable to apply a set of various procedures aimed at eliminating all signs of the disease. Therefore, immediately after the first symptoms of a cold appear, especially if the inflammation of the nose is accompanied by redness and soreness in the throat, it is necessary to apply one of the most effective methods of therapy - rinsing. There are many different options for preparing solutions for this procedure:
- Decoction of medicinal plants: thirty milligrams of collection (herb of sage, chamomile, St. John's wort) for two hundred milliliters of hot water. It is necessary to insist the broth, then strain it and use it for rinsing three times a day.
- Soda-salt solution: five milligrams of soda and salt are dissolved in 200 milliliters of drinking water. The procedure is repeated three times a day.
Important! If the child does not know how to gargle or is afraid of this procedure, you can lubricate the throat mucosa with the above solutions, thereby removing pathogenic microorganisms.
Warm baths
Many people use this method of treating colds, such as warming the lower and upper limbs in a bath or basin of hot water. The procedure is especially effective in the first days of the disease and helps to cope with a runny nose, eliminate puffiness, and restore nasal breathing in case of nasal congestion. To enhance the therapeutic effect, a few tablespoons of mustard powder can be added to such baths, and it can also be poured into socks before going to bed. It is important after the warming up procedure to stay warm for half an hour (cover yourself with a blanket, put on a terry robe and socks) and not go outside.
Traditional methods
Alternative medicine offers a large number of fairly effective procedures that help to quickly relieve a patient's condition with a cold and cure rhinitis.
- Onions are a fairly popular way to fight the common cold.For the procedure, you need to chop a medium-sized onion, fold the resulting gruel into a tissue bag and bring it to your nose. You can simply inhale onion phytoncides by closing your eyes and leaning over the chopped onion.
- You can prepare drops from beetroot and carrot juices, mixed and diluted with drinking water one to one. The tool is used three times a day, two drops each.
- Treat the nose with fresh Kalanchoe juice. It is necessary to lubricate the mucous membrane with plant juice three times a day or bury it in the nose, five drops each.
- Sea buckthorn oil is also considered an effective remedy, which is instilled into the nose three times a day, five drops.
Important! Before using various recipes of traditional medicine, it is important to make sure that there is no individual intolerance to each of the components.
Prophylaxis
It is known that preventing a disease is easier than looking for ways to treat a child's runny nose. Therefore, as a preventive measure, it is necessary to observe the following simple rules:
- regularly carry out wet cleaning, ventilate the room, since dry, hot air dries out the nasopharyngeal mucosa, making it more vulnerable to various infections;
- avoid hypothermia by dressing the child for the weather;
- in hot or dry windy weather, it is advisable to regularly moisturize the nasal mucosa in order to prevent it from drying out;
- minimize the child's stay in crowded places (shops, bazaars), especially during seasonal epidemics of influenza and acute respiratory infections;
- pay attention to strengthening general and local immunity: carry out hardening procedures, eat fortified food, use children's vitamin complexes.
Adhering to the above recommendations and methods of treating a cold, you can eliminate this unpleasant symptom in the first day.
