The occurrence of a runny nose, one of the leading symptoms of the common cold, is associated with hypothermia - and this is not so far from the truth. Although the common cold is called acute viral or bacterial respiratory infections, exposure to cold is the same provoking factor that weakens the protective properties of the immune system and creates conditions for the onset of an infectious and inflammatory process in the nasal mucosa - rhinitis. You can often hear the statement that with a cold, warming is required - and not only local. For this, a hot bath and a sauna are used. Is it permissible to come to the bathhouse with a runny nose and will it benefit the patient?
Bath treatment
A visit to the bath is often used not only for its intended purpose, for washing, but also as a method of therapy, since it allows you to warm up the body, enhance metabolic processes, and get rid of toxins. Bathing in a room filled with hot steam leads to an intensification of blood circulation, an increase in the secretion of sweat and sebaceous glands. Many people report a feeling of "renewal". Undoubtedly, thermal procedures in a steam room have many advantages. A bath with a cold can help:
- facilitate nasal breathing;
- fight the inflammatory process;
- stimulate the body's immune response.
To achieve the best therapeutic effect, hot steam inhalation of extracts of various medicinal plants is used. When planning a visit to the steam room, you can insist water for steam, using mint, juniper. Essential oils (mint, eucalyptus, lemon, etc.) are also useful. Inhalation of saturated steam is a type of inhalation that is widely used as a therapeutic procedure for diseases of the upper respiratory tract.
Runny nose and bath
Can I go to the steam room if my nose is stuffy? Rhinitis is not considered a serious disease, but meanwhile it can lead to the development of complications and is often a harbinger and the first manifestation of ARVI - an acute respiratory viral infection. A cold (activation of opportunistic flora after hypothermia) is also characterized by a runny nose. What do you need to know about a cold in order to visit the bathhouse safely?
Rhinitis patients report several main symptoms:
- nasal congestion;
- the presence of nasal discharge;
- violation of nasal breathing.
Rhinitis has a different etiology. Most often it is provoked by infectious agents - viruses, bacteria. In this case, there are signs of intoxication syndrome - weakness, fever, headache, rapid fatigue and decreased exercise tolerance. We must also not forget about the likelihood of allergic rhinitis (sensitivity to pollen, food allergens, household chemicals, etc.), vasomotor rhinitis (dysregulation of the vascular tone of the nasal sinuses).
At the same time, rhinitis as a syndrome (complex of symptoms) can act as a manifestation of sinusitis - an inflammatory process in the area of the paranasal sinuses (sinuses). In this case, the mucous membrane of the affected sinus swells, inflammatory exudate accumulates in the cavity - at first it has a serous, serous-mucous, then purulent character.
The bath is used in the treatment of the common cold, the development of which is associated with hypothermia, exclusively at normal body temperature.
You can go to the bathhouse for the purpose of treating a cold - but it is important to take into account all contraindications. It is pointless to treat an allergic rhinitis in a steam room, like vasomotor rhinitis; Moreover, inhalation of herbal extracts and hot air, as well as sudden changes in temperature, can cause increased symptoms. Treatment of sinusitis in the bath is also not carried out due to the risk of complications.
Contraindications
Thinking about whether it is possible to bathe with a cold, you need to know about all the possible contraindications. It is best to consult with your doctor beforehand. Contrary to popular belief, the bath is not a panacea at all; if a person is not used to being in a steam room, instead of a beneficial effect, he can get a completely opposite result. When is it not worth going to steam bath with a runny nose?
- With a fever.
For normal functioning, the body needs to maintain a balance between heat production and heat transfer - for this, various mechanisms of thermoregulation are used. However, with infectious diseases, including colds, during the implementation of the immune response, the body temperature rises. If a person is in familiar conditions, he gives off excess heat to the environment, avoiding overheating. But if the heat production is increased against the background of insufficient heat transfer, the prerequisites for the development of hyperthermic syndrome arise - and this is a life-threatening condition.
- With a severe course of non-communicable diseases.
These are pathologies of the cardiovascular system, as well as exacerbation of diseases of the skin, digestive, endocrine systems, kidneys, and liver. For the treatment of a cold, such patients should not take a steam bath or sauna, even if the body temperature remains within normal values.
- With purulent processes.
If the patient, in addition to a runny nose, has purulent sinusitis or a focus of purulent inflammation of any other localization (for example, purulent otitis media), it is strictly forbidden to be exposed to hot steam. Intense exposure to heat can aggravate the patient's condition and lead to the expansion of the boundaries of the inflammatory process - in addition, the anatomical location of the sinuses causes a high risk of orbital and intracranial complications (phlegmon of the orbit, arachnoiditis, etc.).
The bath is contraindicated in case of a runny nose, which accompanies acute infections, as well as exacerbation of chronic rhinitis and sinusitis.
This is primarily due to the onset of fever. It is also necessary to take into account whether nasal breathing is partially or completely disturbed - in the second case, it is better to avoid thermal procedures. If the discharge is thick, has a yellowish, greenish color, you cannot go to the bathhouse to take a steam bath.
A visit to a bath, a sauna with a runny nose is undesirable during pregnancy; you should not take small children to the steam room to improve nasal breathing - the thermoregulation mechanisms of the child's body are imperfect, the likelihood of hyperthermia is very high. If the patient intends to visit the bathhouse for the treatment of a cold against the background of the presence of a neoplasm, it is better to choose a different method of therapy - a steam room is contraindicated in this case.
