It’s so easy to catch a cold in the cold season. A sick person wants to get rid of an unpleasant sore throat, runny nose and cough as soon as possible. A proven and high-speed method has long been recognized inhalation. But not always at home there is a special device for this procedure, and the cost does not always allow you to add the inhaler to the list of unexpected purchases. And the choice of the right device will take a lot of time.
Home inhalation can also be made safe.
Home inhalation can also be made safe.
As a way out of the situation, you can make an inhaler with your own hands. A properly assembled inhaler from improvised means will be an excellent replacement for a nebulizer, albeit for a short time.
But before you start manufacturing a homemade inhaler, you should find out how an electrical device works.
Inhaler device
So, an inhaler is a medical device designed for inhalation procedures. The device operates as follows: the drug solution is poured into a special flask, under the influence of a special mechanism, the substance is sprayed into tiny particles, forming a fog, which the patient breathes through the attached tube with a mask.
Modern doctors increasingly prescribe inhalations for respiratory diseases, both inflammatory and chronic. Plus, the use of special inhalers in their safety and the possibility of a clear dosage of drugs.
The respiratory system is a complex system that requires gentle treatment.
Since ancient times, inhalations have been used in order to improve the functioning of the respiratory system. But they were conducted a little differently, people breathed over boiling water with herbs brewed in it. This method has reached Soviet times, but it is quite dangerous, especially with regard to young children. Firstly, you can burn the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract with hot steam, and secondly, one awkward movement and hot water can be on a person, which leads to very sad consequences.
Indications for inhalation
Modern doctors quite often recommend inhalation therapy, especially to young children, as this is the most effective and safe way. Safety mainly consists in the fact that, unlike conventional medications, an inhaled solution does not cross the path through the whole body, where it loses part of its healing properties.
Most often, inhaler treatment is prescribed for the following diseases:
- Asthma.
- Colds, rhinitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis. Both in their acute form and in chronic.
- Pneumonia at an early stage, with the recommendation of a doctor.
- Acute and chronic bronchitis.
- Diseases of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract.
- Complications after surgery.
- Tuberculosis.
With a sore throat, inhalation will be an excellent tool.
Is it possible to make an inhaler with your own hands?
Inhalations can treat diseases from a common cold, to more serious ones. Inhalation can be of the following types:
- Wet
- Steam.
These methods differ in steam temperature. For very young children it is better to use the first method, and older children will do steam inhalation. There are several ways to assemble an inhaler from improvised materials yourself. The main thing is that the design is airtight.The lid of a can or bottle should fit snugly and let off steam only from a specially made hole. Also, with inhalation at home, the dosage should be carefully observed so as not to be mistaken. Observe safety rules and do not use boiling water to avoid burns to the mucosa.
How to assemble an inhaler at home
There are three most common ways to make an inhaler yourself:
From a plastic bottle
For this you will need: a clean plastic bottle, a thermos, where hot water will be poured, scissors and 2 caps.
Blank for inhaler from a bottle.
To the question of how to make an inhaler from a bottle at home, a fairly simple instruction will answer. So, first of all, you need to cut off a third of the bottle, drawing the markup and cutting off the extra edges, you get a pretty decent mask. You need to cut it so that it covers the nose and mouth. If the inhaler is done for a child, the mask must be cut out to a smaller size. Next, you need to make valves. The first will be for exhalation, the other for inspiration. To prepare the first you need to do the following:
- The first step is to remove the gasket from the inside of the cover.
- To do this, carefully cut it along the inside, and leave a small tail, not more than 3 millimeters.
- Then a hole of 3 millimeters is cut in one lid, and a hole of half a centimeter is needed in another.
- The gasket with the hole must be carefully placed on the bottom of the cover and screwed into the thread.
- The resulting valve is designed to inhale the solution.
For the second valve, you will have to make an additional hole in the neck of the bottle. Next, the hole is closed with a piece of electrical tape. The last step in creating such an inhaler - a hot medicinal solution is poured into a thermos. One valve is attached to a thermos, and through the second person should breathe.
From a glass jar
For such an inhaler you will need a knife and scissors, a plastic lid for cans, a rubber hose of a narrow diameter, about fifteen centimeters long, and a plastic bottle.
In the center of the lid, a hole is cut in diameter with the neck of the bottle, another hole of 1 cm is made from the edge. A tube will be attached there. The bottom of the bottle is cut off, better with a wavy line. The last step remains - the assembly of the device. To do this, the neck of the bottle is screwed into the opening of the lid for the can, the tube is attached to the other. The resulting design is installed on the bank.
An inhaler made with a can.
Before use, make sure that the inhaler is tight. To check this, you need to cover the tube with your hand and blow it into the bottle. If the air does not go, then everything is done correctly. If the device is passing air somewhere, it must be sealed with electrical tape, plasticine or any other suitable method. Everything, the device is ready for use. For inhalation, you need to pour heated water into the pan, put an improvised inhaler into it, pour the drug solution through the bottle and put it on fire until steam begins to form, which needs to be breathed.
Kettle inhaler
Perhaps the easiest and fastest way to make a home inhaler. To do this, you need a teapot, and an A4 paper sheet.
Everything is simple here: the medicinal solution is poured into a teapot, cover. The sheet is folded with a funnel and inserted into the spout. Put the kettle to warm up as soon as steam is formed - you can use the device for its intended purpose.
Contraindications to inhalation
Medical practice shows that inhalation therapy is a very effective and safe way to cure the organs of the respiratory system. However, for proper treatment, the proper use of an inhaler must be observed. It is worth remembering that:
- At a body temperature above 37 degrees, inhalation is contraindicated.
- Therapy can be carried out no earlier than an hour and a half after eating.
- After the procedure, you can not talk and smoke for an hour.
- It is also worth refraining from street walks for a couple of hours after the session.
- Inhalation should take no more than ten minutes.
At elevated temperatures, inhalation is unacceptable.
Medicinal solutions
Not only an inhaler can be made from improvised means. It turns out that you can mix yourself quite an effective medicinal solution from what is in the kitchen or in a home medicine cabinet. Most importantly, such mixtures do not require a lot of time and money, and are also absolutely harmless, and can only bring benefits to a person.
Inhalation solutions that can be prepared at home:
- Soda based solution. The easiest and most affordable way to improve the condition of the respiratory organs. For cooking, it is enough to dissolve one tablespoon of soda in a liter of boiling water. The resulting medicine helps to soften the mucosa and quickly get rid of sputum.
Soda inhalation perfectly softens and soothes the airways.
- Brine. The same principle as with soda. Such inhalation has an anti-inflammatory effect.
- Many prefer a solution in mineral water. Before use it is necessary to release gas. It is necessary to use medicinal water, which is sold in pharmacies, for example, Borjomi or Narzan.
- Essential oils. A drop of oil is enough per liter of water. They allow you to get rid of a runny nose and cough.
- Also, do not trust herbal decoctions. Herbal treatment was practiced thousands of years ago. Chamomile, sage, thyme are excellent anti-inflammatory natural medicines. However, children are not recommended to carry out such inhalations, as there is a risk of an allergic reaction.
Open jars with pleasantly smelling oils will be an excellent prevention of colds.
Home inhalation can help get rid of cough, runny nose and other colds. For example, to treat inflamed glands, you can breathe steam with garlic juice. For the prevention of colds, an extract or a decoction of eucalyptus or coniferous plants is perfect. You can also use menthol, a great replacement will be a couple of tablets of validol.
Essential oils are a great way to fight colds.
For the prevention of colds, it is useful to keep open bottles in the house with coniferous or eucalyptus oil. For greater effectiveness, you can mix these oils.
