Dry cough in a child than soften Komarovsky. How to treat a dry cough in a child: Komarovsky and other views on the problem

Does the child constantly cough, the throat is red, irritated, headache and general malaise? It is good if sputum comes out with a cough, because in this case it can be said that the baby will quickly recover. But in the case of a dry cough, everything is more complicated, since it can be a symptom of various diseases, including serious ones. In our article, we will analyze how to treat it.

The main causes of dry cough

Cough is an important "signal" of the body, which is a reflex that helps to remove mucus, microbes and other foreign bodies. If the cough begins to "choke", the sputum is not expectorated, it is called dry. This situation is especially dangerous in a child, since this indicates the presence of a viral infection, which can either take a long time in the body, or pass in a couple of days with proper treatment.

Many parents do not want to feed their children pharmaceutical products. In such a case, you can resort to traditional medicine, since in this case the effect of "chemistry" on the body will be minimal.

We use herbs

Treatment using various plants helps to get rid of dry cough. Let's look at the most famous options:

mustard plasters

Mustard must be used very carefully, as they can cause increased sputum production, which can provoke inflammation in the bronchi. In addition, mustard plaster vapors are quite caustic - their inhalation can cause mucosal burns.

Also, do not use them when:

Inhalations

If you persuade a child to do the procedure, then you can get rid of a dry cough quite quickly, since this procedure is much more effective than the most famous pharmaceutical preparations.

The main thing is to use natural ingredients for the procedure by adding two drops of rosemary or tea tree oil to the water. This will not only relieve symptoms, but also relieve headaches.

Compresses

Compresses are quite an effective folk remedy. When applying compresses to the chest, the tissues quickly warm up, they have an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect.

They can be oil, alcohol, wet, dry or hot.

Before using them, you should make sure that the baby does not have a very high temperature.

What medicines should be used

It is worth noting that folk remedies are far from always as effective as we would like, for example, they are unlikely to cope with a too advanced disease. In this case, you should pay attention to pharmaceutical preparations, and you should consult a doctor in advance.

syrups

Thanks to the development of modern pharmaceuticals, you can buy any remedy, choosing the most suitable one both in terms of cost and effect; dozens of different drugs are on sale.

Before you buy a syrup, you should carefully study the instructions, where contraindications are prescribed. Drugs have different effects:

To get rid of an obsessive cough, doctors usually prescribe dry mixtures: they need to be diluted with water in the right proportion and taken orally. The advantages include: natural composition, a wide range of effects, convenient dosage.

Remedies for allergic cough

It is best to remove the cause of the allergy first. For example, dust, animal hair, the use of certain washing powders. If this does not help get rid of the cough, you should buy a suitable drug in the pharmacy to suppress such a reaction. It is very important to get advice from a doctor, you do not need to self-medicate.

Other drugs

If the child has pneumonia, inflammation, laryngitis, the doctor may prescribe cough powders. The most famous can be called the ACC remedy, when taken, the effect will be visible already on the second day.

Methods of treatment according to Dr. Komarovsky

Dr. Komarovsky is a famous doctor who is popular for his non-standard, but very effective ways treatment.

In his opinion, in the fight against dry cough, it is necessary to influence the cough center. Here drugs with codeine will come to the rescue, but it is strictly not recommended to take them without a doctor's prescription.

There are also more gentle means that are as safe as possible for the child. The most effective include:

• Mukaltin;
• drops Bromhexine;
• Ambroxol.

The scheme and the period of their admission should be prescribed only by a doctor.

You should also take preventive measures that will help the child recover faster. For example, according to Komarovsky, humid indoor air is one of the important conditions for recovery, since the composition of the air directly affects the amount of sputum excreted. But the dry air in the apartment, on the contrary, leads to increased coughing.

Hence the conclusion: constantly ventilate the room, or rather, buy special humidifiers for the air. In addition, the temperature in the room should not be more than +20 degrees.

Another important recommendation is the absence of dust in the apartment, because the more it is, the higher the risk of drying out the mucus. That is why it is so important to regularly carry out wet cleaning, and without the use of household chemicals, as it can, on the contrary, provoke a cough.

Do not neglect other tips from Dr. Komarovsky:

1. Drink plenty of fluids - water, herbal teas, healthy drinks. Moreover, the water temperature should be the same as body temperature, this leads to a rapid liquefaction of sputum. To understand whether a child drinks enough liquid, you just need to follow how he goes to the toilet - if the baby visits the toilet every 3-3.5 hours, then there is enough liquid.
2. It is also recommended to keep your feet warm. If the temperature is low, you can make mustard baths, wear warm socks - you can even add a teaspoon of mustard to them. In the same period, it will be useful to make mustard plasters.

To alleviate the condition of the child, you need to take walks - so says Komarovsky. But only if there is no high temperature. Folk remedies will also help:

• a glass of milk and honey before bed;
• raspberry tea;
• cranberry warm drink.

Mashed bananas also help relieve symptoms: mash one fruit, add a small amount of warm water to make the puree thinner, and give it to the child. You can prepare decoctions or teas based on viburnum, since it contains a large amount of vitamin C.

In the absence of temperature, you can do light warming massages, apply compresses on the back and chest.

Now you know why a dry cough may appear, how to treat it properly, and what advice the famous doctor Komarovsky gives. By following the tips given here, you can quickly cure your child.

The appearance of a cough in a child worries not only the baby himself, but also his parents. They immediately begin to search for means of how to alleviate the condition of their child, rid him of an unpleasant symptom. Some prefer to be treated folk remedies, someone with medicines from the pharmacy. In this case, it is worth listening to what the popular doctor Komarovsky thinks about a cough in a child.

Cough as a symptom of a concomitant disease

Do not forget that a prolonged cough is only a symptom of a disease. For example, ARVI or ARI. Therefore, first of all, you need to cure the cause and simultaneously remove the symptoms. In addition, coughing begins when the immune system is actively working. This is a kind defensive reaction organism and in many cases it is not required to suppress it.

Yevgeny Komarovsky believes that a cough in a child without fever does not need to be eliminated. On the contrary, its effectiveness should be improved. To do this, it is necessary to influence the quantity and quality of sputum by frequent heavy drinking and the appearance of moist cool air.

Relief of symptoms

The treatment of cough should be approached comprehensively. In addition to eliminating the cause itself, coughing should be achieved, which will significantly alleviate the condition of the child as a whole. This becomes especially relevant when the cough does not go away for a long time and is accompanied by high fever.

Humidification of the air in the room

A dry cough brings a child much more discomfort than a wet one. That is why, before starting treatment, it is necessary to provide the baby with cool and slightly moist air. In addition, it must be clean. This is due to the fact that the child's need for breathing with purified air increases many times.

When such conditions are created, the body stops wasting energy on self-cleansing and heating the air. The activity of immunity will increase markedly, and the disease will immediately begin to recede.

Frequent and severe coughing increases the load on the respiratory tract. It is for this reason that it is worth limiting the baby's access to irritant factors. Dr. Komarovsky, speaking about coughing in children, advises to adhere to the following at home:

• prevent your child from coming into contact with various foreign odors and substances. For example, try not to use an air freshener in the room where the baby is lying, wash the floors with a product that has a strong smell, etc.;
• limit your child's exposure to tobacco smoke if there are smokers in the family;
• reduce the amount of things that can accumulate dust. This includes toys, books, various items interior;
• periodically carry out wet cleaning in the room. Vacuuming with a child is not worth it again for the previously indicated reason. You can take him to another room for a while;
• keep constant humidity. For this purpose, you can use a special humidifier, but in case of its absence, wet sheets or containers with ordinary water will do;
• keep the temperature in the room within 18-20 degrees.

The most important thing is to follow the indicated recommendations at night. When the child sleeps, the mucous membranes dry up due to being in a lying position, provoking a long cough. If you follow the advice of the school of Dr. Komarovsky, then this will be an excellent prevention for the baby of night and lingering cough during illness.

Providing the child with plenty of fluids

Everyone knows that to prevent dehydration during illness, you should saturate the body with plenty of fluids. Treatment according to Komarovsky involves the constant intake by the child of a liquid heated to approximately body temperature. This is due to the fact that such a drink will be quickly absorbed in the stomach and enter the blood, diluting it.

The list of allowed drinks includes:

• dried fruits compote;
• green or black weak tea. You can add some sugar and fruits or berries;
• juices;
• fruit drinks;
• compote from fresh berries and fruits, to which the child is not allergic;
• ordinary water without gases and any flavoring additives;
• Regidron.

The latter option is most preferable, but if the temperature is not more than 38 degrees, then you can limit yourself to what the child asks for. In addition to these drinks, you can give your baby watermelon, which, as you know, is a natural source of a large amount of moisture.

Babies need extra water. Mother's milk is not able to fully compensate for the lack of fluid. For such children, a rehydration solution, children's teas and plain water without gases and flavors are suitable.

In addition, you should actively water the baby if a one-year-old child has, in addition to coughing, the following list of symptoms:

• dry skin and mucous membranes;
• heat;
• dyspnea;
• strong dry cough;
• infrequent urination, in which the urine takes on an unnatural dark color.

How to treat a cough in a child

Purpose medicines- this is the prerogative of doctors, according to Komarovsky. In particular, he is against the independent choice of drugs by parents. The exception is whooping cough, in which the cough can last several months, oncological processes in the respiratory tract and pleurisy.

In children as young as 2 years of age, negative effects on the respiratory system begin as a result of the use of cough medicines. Therefore, taking medication must be agreed with the pediatrician after examining the child.

Preparations for expectoration

There are 2 groups of drugs that can facilitate expectoration of sputum: these are mucolytics and resorptive-reflex drugs. The principle of their operation is similar to each other. The first group dilutes sputum, and the second acts on the nerve endings of the bronchi, stimulating the release of mucus accumulated in them.

According to Dr. Komarovsky, resorptive and reflex drugs are safer for children, and mucolytics can not even be used if the child has a mild ARVI and residual wet cough. Otherwise, the drug can even harm, and the treatment will become unproductive.

The use of folk remedies

The famous pediatrician also offers the treatment of cough in children with folk remedies. Different methods will be used to treat dry and wet cough after SARS. So, for example, with a dry and incessant type, compresses are best suited. Treatment is based on increasing blood flow to the site where they are applied. They can also reduce pain and inflammation.

Please note that compresses cannot be used if there are scratches, cuts and other bleeding wounds on the skin.

So, for the treatment of dry cough in a child, you can use compresses with potatoes. To do this, you will need to do the following:

1. Boil a couple of potatoes.
2. Grind them into a puree.
3. Add half a glass of vodka and mix thoroughly.
4. While the potatoes are still warm, shape them into a flat cake.
5. Then wrap in cloth and lay the child on his back, in the area between the shoulder blades.
6. Dress your baby and wrap him in a blanket.
7. After 40 minutes, the compress can be removed. The procedure can be carried out no more than 2-3 times per day.

If you want to carry out the treatment as quickly as possible, then oil compresses are suitable for this purpose:

1. Heat a small amount of vegetable oil in a water bath.
2. Soak a towel in it.
3. Place it on top of your child's back.
4. Cover with parchment paper or a plastic bag, then wrap with a warm handkerchief.
5. The kid should spend at least 2-3 hours with a compress. During this time, the bronchi will warm up enough, and the cough will recede for a short time.

When a strong barking cough appears, rinses can be used. This is done several times a day, one hour before or one hour after meals. Solutions can relieve inflammation, relieve pain, and sufficiently moisten the airways, eliminating a dry cough. You can use the following recipes:

• a glass of warm water is mixed with ½ teaspoon of soda;
• a decoction is made from calendula, eucalyptus and sage. To do this, you need to take a couple of glasses of water and a teaspoon of each of the listed plants;
• a couple of teaspoons of pharmaceutical chamomile is mixed with a glass of boiling water and infused for 10-15 minutes.

Keep in mind that effective remedy must be selected individually, taking into account the characteristics of the child's body. It is strongly recommended to consult a pediatrician before treatment.

Use of mustard plasters

Among cough medicines there is a method familiar to many since childhood. In addition to improving blood flow, mustard plasters help warm up the bronchi. The use of mustard plasters is acceptable for children from 3 months. You can make them yourself, or you can buy ready-made mustard plasters in a pharmacy.

So, to carry out wrapping, you need to do the following:

1. Mix ½ tablespoon of mustard powder and half a liter of boiling water.
2. Stir the mixture thoroughly and let it cool to a warm state so as not to burn the baby's skin.
3. Soak a towel in the liquid, wring it out and place it on the child's back for a few minutes. The duration will depend on the age of the baby: for babies - 2 minutes; if it is already 3 years old, then the duration increases to 5 minutes; older than 7 years - up to 15 minutes.
4. Remove the towel and wash the remaining mustard from the skin.

Please note that this method is not used if there are various wounds, abrasions, acne and other abnormalities on the skin.

If the cough persists for 5 days or more, be sure to consult a doctor for qualified medical assistance and do not get carried away with self-medication.

Preventive measures

It is much easier to prevent the onset of a disease than to get rid of the consequences caused by it. Try to pay more attention to your child. Especially during the onset of cold weather. Children's immunity is more vulnerable than an adult's, and it needs constant support.

To prevent coughing due to various diseases respiratory system, stimulate immune system baby: give vitamins, make sure that the child leads active image life and most importantly - add as many vegetables and fruits as possible to your daily diet. As everyone knows, they are natural sources useful substances for the body, the lack of which is very acutely felt during the off-season.

A cough in a child worries not only the baby, but also his parents, who seek to help their son or daughter in every way. Some are starting to use folk recipes on the advice of relatives, others go to the pharmacy for syrup, and someone makes inhalations. Let's figure out whose actions are correct in the opinion of a specialist, and how the popular pediatrician Komarovsky advises to treat a cough.

Symptomatic treatment

First of all, when a child of any age coughs, Komarovsky focuses the attention of parents on the fact that it's just a symptom of some disease affecting the respiratory tract. In addition, this symptom is protective, so in most cases it is not worth suppressing.

The main cause of cough in childhood a popular doctor calls ARVI. And therefore, in the vast majority of cases of coughing in a child, the elimination of its cause, according to Komarovsky, is impossible. But it is not necessary to leave the child without help, therefore, a well-known pediatrician advises symptomatic treatment.

Wherein he calls the main principle of such cough treatment not eliminating the symptom itself, but increasing the effectiveness of coughing. This can be achieved by influencing the quantity and quality of sputum with the help of:

1. Humid and cool air.
2. Plentiful drink.

See more about this in the program of Dr. Komarovsky.

Humidify and purify the air

Komarovsky calls providing a child with moist and cool air one of the most important tasks of parents. it reduce the load on the respiratory tract of the baby, and also prevent the mucous membranes from drying out.

If you optimize the conditions in which the child is located, his body will not spend efforts on air processing (heating, cleaning and moisturizing), but will focus on developing antiviral immunity.

In addition to temperature and humidity, a popular doctor draws attention to the need for clean air in the room where the coughing child is. Komarovsky notes that children's need for clean air when coughing increases several times. This is primarily due to nasal congestion in acute respiratory infections and reduced activity of the epithelium in the respiratory tract. When dust enters the respiratory tract, it leads to impaired ventilation and additional education sputum.

Komarovsky advises:

• Reduce the number of possible dust collectors in the room, for example, hide books behind glass, put toys in boxes, take out carpets.
• Avoid contact of the child with foreign odors and substances, for example, do not use deodorants and perfumes indoors, do not wash the floor with chlorine, do not spray insects.
• Avoid exposure to tobacco smoke.
• Carry out frequent wet cleaning. A well-known pediatrician does not advise vacuuming in a room with a sick child, and if the vacuum cleaner is used for cleaning, the child should be sent to another room while cleaning the room.
• Maintain the room temperature at +18 degrees.
• Maintain indoor humidity at 60-70%. Best Choice there will be a humidifier, but if there is no such device in the family, Komarovsky recommends using water containers and wet sheets.

It is especially important to maintain optimal temperatures and humidity at night. This will prevent night coughing caused by overdrying of the mucous membranes and staying in a lying position, as well as coughing after sleep.

Letting your child drink more

According to Komarovsky, drinking plenty of water for a child with a cough is indispensable. It will support and restore the properties of sputum by affecting blood rheology, that is, drinking will first make the blood more liquid, which will increase blood circulation in the mucous membranes of the respiratory system and improve their ability to form normal mucus. In addition, the body of the child spends a lot of fluid with increased temperature and rapid breathing, which also necessitates frequent drinking.

In order for the drunk liquid to be absorbed faster, Komarovsky advises to give any drink heated to about body temperature.. In this case, the liquid will be immediately absorbed in the stomach and enter the bloodstream.

As for the drinks themselves, the child can be given:

• Solutions for rehydration.
• Weak tea, can be with sugar and safe fruit.
• Dried fruits compote.
• Infusion of raisins (infuse a tablespoon of raisins, poured with 200 ml of water for 30-40 minutes).
• Compote of berries and fruits that the child tried before the illness.
• Morse or juice.
• Non-carbonated mineral water with a neutral taste.
• Watermelon.

The best choice drinking Komarovsky calls rehydration solutions, however, with a body temperature of up to + 38 ° C, sufficient air humidification and no breathing problems, you can be guided by the desires of the child.

For babies with a cough, a popular doctor advises to give to drink in addition to breastfeeding, since human milk does not cover the pathological waste of liquid. AT early age the baby can be given a solution for rehydration, children's tea, mineral water without gas and a decoction of raisins.

You need to drink your baby more actively if:

• The air in the room is dry and warm.
• The child's body temperature is high.
• Urination is rare, and the urine itself is darker than usual.
• There is severe shortness of breath and dry cough.
• The skin and mucous membranes are dry.

With a slight deterioration in the condition, low temperature, as well as access to cool and humid air, Komarovsky calls the child's thirst the main criterion for the frequency of drinking. At the same time, you need to offer a drink very often and at every opportunity. Support drinking regime It is also important in cases where the child has a prolonged and residual cough.

Medical treatment

Komarovsky calls the appointment of any medicines for children with a cough the prerogative of the doctor. This is especially true for coughs in infants.

Cough preparations

Since coughing is a necessary protective reflex, in most cases such drugs are not needed. Komarovsky calls their appointment justified with whooping cough, when the child is tormented by coughing to vomiting. Also, drugs that depress the cough reflex are needed for pleurisy, an oncological process in the respiratory tract, and for an irritating cough caused by factors that affect the nerve endings.

Komarovsky is categorically against the independent prescription of antitussive drugs by parents to their children. He reminds that Some drugs in this group are narcotic and can cause addiction. In addition, many antitussives can also depress the respiratory center, which is especially dangerous in children under 2 years of age. So it is possible to use these drugs in children older than 2 years only if indicated and after being prescribed by a pediatrician.

Expectorants

The main purpose of the use of such drugs, a popular pediatrician calls the cleansing of the respiratory tract from sputum. It is very dangerous, according to Komarovsky, to combine such drugs with antitussives, because in such cases the sputum accumulated in the lungs will not be coughed up.

A well-known doctor divides all expectorants according to their mode of action into resorptive (they are absorbed in the stomach and excreted in the bronchi, affecting mucus) and reflex (they activate the nerve endings in the stomach and affect the muscles of the bronchi and mucus production).

Cough in children appears when the children's body is exposed to any infectious agents. Cough is not considered an independent disease, it is only a sign that there is some more serious illness. That is why, it is not the cough itself that should be treated, but the disease that provokes it. Naturally, than to engage in incomprehensible self-treatment, it is better to contact your attending pediatrician.

Where does cough come from

With the help of a cough, the lungs are cleared of mucus that has accumulated there for some time. Mucus is necessary for the body in order to fight various bacteria and viruses in the lungs. The body is able to cleanse itself of the mucus in the lungs, which has already fulfilled its functions, resorting to coughing. But if the child has signs of a dry cough, this will not only not bring any benefit, but will also cause serious harm to the child. A strong cough with its constant attacks causes terrible inconvenience, does not allow you to sleep and eat normally, is terribly exhausting.

The most common cause is colds caused by viruses. First, the child notices an increase in body temperature, then there is pain and sore throat, a runny nose, and then a dry cough follows. With the flu, a cough also appears, and the temperature rises sharply, body aches and severe malaise appear. Causes of cough can be all sorts of bacterial infections, such as whooping cough, which are transmitted from person to person through the air. There is a possibility that the child has an allergy. In this case, no colds are observed - the temperature is normal, there is no runny nose and nasal congestion, the throat does not hurt.

One way or another, you need to know what exactly is the causative agent of cough in a child. Do not forget about airing the room where the sick child lies, fresh air is extremely necessary for him, as well as warm drink. But syrups and cough tablets without a doctor's prescription are strictly prohibited.

E.O. Komarovsky insists that pharmaceutical assistance should be used in the rarest cases. Initially, the necessary conditions should be created for the active fight against the disease. It is advisable to dress the child warmly, regularly moisten and ventilate the room. Sick children, as a rule, suffer from a complete lack of appetite. Komarovsky believes that it is impossible to force, insist, force a child to eat. But he must drink a lot. Suitable warm fruit drinks, compotes, teas. Nose needs to be flushed saline solution. The doctor considers jars, mustard plasters and other home appliances to be distracting procedures that are rather useless for the child's body. He must learn to deal with the disease himself. The doctor takes 5-7 days for this. According to Komarovsky, a doctor should be consulted in the following cases:

• when the child's well-being first improves, and then there is a sharp deterioration;
• when the child begins to experience severe pain;
• when the coughing fits are very strong, while the body temperature is high;
• when puffiness, convulsions, rashes on the skin appear.

Prevention measures, of course, should be observed, but not a single child is immune from coughing. Dr. Komarovsky once again draws the attention of parents - before running to the pharmacy, give the child the opportunity to cope with the disease himself. However, there are completely safe remedies, such as mukaltin, lazolvan, bromhexine, etc. They must be present in the home first aid kit, but only the pediatrician prescribes the dosage.

Often parents make mistakes thinking that a child's cough is a problem that can be easily dealt with on your own. They just go to the pharmacy and buy cough mixture, unaware of the harm it can do to the baby.

“For an hour I was in a room with a working TV. Within an hour, I saw 8 advertisements for drugs that, according to the manufacturer, should be swallowed immediately when a cough appears. Nerves can't stand listening to this scam! People, attention!, - says Dr. Komarovsky.

How to treat a severe cough

When a child has a runny nose, cough and fever is a disease of the upper respiratory tract. Why increase the amount of mucus in the lungs when the baby just has a runny nose or a sore throat?

2. Expectorants are sometimes needed for certain diseases of the lower respiratory tract: bronchitis, pneumonia. These funds must be plant origin! But all diseases should be treated by doctors, not people who have seen enough of TV.

3. Children's cough is much weaker than that of adults. After taking expectorants, children are often unable to cough up the increased amount of sputum. It is not surprising that in many countries mucolytics are not recommended for children under 5 years of age, and prescribing them to children under 2 years of age is generally a crime.
4.How to treat dry cough? Carrot juice is perfect, always freshly squeezed, in a one-to-one ratio with milk. Give this mixture 4-5 times a day. Also brew tea from viburnum berries.

5. Remember that an effective effect on sputum even with the most modern drugs is impossible without observing two mandatory conditions: clean cool air (+18 ... +20 ° C) in the room where the child is, and a sufficient amount of warm liquid to drink.

Watch the humidity in the child's room! It should be 40-70%. After all, a stuffy room is the easiest way to organize complications. And if, in addition to this, the nose is stuffed up and the body temperature is elevated, the chances of turning a banal cold into a monthly treatment for pneumonia are maximum.

6. It should be noted that self-medication with antitussive drugs can be very dangerous. Cough, as you know, is not just an unpleasant symptom. This is one of the most important ways the body achieves lung cleansing.

Cough suppression can lead to accumulation of sputum in the lungs, which in turn can most likely lead to bronchitis or pneumonia, impaired ventilation of the lungs, and other troubles. Also, the abuse of antitussive drugs leads to a deterioration in the functioning of the liver and kidneys.

7. The use of antitussives for wet cough treatment contraindicated. As mentioned above, cough suppression will only aggravate the disease, since these drugs contribute to sputum settlement.
Banal truth, but where to go from it: do not self-medicate! It is not a cough that needs to be treated, but a specific disease, one of the symptoms of which is cough.