What is soda for? This product is widely known as a baking powder and odor absorber, thanks to which it is present in the kitchen of every self-respecting housewife. Also, soda is used as a cleaning agent. However, it has one more, no less valuable property - a healing effect.
Soda solution for local treatment of the mucous membrane of the oropharynx is a "first aid" for sore throat - in this capacity it is familiar to many people.
Soda solution for local treatment of the mucous membrane of the oropharynx is a "first aid" for sore throat - in this capacity it is familiar to many people.Gargling with baking soda can quickly reduce discomfort before going to the doctor - in some cases, such a home remedy can become a full-fledged replacement for more expensive drugs.
When to apply
Soda rinse solution is a product that, with its ease of preparation and low price, allows you to hope for a satisfactory result. Chemists call the main product of this drug sodium bicarbonate. Diluting soda when painful sensations arise is useful for both children and adults. What is the secret and which recipe is the most correct?
Before starting to use any medicine, you should clearly understand what is the "point of application" and what the action of the agent will be. For pharmacological preparations offered in pharmacies, instructions have been drawn up. This allows you to quickly assess how suitable a medicine is for a particular patient, to determine whether it will be compatible with the rest of the drug therapy. In the case of baking soda, this is much more difficult to do - no description regarding medical use is attached to the package of the product.
However, sodium bicarbonate is recognized not only by folk, but also by official medicine. Of course, it is not called a medicine in the full sense of this definition. But some useful properties are still inherent in the product - it is their presence that explains the wide popularity of soda solutions. Rinsing with baking soda gives you the opportunity to:
- Reduce the intensity of pain.
- Reduce the number of pathogenic bacteria.
- Facilitate clearing of mucus accumulations.
Sodium bicarbonate can break down mucin, which is the main constituent of mucus. Thus, the soda product is useful for eliminating the inflammatory process - in particular, infectious etiology.
Gargling with soda can be used for various types of inflammatory lesions of the oropharynx. Most often it is recommended in case of:
- pharyngitis;
- tonsillitis;
- stomatitis.
Many people are reasonably interested in whether pregnant women and children can gargle with soda. Sodium bicarbonate home remedies are considered safe for these patient populations if prepared and used correctly.
How to cook
To prepare a soda solution, you will need warm water and sodium bicarbonate in the form of a dry powder. You can also add other components that complement the action of the main component: kitchen or sea salt, iodine.
How to gargle with baking soda using a classic recipe? You need to take from 200 to 250 ml of water and dissolve dry sodium bicarbonate in it. In this case, it is worth making sure that no lumps appear, and the consistency of the product is uniform. The procedure must be repeated up to 8 times a day.
If the patient is worried about severe dryness of the mucous membrane, 2 teaspoons of kitchen or sea salt is also added to the gargle solution. Stir thoroughly so that no grains remain. Iodine is added to home medicine as an antiseptic enhancer. It is not difficult to overdose it, therefore it is required to strictly control the number of drops. Up to 5 drops are added to 0.2 l of warm solution.
Iodine can be used in both soda and soda-salt solution.
The preparation of the soda solution is carried out each time immediately before the procedure.
If the patient wants to effectively help himself with a sore throat, he should use only a fresh solution - made for the future and standing for several hours loses its usefulness, is unsuitable for further use as a medicine.
The proportions of the solution vary depending on the type of disease. If drugs are suitable for the treatment of viral and bacterial pharyngitis and tonsillitis, the content of sodium bicarbonate in which is 3%, then with a mycotic (fungal) infection of the oropharynx, this figure approaches 5%.
Application rules
It is rather difficult to choose a specific recipe from the variety of traditional medicine offered - sodium bicarbonate can be used in mono-solution or with the addition of other active ingredients. However, regardless of the type of medicine, it is worth adhering to the basic rules:
- Pay attention to age and / or special conditions of the body. Iodine can be dangerous for pregnant women, children and patients with individual sensitivity, so it is better to exclude those formulations of soda medicine where this ingredient is present.
- Monitor the temperature of the solution. Gargling with soda is carried out only with a warm solution, which does not burn the mucous membrane. Cooling should also be avoided, as this adversely affects the inflamed areas.
- Know the technique of the procedure. The patient needs to be familiarized with the nuances and sequence of actions for the treatment of the mucous membrane of the oropharynx in advance. If he does not understand how to do it correctly (for example, due to age), it is better to choose another treatment option.
All components of the home medicine must be fresh, without additional additives, flavors and flavor enhancers.
Procedure technique
For a sodium bicarbonate product to work, you need to do more than just know how to prepare it. It is important to adhere to the following steps:
- you can gargle only after eating - if you carry out the manipulation and immediately start drinking or eating, the beneficial effect is lost;
- it is important to take a small amount of the medicine by mouth to avoid the risk of accidental swallowing;
- rinse the mucous membrane thoroughly, at least 30 seconds - this time is allotted for the use of one portion of the medicine;
- during the procedure, it is permissible to pronounce the lingering sound "y" or "a".
After rinsing your throat, you should refrain from eating and drinking.
Since the preparation of the solution does not take much time, the procedure begins immediately after its completion. The patient does not eat or drink for 20 to 30 minutes after using the home medicine.
While rinsing with sodium bicarbonate powder dissolved in water can actually help, it shouldn't be the only treatment. Depending on the type of pathology, other drugs and methods are used. The baking soda solution for gargling is not a substitute for antibiotics, topical antiseptics. To maintain health, confidence in the diagnosis is important - for this patient, a doctor should be examined before starting treatment.
