Биотоника — Школа биологической регуляции красоты и здоровья
12 MISTAKES IN TREATING COLDS IN SMALL CHILDREN

12 MISTAKES IN TREATING COLDS IN SMALL CHILDREN

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MISTAKE 1: SUCKING OUT SNOT

This action is very common not only for sick children; snot is removed even from healthy kids, who are not bothered by it at all. The nasal passages of infants are quite wide, and even if the child is sick with ARVI, their nose is rarely blocked in the usual adult sense.

Snot is constantly produced in the nose, but the nose is a tube with openings at both ends, so snot can drain into the throat, where it is swallowed and neutralized by the acidic contents of the stomach, or coughed up, or it can exit through the nostrils, and then it just needs to be wiped with a tissue.

Even newborns can sneeze and clear their noses. When the snot is liquid, parental help is not required. However, if the snot in the nose is thick and obstructs breathing, it is necessary to turn it into liquid. For this, any saline solutions can be used. The most budget-friendly options are saline solution and a Soviet-style dropper. Various "Aqua Maris" and "Otrivin" are essentially the same saline solution but packaged in a more convenient container for instillation and carrying, and these medications have no other obvious advantages. The more often you moisturize the nose of the sick child, the more comfortable they feel. Thinned snot will drain on its own. With forced suction, you may not relieve the child's condition but rather injure the mucosa and worsen the swelling.

If the nose is indeed blocked, you can instill vasoconstrictor drops suitable for the child's age, but you should instill them, not spray. You can instill 1 drop in each nostril, no more than 2-3 times a day; such drops should only be used when necessary, not for preventive purposes. Hormonal drops should not be used for cold-related runny noses. Antibiotic drops are ineffective for viral infections.

MISTAKE 2: BELIEVING IN MIRACLE MEDICATIONS

Even the smallest child can fight viruses and bacteria. If the child is breastfed, they benefit from the mother's immune system; if not, they cope on their own. Is there even one child in Russia who has not been prescribed miracle medications to boost immunity and ensure a quick recovery during ARVI? Unfortunately, all these medications are absolutely ineffective, and they can also cause allergic reactions. Neither Americans nor Europeans treat their children with Arbidol, Viferon, Cycloferon, and a number of similar placebo medications.

Children who are not given fuflomycins do not get sick more often and even have fewer complications. This happens because instead of substitute treatment, they receive adequate care and effective medications when truly necessary.

If a child is sick with ARVI, they primarily need rest, plenty of fluids, normal breathing, light nutrition, and antipyretic medications for high fever.

If influenza infection is confirmed and the illness is severe, the only medication with proven effects on the influenza virus and approved for children under 5 years old is Tamiflu, but it must be started within the first 48 hours of the illness; starting it later is pointless.

In other cases, no matter how much you want to help your child get back on their feet quickly, remember the saying: "ARVI lasts seven days if treated and a week if not treated."

MISTAKE 3: PRESCRIBING ANTIBIOTICS FOR PREVENTION OF COMPLICATIONS

Antibiotics do not act on viruses, which means they do not shorten the duration of the illness or prevent the development of complications. We have already written about this in detail here and here. If your child has pharyngitis or tonsillitis, the use of antibiotics should be prescribed by a doctor, and not arbitrarily, but after confirming the bacterial nature of the disease. Pediatricians often prescribe antibiotics for preventive purposes. There are several explanations for this situation: some yield to parents who are afraid of complications, others lack experience and authority and follow the advice of older, yet unqualified colleagues, often out of fear of making a mistake due to a lack of knowledge.

ARVI in children can last much longer than in adults, which is explained by the peculiarities of the child's immune system. Therefore, even if on the 3rd or 4th day you see that the symptoms of the illness are worsening, do not make a decision on the necessity of antibiotics on your own. It is possible that tomorrow the child will feel better, and you will think that it is the effect of antibiotics, rather than the natural course of the illness.

MISTAKE 4: EXCESSIVE FEEDING

Grandmothers' favorite pastime is to feed a sick child. Try not to allow them to do this. Remember your feelings during illness. Breast milk is the best food for a child under one year old during ARVI. If your child is already eating complementary foods, you can offer them a little during the illness, but do not insist—nothing terrible will happen if the child eats only breast milk for a few days. Most viruses affect not only the epithelium of the respiratory tract but also the epithelium of the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, the child should be fed easily digestible foods; just offer them food more often and do not worry if they refuse. The most important thing is to ensure the child stays hydrated. Suitable drinks in this situation are tea, fruit drinks, or compote, kefir, boiled water, or baby formula; you can also offer weakly salted meat broths. Juices should be postponed during the illness. Drinking helps to moisten the throat, reduce intoxication, improve sweating, and prevent dehydration.

MISTAKE 5: EXCESSIVE REDUCTION OF TEMPERATURE

Only antipyretics are truly effective for ARVI. In pediatric practice, paracetamol and ibuprofen are allowed. Paracetamol can be used from birth, and its effect lasts for 3-4 hours. Ibuprofen in suppositories is allowed from 3 months, intravenously from birth, and its effect is longer—6-8 hours. These medications reduce pain, decrease swelling, and lower body temperature.

It is important to remember that fever is one of the protective mechanisms in the fight against infection, and if the child is not lethargic and drinks enough, there is no need to lower the temperature below 38.5-39°C. In 2-5% of children aged 6 months to 5 years, an increase in temperature can lead to seizures. The occurrence of such seizures requires mandatory temperature reduction. In general, seizures are not dangerous, so there is no need to be overly frightened when they occur; it is important to ensure that the child does not get injured during seizures and receives enough water afterward. Such episodes do not increase the risk of epilepsy but require a doctor's examination to rule out other causes of seizures. In the future, do not allow the temperature to rise to high levels in children prone to febrile seizures.

The use of aspirin for viral infections is dangerous for children under 16 years old.

MISTAKE 6: EXPECTORANTS

In various countries in Europe and the USA, mucolytics are prohibited for children (up to 2 years in some places, up to 6 in others) during ARVI. At this age, children simply cannot effectively cough up phlegm, and these medications increase its volume. As a result, due to their physiological characteristics, children are simply unable to cough it up. We do not have such a prohibition in either the instructions for medications or recommendations. As a result, when taking mucolytics, phlegm stagnates in the airways, which provokes the development of complications that you were trying to avoid. Often, the prescription of such expectorants as Lasolvan, Ambroxol, and Bromhexine for ordinary bronchitis ends with pneumonia, and instead of clarifying the true causes, parents blame the pediatrician for the untimely prescription of antibiotics.

MISTAKE 7: INHALATIONS

Children with ARVI do not need inhalations with any medications. Steam inhalations are prohibited in pediatrics due to the risk of burns to the airways. Inhalations of any essential oils and herbal decoctions can provoke bronchospasm or laryngospasm or, by reaching the bronchial mucosa, make normal gas exchange in the lungs impossible. Such situations can end tragically even before the ambulance arrives; in other cases, hospitalization may be required.

Mucolytics in inhalation form have the same harmful effect as when taken orally.

The only type of inhalation allowed in pediatrics is breathing saline solution through a nebulizer; however, with normal humidity in the room, they are not very beneficial. At the same time, only sterile saline solution is allowed, and it is important to regularly disinfect the breathing mask.

MISTAKE 8: FALSE CROUP AND ANTI-ALLERGIC MEDICATIONS

False croup is a viral disease of the larynx and trachea, accompanied by swelling of the vocal cords and trachea. This swelling causes breathing difficulties, which are due to the anatomical features of children's airways. Mainly, attacks of suffocation during ARVI in children are related to insufficient humidity in the room or excessive medical initiative from parents—prescribing mucolytics or performing inhalations. It is not at all necessary that false croup will recur if it has occurred once. For children with recurrent obstructions, pediatricians prescribe preventive use of bronchodilators from the onset of ARVI.

If your child develops false croup during ARVI:

  • First of all, call an ambulance;

  • Before the doctor arrives, try to calm the child, as stress and excitement exacerbate the manifestations of croup and cough;

  • Turn on steam in the bathroom and stay with the child in a humid environment; for this purpose, you can use a nebulizer with saline solution. Inhaling moist air will ease the child's condition;

  • If there is a high fever, give the child an antipyretic;

  • Offer the child fluids; this process is calming, and additional liquid helps thin the phlegm and prevent dehydration.

MISTAKE 9: SPRAYS, GARGLES, AND THROAT TREATMENT

The only condition that may require the use of local antiseptics for the throat is streptococcal angina, but it has a specific clinical picture and is extremely rare in younger children. There is no evidence that such sprays are effective for ARVI; they are often needed only to calm parents. Therefore, we recommend using this method only if your child likes it. Do not force them under any circumstances.

The second method of treatment that calms parents is gargling. Small children cannot gargle; they choke on the liquid and swallow it. Therefore, soda-salt solutions and antiseptic solutions for gargling cannot be used. It is categorically forbidden to offer decoctions and diluted herbal tinctures—they can cause allergic reactions and provoke swelling.

Lozenges are not recommended for children under 5 years old, as little ones simply chew and swallow them. The effectiveness of lozenges in treating laryngitis during ARVI has not been proven, but subjectively, like gargling, they help moisten the mucous membranes of the larynx, temporarily reduce their swelling, and soothe throat pain, so they can be used in older children and adults.

Treating the tonsils with Lugol's solution is categorically prohibited at any age, as the high iodine content is dangerous for the child's thyroid gland; such treatment can stop the gland's function for several weeks, and with regular repetition, it contributes to the development of autoimmune thyroiditis and hypothyroidism.

Sprays, tablets, and gargles can easily be replaced with abundant drinking, which helps moisten the mucosa, soothe throat pain, and wash away mucus with a large number of viruses.

MISTAKE 10: REFUSING WALKS AND BATHING

Bundling up a child during illness is wrong. When the temperature drops, the child sweats, and they need to be undressed. At other times, they should be dressed comfortably. For a child with ARVI, cool, humid, clean air is better for breathing. Dry, hot, and dusty air dries out the mucous membranes, intensifies throat pain, and provokes nasal congestion and cough. Maintain the room temperature at no more than 22 degrees and ensure its constant humidity. To remove dust, carry out wet cleaning in a timely manner and ventilate the room.

If the weather is good and the child's condition is stable, outdoor walks are essential. Parents often worry that coughing increases after going outside. This is completely normal—mucus thins and is removed from the airways outdoors.

During periods of temperature normalization, it is very important to bathe the child. Coughing and runny nose are not contraindications for a bath or shower. Water will wash away sweat and cleanse the skin, while humid air will help thin the snot and phlegm and allow for clearing the airways.

MISTAKE 11: FOLK REMEDIES

There is no evidence of the effectiveness of folk methods. Mustard plasters, cans, radish juice, garlic, onions, and beets will only cause unnecessary suffering to your child. The only remedy with proven effects is honey; when taken before bedtime, it alleviates throat pain and nighttime cough. If your favorite folk remedy is harmless and your child likes it, you can use it in treatment, but do not place high hopes on it.

MISTAKE 12: DELAYED SEEKING MEDICAL HELP

It is important to notice the deterioration of the child's condition in a timely manner and call a doctor.

Call a doctor immediately if:

  • The intake of antipyretics in the correct doses does not lead to a decrease in temperature;

  • The child is nauseous, vomiting, or for other reasons refuses to drink;

  • Any difficulty in breathing has appeared—breathing with effort, with strange sounds, or shortness of breath. If the child breathes like they have just run while at rest—call an ambulance urgently;

  • The child is lethargic or has lost consciousness;

  • A rash has appeared on the child's body;

  • Show the child to a doctor even if their condition is stable, but you feel inexplicable anxiety. Sometimes parents see early signs of deterioration that a person unfamiliar with the child's characteristics may not yet notice.