Supporters of traditional medicine often argue that the bath helps to treat many colds. This statement may seem reasonable, given the possibility of warming the respiratory tract with moist air, inhalation with eucalyptus and pine oils in the steam room. However, the bathhouse for pneumonia is fraught with a number of dangers that should be taken into account.
When is acceptable
Inflammation of the lungs is a serious infectious disease; when choosing a method of treatment, you should listen to the doctor’s recommendations. This applies to recipes and procedures used in alternative medicine.
Explaining the benefits of the bath for pneumonia, folk healers point to several of its main healing properties:
- hot and humid air allows you to get rid of phlegm;
- the heat in the steam room improves blood flow, increases perspiration and enlarges the pores;
- toxins are actively eliminated, and the body’s defenses are more effectively used.
In addition, the use of brooms from various tree species increases the positive effect of the bath on the human body. Thus, needles contribute to the destruction of pathogenic microflora and air disinfection. Birch is considered an effective sputum thinning agent. Linden is used to stimulate perspiration.
To enhance the healing effect of the bath, it is good to use herbal decoctions and essential oils. They should be poured in diluted form onto heat sources in the steam room. The concentration of the substance is a drop per liter of liquid. This will ensure the effect of inhalation, which allows you to destroy the pathogens of the disease.
However, all these properties of the bath procedure will be useless if the causative agent of the infection remains in the body and continues to actively multiply. In order to exclude the negative effects of water procedures, it is allowed to go to the bathhouse or sauna if the temperature did not rise above normal in the last 7-10 days. This means that the acute course of the disease is gradually replaced by recovery. However, the permit applies to those who regularly steamed before pneumonia. If there was no such practice, it is worth refraining from the bath until complete recovery.
Possible limitations
If the doctor has allowed a visit to the bath during the out-of-hospital period, extreme stress should be avoided. During the recovery period, restrictions affect dousing with cold water and a contrast shower. A sharp change in temperature leads to a narrowing of the peripheral vessels expanded in the steam room, followed by an increase in the temperature inside them. During the recovery period, it is better to wash under a warm stream of water that is comfortable for the body in the shower.
There should be breaks between visits to the steam room. This time can be used to drink herbal tea or infusion. Breast collection, which has an expectorant effect, will be helpful. After the bath, you need to wipe the body dry, and also avoid drafts and hypothermia. On your return, it is worth spending the rest of the day in a calm, relaxing environment. The best option would be to go to bed.
In addition to visiting the bathhouse, during the recovery period, doctors may recommend soaring your feet at home. The therapeutic effect of the procedure is associated with the influence of reflexogenic zones located in the area of the foot and lower leg. Therefore, this action will help reduce swelling of the mucous membranes of the sinuses.
Such procedures are allowed to be carried out only in the absence of temperature. When treating a child, the water temperature should not exceed 40 degrees. For an adult, the maximum is determined by the limit of his ability. After the end of the procedure, you should go to bed and provide the body with warmth without the risk of cooling. Only in this case it makes sense to expect a therapeutic effect.
According to doctors, any water procedures are prohibited in case of an infectious disease, which is accompanied by a high temperature. During the first few days, it is allowed to maintain hygiene only by wiping the skin with damp cloths or sanitary napkins.
Swimming in a bath or shower is allowed only after you feel better. At the same time, do not forget to dry your body well, dry your hair and put on dry clothes. Water procedures will be more useful before going to bed, because if a person lies down in a warm bed immediately after a bath, the risk of overcooling or getting cold in a draft is significantly reduced. It will be allowed to go to the steam room only to strengthen the immune system after recovery.
In some cases, visiting the bath will remain prohibited, regardless of the course of pneumonia. This affects people suffering from:
- pathologies of the heart and blood vessels;
- from the consequences of a heart attack or stroke;
- oncology;
- skin disorders;
- chronic diseases in the acute stage;
- open tuberculosis;
- hypertension;
- epilepsy.
The children’s body also does not tolerate temperature loads in the steam room. Therefore, it is forbidden to go to the bathhouse with a sick child under three years old.
Complications
Taking a steam bath in case of pneumonia is prohibited, this activity does not accelerate recovery in the acute course of the inflammatory process. On the contrary, improper use of thermal procedures can easily provoke the development of complications.
It should be remembered that a temperature of up to 70 degrees and a humidity of 90% is a serious test for the body of a healthy person. These conditions pose a risk of heart disease, even for steam lovers. And the presence of an infectious disease in an acute form only increases the risk of getting a heart attack after visiting a bath.
Another negative factor is that when the body heats up, blood vessels expand and blood flow accelerates. This creates optimal conditions for the spread of pathogens throughout the body. And if a person felt bad even before visiting the bath, his condition may worsen. The ingress of microorganisms into the gastrointestinal tract can lead to the formation of ulcers, stomach bleeding and other diseases of the digestive tract. Infection of the liver, kidneys and other internal organs will lead to disruption of their functioning with corresponding consequences.
While the body is warming up, active heat transfer occurs. Therefore, a person in a bath can feel a temporary decrease in temperature. However, after the completion of the procedures, it is worth expecting that the symptom will return and be more pronounced.
The bath has a strong load on the body. And if a person is healthy, then such stress can serve to strengthen the immune system. But if the disease has weakened the defense systems, there is no point in expecting the same therapeutic effect. On the contrary, trying to push the body to its limits will lead to serious health problems.
A visit to the bathhouse with pneumonia is prohibited at the onset of the disease, especially in its acute form. In the convalescent stage, the bath can provide health benefits if all precautions are taken. Therefore, if you want to take a steam bath, you should assess the current state of health. An important factor here will be the presence of temperature, which is the main sign of increased activity of pathogenic microflora. Other contraindications are associated with concomitant chronic diseases. And one more criterion that determines the opportunity to take a steam bath will be the permission of the attending physician.