How to treat a throat for pregnant women at home

Sore throat is a sign of inflammatory lesions of the mucous membranes. This symptom is caused by colds, SARS, sore throat and a number of other diseases. The above pathologies pose an increased danger to pregnant women, threatening to impair the growth and development of the fetus. The reason for this is that such diseases in the overwhelming majority of cases are of an infectious nature - and viral and bacterial infections of the mother can affect the course of pregnancy. Therefore, treatment for these diseases should begin immediately and be as effective as possible.

Folk remedies for sore throat during pregnancy, of course, also have a certain effect. But in view of the danger of such diseases for the life of the fetus, one should not rely too much on such treatment. If a cold, sore throat and poor health in a pregnant woman have not gone away 2-3 days after starting therapy at home, then you should immediately consult a doctor and start taking antibiotics or antiviral drugs.

However, this does not mean that folk remedies should be abandoned immediately. These techniques are useful as adjunctive therapy. They will help relieve pain, reduce the severity of inflammation, provide external disinfection of mucous membranes and improve the patient's condition. Such treatment must be applied carefully, because pregnancy imposes certain restrictions.

But the first thing to take care of is the correct modification of the patient's lifestyle. She must stay in bed, have less contact with others and introduce an increased amount of fluid into the body. So the patient will ensure a decrease in body temperature and increase the elimination of toxins from the body.

Medicinal herbs

Phytopreparations are the basis of traditional methods of treating sore throat. Decoctions and infusions of medicinal herbs are used for washing the throat, for inhalation and for oral administration. The benefit of these methods is that the active compounds are delivered directly to the site of the inflammatory lesion.

Important! Pregnant women should not use herbs that affect the synthesis of estrogen and increase muscle and vascular tone. These are chamomile, oregano, tansy, aloe, string, St. John's wort and some others.

Some recipes that are indicated for use during pregnancy:

Fill 5 large spoons of horsetail with half liters of boiling water and leave for 20 minutes;
Brew 2 large tablespoons of raspberry bush leaves in 1 cup boiling water, cover and leave for 10 minutes;
peel the onion, take 3 large tablespoons of the husk, pour half a liter of water, boil and let the broth cool on its own;
standard dosage for the preparation of infusions from other medicinal herbs - calendula, sage, coltsfoot, yarrow, etc. - 1 large spoonful of dry herbal medicine for 1 glass of water.

When using these decoctions and infusions for washing the throat, do not forget to first cool the liquid to room temperature and strain it through cheesecloth. By removing the solid components from the solution, you will protect the throat mucosa from mechanical injury. It is necessary to gargle 5-6 or even more times a day - it is better if the interval between procedures is 1 hour. If multiple solutions are available for use, alternate their use.

For throat flushing in pregnant women, a neutral mixture of non-herbal preparations is well suited. It contains 1 small spoonful of kitchen salt, 1 small spoonful of baking soda and 10 drops of iodine in a glass of water. Such a remedy will not cause allergies in the patient and will not harm the fetus.

In pregnant women, the inhalation method of introducing active substances is also used. In this case, medicinal compounds enter the mucous membrane of the throat in the form of vapors. The heated solution is placed in a pan with a wide top, the patient bends over it and covers her head with a towel so that its edge lies on the table. After that, it is necessary to intensively inhale the rising vapors through the mouth. In pregnant women, it is recommended to perform inhalation with:

the same decoctions and infusions of phytopreparations that were used for rinsing;
solutions of aromatic and essential oils;
soda with salt and iodine;
chlorophyllipt solution, etc.

Compresses and mustard plasters

These procedures have a local warming effect. This helps to numb the throat, dilate blood vessels and increase the elimination of toxins. Contrary to popular belief, compresses during pregnancy, if it proceeds without complications, is allowed to be used. Warming up the throat is unlikely to affect the tone of the vessels of the uterus. Another thing is that pregnant women follow the same standard rule: when the temperature rises to 38⁰With and / or the addition of a purulent component, the compresses must be canceled.

But it is undesirable to use mustard plasters for pregnant women. Their warming effect is not only local, but also, due to the work of reflex interaction mechanisms, general. And this procedure, even performed on the back, will affect the tone of the vasculature of the small pelvis. The same applies to hot mustard foot baths, which are used for sore throat in other categories of patients.

Honey

Important! Honey and bee products are allowed to be used only in the 1st trimester of pregnancy (to avoid premature fetal sensitization) and only if the woman is not allergic to these products.

Honey contains in its composition anti-inflammatory and antibacterial substances, which have a pronounced therapeutic effect for sore throat. To alleviate this symptom, we recommend using the following recipes:

Take equal volumes of light liquid honey and butter. Combine them in a saucepan and dissolve in a water bath. For every 20 g of honey, add a pinch of baking soda, and then continue heating the mixture until foam appears on the surface. Then cool the resulting mass and take orally 1 small spoon 4 times a day.
For 1 cup of warm water, add 1 large spoonful of honey and 1 large spoonful of 6% apple cider vinegar. Stir the mixture thoroughly, dissolve honey, and gargle 4-5 times a day.
If you are not lactose intolerant, use a milk-based mixture of honey and butter. For 1 glass of milk, you need to put 1 spoonful of honey and the same amount of butter. The solution is intended for oral administration, 1 teaspoon every 60 minutes.

Oak bark

Oak bark has a pronounced antimicrobial action - this is facilitated by tannins in its composition. Decoctions and infusions of this drug are recommended for use during pregnancy. The following recipes will be helpful:

Mix 2 parts of calendula, 3 parts of linden blossom, 5 parts of yarrow or coltsfoot and 10 parts of oak bark. For 1 glass of boiling water, take 1 large spoon of this mixture and leave for 4 hours.
Take equal amounts of oak bark, sage, coltsfoot, and elderberry flowers. Brew 2 large spoons of this mixture in 1 cup boiling water. Insist for at least 20 minutes.
Mix oak bark and half the amount of linden blossom. For every 2 large spoons of the mixture, pour in 1 cup boiling water. The solution should be infused for 30-40 minutes.
Take clean oak bark and pour half a liter of water into each large spoon. Then cook the bark over low heat for 30-40 minutes. After that, remove the pan from the stove, wrap it in a warm cloth and leave for another 3 hours.

Before you start rinsing your throat, decoctions and infusions of oak bark must be cooled to room temperature and passed through cheesecloth to remove solid components from the liquid.

Oak bark is not recommended for pregnant women who complain of a tendency to constipation.Tannins have an astringent effect on the contents of the intestines.

Garlic

Garlic mixtures do not interfere with pregnancy. On the contrary, phytoncides, natural antibacterial compounds that make up this product, have a pronounced disinfecting effect on the entire body of a woman. The simplest homemade recipe with garlic is garlic water, for the preparation of which you need to crush 1 head of garlic into a gruel, pour a glass of hot water over it and let it brew for half an hour. This solution is useful for both gargling and ingestion. Additional recipes including garlic:

Grind 100 g of garlic into gruel and pour a glass of water over it for 6 hours. This liquid is used only for throat rinsing.
Add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to 1 minced head of garlic. Keep the mixture in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Then mix it with 1 large spoonful of honey and take 1 small spoonful by mouth before each meal.
Take 3 large spoons of honey and the same amount of elderberry flowers. Mix with 10 crushed garlic cloves. Boil this mixture in half a liter of boiling water, wrap in a warm cloth and leave for 3 hours. Strain the liquid and use 1 small spoonful for oral administration every hour.
Add 2 minced garlic cloves to 1 glass of carrot juice. Drink this mixture 30 minutes before meals and repeat the procedure twice a day.

In pregnant women, the use of raw garlic is not prohibited. It is enough just to put one clove in your mouth and sometimes bite it with your teeth so that juice is released that needs to be swallowed. And besides, phytoncides themselves are volatile substances, therefore they independently fall on the mucous membrane and settle there, providing a disinfecting effect.

Speaking about how to treat a throat, one cannot fail to mention the role of immunostimulation. For sore throat caused by an infectious disease, it is important to provide adequate immune support. These measures are especially significant during pregnancy - during this period, immunity is already weakened by hormonal changes in the woman's body. Patients are advised to take tincture of ginseng, Siberian ginseng and / or echinacea.

It is required to inject enough vitamins every day - they are necessary for the correct development of the child, and in addition, they serve as a catalyst for immune reactions. Correction of the diet in a pregnant woman will simultaneously help both the formation of the fetus and the strengthening of immunity. It is useful to enrich a woman's diet during this period with easily digestible protein, for the role of which, for example, boiled chicken meat is suitable. Protein is intensively spent on the construction of organs and tissues of the fetus and at the same time is the basis for the creation of cellular and humoral elements of the immune defense.