Throat treatment

Potato compress for coughing

Cough is a protective and adaptive reaction of the body resulting from irritation of the mucous membranes of the ENT organs. A potato cough compress for children and adults allows you to stop a cough reaction. Local heating of the affected tissues accelerates blood microcirculation, which contributes to the regression of inflammation. Elimination of infectious foci and edema of the ciliated epithelium prevents irritation of cough receptors, as a result of which local manifestations of an infectious disease are eliminated.

Physiotherapy treatment normalizes the discharge and evacuation of sputum from the lower respiratory tract. The elimination of congestion in the bronchi contributes to the regression of inflammation and the restoration of normal ventilation of the lungs. Heat therapy with applications is one of the important components of the complex therapy of ENT diseases in adults and children.

The principle of operation of compresses

Can warming up the ENT organs speed up the healing process? The effectiveness of physiotherapeutic treatment is based on reflex and local exposure to heat, which stimulates blood circulation and metabolic processes in the mucous membranes of the lower respiratory tract. Thermal procedures accelerate the resorption of infiltrates in the affected tissues and the outflow of excess intercellular fluid, as a result of which the inner diameter in the bronchi increases.

A local increase in temperature stimulates the production of interferon in the body, which prevents the development of pathogenic viruses in the foci of inflammation. An increase in the number of neutrophils in the ENT organs leads to an increase in local immunity, which speeds up the healing process. Warming compresses have the following therapeutic properties:

  • relieve pain;
  • normalize the outflow of lymph from tissues;
  • increase tissue reactivity;
  • normalize the trophism of the ciliated epithelium;
  • promote detoxification of the body;
  • eliminate inflammatory processes;
  • restore the secretory function of the mucous membranes;
  • convert a dry cough into a productive one.

Warming up the chest and back when coughing facilitates the passage of viscous secretions from the airways. The evacuation of pathological secretions helps to reduce the number of pathogenic agents in the foci of inflammation.

Due to this, the main manifestations of an infectious disease are eliminated - cough, sore throat, malaise, myalgia, etc.

What are potatoes good for?

Boiled potatoes retain heat for a long time, which allows them to be used as a warming component for making a compress. The tubers contain many useful components that have a beneficial effect on cell metabolism and, accordingly, regeneration processes in tissues. These include:

  • thiamine;
  • calciferol;
  • lactoflavin;
  • folacin;
  • pyridoxine;
  • phosphorus;
  • calcium;
  • choline;
  • iron;
  • magnesium;
  • ascorbic acid.

It is undesirable to apply warming compresses to the heart area, which is associated with the creation of an excessive load on the cardiovascular system.

The vegetable is one of the products with a low degree of allergenicity, so it can be used to treat not only adults, but also children with hypersensitivity of the skin. The potato cough compress is recommended for the treatment of bronchitis, tracheitis, laryngitis, tonsillitis and other ENT diseases.

Potato tortilla

Mashed potato flatbread is an effective expectorant that is often used as a complementary treatment for infectious diseases. Auxiliary components such as honey, essential oils, mustard, alcohol, enhance the analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect of the agent. To prevent the occurrence of burns, the following recommendations must be observed during the procedure:

  1. boil 5 jacket potatoes and chop them;
  2. add 2 tablespoons to the puree. l. vodka and 3 tbsp. vegetable oil;
  3. form cakes from a thick mass and put them on the chest;
  4. cover the cake with a plastic bag and insulate with a layer of cotton wool;
  5. after 3 hours, remove the compress and remove the rest of the product with a damp cloth.

During the setting of the compress, you need to ensure that the area of ​​the heart remains open. In addition, to reduce the likelihood of burns in children, it is advisable to wrap the cake with gauze or cotton cloth.

Features of treatment with compresses

Warming medical dressings can be used in the treatment of various ENT pathologies, however, the principles of their setting will be the same in all cases. The effectiveness of physiotherapeutic treatment depends on the correct use of compresses. What nuances need to be taken into account in the process of applying applications:

  • before applying the warming layer of the bandage, the skin must be treated with petroleum jelly or vegetable oil to prevent burns;
  • each subsequent layer of the compress should be at least 1.5 cm wider than the previous one;
  • dressings left overnight must be fixed with bandages to prevent them from moving;
  • a potato compress must be insulated with a layer of cotton wool or a woolen scarf to enhance the warming effect;
  • you can go outside after the procedure only after 2-3 hours.

Compress for children

The duration and number of warming procedures should be determined only by the pediatrician after examining the child. A cough may indicate the development of a bacterial infection, in which heating of the ENT organs is contraindicated. Applications are appropriate only at the stage of resolving catarrhal processes in the absence of hyperemia and infectious complications in the child.

Important! Warming procedures are contraindicated for children under the age of 1-1.5 years.

Compressing rules:

  1. boil potatoes and drain the water;
  2. mash the vegetables with a fork;
  3. add 2 tbsp to the mass. vegetable oil;
  4. form a cake and wrap it in plastic;
  5. apply a compress to your chest or back;
  6. cover the child with a warm blanket;
  7. remove the compress after 3-4 hours.

To speed up the discharge of sputum from the bronchi, the procedure must be performed at least 3 times a day. In parallel, it is advisable to take breast fees that have a mucolytic effect. A productive cough will help clear mucus from the bronchi, which speeds up the child's recovery.

Compress for adults

How to put a cough compress with potatoes? Local therapy of ENT diseases increases the tissue reactivity of the ciliated epithelium. Due to this, the regression of catarrhal processes is accelerated. Elimination of inflammation in the mucous membranes of the lower respiratory tract helps to eliminate spastic cough.

To enhance the therapeutic effect of the warming applications, powder mustard, rubbing alcohol, honey, lemon juice, etc. can be used as additional ingredients. In the treatment of colds in adults, the following recipe for making a compress is most often used:

  1. boil 1 potato, onion and green apple;
  2. chop boiled foods in a blender;
  3. add 2 tbsp to the product. vodka and 1 tbsp. mustard;
  4. treat the skin with a nourishing cream or vegetable oil;
  5. put a warm mass on the chest;
  6. cover the applique with polyethylene and a layer of cotton wool;
  7. remove the compress after 2 hours.

If you feel uncomfortable, remove the dressing.

If the warming agent contains components with a local irritating effect - mustard, lemon, alcohol, etc., the duration of one therapy session should not exceed 2-3 hours. In addition, it is highly undesirable to resort to the use of applications in the presence of furunculosis, eczema, dermatitis and other skin diseases.