In the autumn-winter period, many of us are faced with colds and high fever. Supporters folk methods Therapies know that vodka used correctly at a temperature helps a speedy recovery. Only they don't drink it, but use it for rubbing.
Rubbing the patient with vodka has been practiced since ancient times. This is how our great-grandfathers were treated, they did not have antibiotics and other drugs, so they got along with improvised means. Usually, the heat is brought down after 1-2 rubbing sessions.
Note: an increased body temperature indicates that the body is fighting the disease, so if the thermometer shows below 38 degrees, you cannot bring it down, so you will only harm.
Correct rubbing with vodka
1. First, prepare a rubbing solution. Vodka is diluted with water in a ratio of one to one. You can also add one part vinegar, then the proportion will be 1: 1: 1.
2. The patient undresses and lies on his back.
3. A soft napkin is dipped into the solution and lightly wiped off the body.
Attention! It is necessary to wipe it off, and not intensively rub the solution inside. You should also avoid areas of skin near the heart and groin.
The wiping procedure begins with the hands, and then gradually moves to the armpits and chest, then lower to the stomach and legs. Then the patient is turned over onto his stomach and his back, buttocks and legs are wiped.
5. The patient goes back to bed, and a compress with cool water is put on his forehead. The water is changed periodically to keep the compress constantly cold.
Body temperature control is carried out every half hour. If the temperature does not drop, then rubbing with vodka can be repeated again. This method is equally effective for both children and adults. They can be used to treat babies from the age of three.
Is it possible to drink vodka at a temperature
On early stages diseases, when there is still no high fever, it is worth trying treatment. But this remedy is effective only if the patient does not take antibiotics or other medications, and only in the first days of the illness. There is a separate material on the compatibility of alcohol and antibiotics, I advise you to familiarize yourself with it.
In all other cases, with a cold and high temperature, doctors advise to stop drinking vodka, as this prevents the body from coping with the disease.
Attention! Self-medication can be harmful to your health. Consult a physician before use. The site administration and the author of the article are not responsible for the consequences.
General information about high temperature
An increase in body temperature occurs in both adults and children. Along with this, the general condition of a person worsens. Fever, skin redness and fever are observed. When strong rise temperature condition can worsen significantly. Added to the above symptoms:
- loss of appetite;
- rare urination;
- dizziness;
- clouding of consciousness.
High temperature is a dangerous condition that must be properly addressed. The patient is recommended to rest and sleep more, since movement takes away strength, thereby reducing the protective functions of the body.
A good method of relieving the condition at a temperature is rubbing with vodka. Detailed information will be presented below.
During the illness, a person should be in a comfortable environment. It is advisable to wear cotton underwear - it allows the skin to breathe and absorbs sweat well. In case of illness, a person loses fluid intensively, its deficiency must be replenished. For this, the patient is given water and the mouth is rinsed. A person must drink even by force.
Rubdown can significantly alleviate the patient's condition. This procedure is one of the most important - it can be used in combination with other medical measures. Relying on the benefits of alcohol wiping alone is impractical.
When you need to bring down the temperature
In many cases, the temperature is not hazardous. This is a normal reaction of the body to the penetration of pathogenic microorganisms into it. Thus, the immune system tries to suppress the virus on its own.
It is not always advisable to bring down the temperature. It is necessary to seek help from a doctor in some cases, in particular:
- when the temperature rises to 38 degrees in a child under 3 months old;
- if there are signs that indicate difficulty breathing;
- with pain in the neck and body aches;
- when a rash and bruises appear on the skin;
- when a child cries heavily, especially if it lasts more than one hour.
Rubbing with vodka at the temperature of a person with one of the above symptoms can be dangerous to his health - especially if a child is sick. At high temperatures, rubbing with water will not help either.
The feasibility of using alcohol for the treatment of children
Is rubbing alcohol safe, and is it worth using this technique for treating children? It must be remembered that eliminating the fever in this way is unacceptable. Using vodka from a child's temperature can aggravate the situation. The skin of children is delicate, so any liquid that gets on their surface quickly penetrates the body.
Alcohol absorbed through the skin can cause serious alcohol poisoning. A high probability of a negative effect on the body remains in newborns.
At a child's temperature, rubbing with vodka is a dangerous and ineffective method of treatment. An increase in the indicator is recorded when pathogenic microorganisms enter. The temperature rises when the immune system actively fights against viruses. The internal thermostat changes the reading in an attempt to eliminate germs.
At a temperature in children, rubbing with vodka will only refresh the skin. It is therefore impossible to reduce its level. In some cases, there is a significant improvement in the condition, however, this is a temporary phenomenon. Gradually, the indicator will increase again, and without taking antipyretic drugs, it will not be possible to normalize it.
Harm and benefits of the procedure
Many experts disagree about this procedure. Some recommend using rubdown, while others oppose this effect on the body.
Before using the technique, it is necessary to study all its principles. During evaporation, alcohol actively affects heat transfer, as a result of which it is fixed. At a temperature in an adult, rubbing with vodka can provoke vasospasm. Heat transfer is significantly reduced, leading to an increase in the indicator in all organs.
On the other hand, this technique has been proven over the years. Many grandmothers actively use rubdown and believe in its miraculous effect. There certainly is. However, the relief is temporary, followed by a second wave of temperature rise. In the case of a child's body, everything can end in poisoning.
An alternative procedure for a child's temperature is rubbing with water. It is enough just to soak a towel in warm liquid and rub the skin. The procedure is actively used before the age of 7, after which you can try vodka. It should be noted again that the method is highly questionable.
When the temperature rises, the body actively loses fluid. Therefore, it is enough for the child to drink plenty of drinks, in particular fruit drinks, juices and warm tea.
Rosehip decoction is considered an effective drink. Drinking plenty of fluids replenishes the fluid deficit and strengthens the protective functions of the immune system.
How to carry out the procedure
Rubbing with vodka at a temperature in a child and an adult is extremely rare in compliance with the basic proportions. The first step is to prepare a solution for the procedure.
Alcohol is diluted with water in a 1: 1 ratio. A little vinegar is added to enhance the effect.
The patient must be undressed and laid on his back. A piece of cloth or gauze is moistened in the resulting solution. Then rubdown is performed with light movements. It is forbidden to rub alcohol into the skin intensively! During the procedure, you should not touch the groin area and heart. Rubdown begins in the upper extremities, goes into the chest, abdomen and legs. Then the person must be turned over and the manipulation continued on the back.
After wiping, you can blow a hair dryer on the human body. It is advisable to stay under the influence of warm air for 1-2 minutes. Then the person returns to bed. To enhance the effect on the forehead, apply a compress of cool water.
It is periodically replaced with a new one. It is recommended to control body temperature every half hour. If the indicator does not drop, the rubdown is repeated again.
As mentioned above, the method is dangerous for the child's body. Therefore, wiping with water is a good alternative.
Self-medication is not appropriate in all cases. If the situation aggravates and an additional clinical picture appears, it is necessary to visit a medical institution. In particular, if the disease is observed in a small child.
Cool rubdowns in case of heat and fever have been practiced since ancient times, when people did not know antipyretic drugs. They are practiced today, despite the fact that Dr. Komarovsky has long been voiced on television, citing such an authoritative source as the World Health Organization, why this should not be done. It is especially dangerous to rub sick children with solutions of vodka or vinegar; it is not recommended to do this with adults.
However, many people still practice this method of reducing fever and claim that it gives excellent results unlike antipyretic drugs.
Indications for
An increase in body temperature above 38.5 ° C, caused by various reasons.
The procedures are carried out in classical cases, when the patient has a fever, his body is hot to the touch, his cheeks are ruddy (red hyperthermia).
Training
The room should be warm, but not hot (20-22 ° C). For the procedure, you will need a soft napkin, a small towel or a rag made of natural (linen, cotton) fabric. First, a solution for wiping is prepared, it should be pleasantly warm for the patient, its temperature should not be much lower than body temperature, since the heat subsides when the solution evaporates from the body surface, and not from the action of cold liquid.
Then the patient undresses or he is undressed, and he lies on his back. It is worth considering that the bed linen will get wet during the procedure, so you need to spread an oilcloth, put a large towel or sheet on top of it, which can be removed after wiping.
Technique for rubbing at temperature
The rules for wiping at a temperature are not very complicated. The fabric is dipped into a container with a prepared warm solution (you can squeeze it slightly) and wipe the patient's body. The procedure is performed with light movements, avoiding pressure and intensive rubbing of the solution. First, wipe the palms and feet, armpits and popliteal cavities, i.e. places of localization of large vessels. For young children, this is enough. For school-age children and adults, you can wipe the entire body. First - hands, from hands to shoulders, chestbypassing the area of \u200b\u200bskin located above the heart. Then they wipe the stomach, bypassing the groin area, go down to the legs, wiping them from top to bottom. The patient turns over on his stomach and wipes the surface of his back, gluteal zone and legs.
Rubbing with vinegar at a temperature
Apple cider vinegar is preferable for rubbing at temperature, according to rubdown apologists. It does not have such an aggressive effect as usual, moreover, being absorbed through the surface of the skin, it has a calming effect on the nervous system.
Only diluted vinegar is used for rubdowns. When making a solution for rubbing a child, it is required to observe the following proportions - one tablespoon of 9% vinegar, both apple cider and ordinary, is diluted in 1/2 liter of warm (≈37 ° C) water. During the procedure, you need to ensure that the solution does not cool down.
Rubbing with vinegar and water at a temperature in adolescents and adults is done with a solution in a 1: 1 ratio.
At the end of the procedure, the patient is covered with a light sheet and a napkin dipped in an already cooled wiping solution is placed on the forehead. It must be changed periodically as it warms up.
Rubdown with vodka at a temperature
Even supporters of this method do not recommend such rubdowns for children under the age of three; in other sources, age restrictions extend to seven years.
It is recommended to dilute vodka for rubdowns with water, observing equal proportions, and the same composition is used for any age category.
Rubdowns are carried out according to the usual method, then for one and a half minutes they blow warm air over the patient's body with a hair dryer (the air temperature switch is set to the middle position).
For greater effect, you can prepare a solution of three components by mixing vodka, vinegar and water in equal proportions.
After the procedure, the patient is put to bed, covered without fanaticism. On his forehead they put a napkin dipped in cool water, which is periodically refreshed.
Rubdown with water at a temperature
Rubbing with water at a temperature is recognized even by opponents of procedures using vinegar and vodka, since water is not toxic and, if it does not help, then it will not harm. Modern research has proven that vodka and vinegar do not have any antipyretic benefits over plain water, but they can have side effects.
Rubdown cold water at temperatures are unacceptable, as it will cause chills, and the body will try to warm itself up by further increasing the temperature. Hot isn't good either. The water temperature should not differ much from the body temperature (lower by no more than 2-3 °).
Wiping with a wet towel at a temperature is most acceptable. Soak a towel in warm water, squeeze it lightly and wipe the body with it. This procedure can be repeated at intervals of 30 minutes many times.
The modern pediatrics allows rubbing the child at temperature only with water. Acetic rubdown at a temperature in an adult is also not welcomed by modern medicine, as well as alcohol-containing agents, however, the choice is up to the patient.
Rubdowns during pregnancy are naturally best done with water. The technique is the same, but it is not recommended to wipe the stomach. And it is better to limit yourself to palms, feet, axillary and popliteal areas.
Traditional medicine does not deny the possibility of wiping a pregnant woman with vinegar or vodka, but from a modern point of view, this should not be done. A pregnant woman does not need the risks associated with the effects of toxic substances, which they are.
Children, pregnant women and adults can be wiped at a temperature with special wet wipes, which are sold in pharmacies.
Contraindications for conducting
There are age restrictions for rubdowns with vodka and vinegar, and since these methods are not used by official medicine, there are discrepancies at this point. Acetic rubdowns are not used to lower the temperature in babies up to six months, in other sources, like vodka ones - up to three years of age, some sources indicate the lower limit for vodka rubdowns - seven years.
Rubbing with vinegar is not indicated for adults and children with respiratory manifestations of the disease or chronic pathologies of the respiratory system. Vapors can worsen the patient's condition.
Contraindication is intolerance to vinegar or alcohol, as well as the presence of damage and irritation of the skin.
Rubdowns with warm water have practically no contraindications, however, if a patient with a high temperature is pale, his limbs are cold to the touch (the so-called white hyperthermia), then any rubdowns are contraindicated for him and, in addition to antipyretic drugs, antispasmodics are recommended.
I would like our children to be spared the disease on holidays, but, unfortunately, this does not always work out. Also, during the New Year holidays, it can be difficult to get medical assistance... Therefore, just in case, we remind parents of the rules for handling a high temperature in a child. When should it be reduced and what means should be preferred for this?
Fever: Good or Bad?
When a child's body temperature rises, loving relatives, as a rule, try to lower it as soon as possible. Is it correct? With an increase in body temperature, an increase in the activity of the body's protective properties occurs, blood flow increases, and tissue repair processes are accelerated. By lowering your body temperature, you will simultaneously suppress the overall response to infection. In addition, it should be borne in mind that an increase in body temperature above 37 ° C creates unfavorable conditions for the reproduction of viruses and bacteria. Thus, an increase in body temperature (up to 38.5 ° C) helps the body fight infection, and it is inappropriate to reduce this body temperature.
However, in certain situations, an increase in body temperature can have undesirable consequences. So, if your child has previously had seizures, then with an increase in body temperature, they may recur. If your child has severe heart disease (such as a congenital heart disease), lung disease, or kidney disease, the extra stress associated with high body temperature can cause these organs to deteriorate rapidly. Parents of each child with any particular condition should discuss with the doctor in advance what to do if the child's body temperature rises.
Another thing is when a child's body temperature rises above 39 ° C, that is, it develops hyperthermia... This is accompanied by unfavorable disorders of the body's vital functions. Protein denaturation occurs, the activity of many enzyme systems is disrupted, changes occur in the blood coagulation system, blood flow is disturbed, the immune system suffers, severe disorders of the central nervous system develop, and the activity of internal organs is grossly disrupted. Of course, these changes are not adaptive. In such cases, the body temperature should be actively reduced.
When to bring down the temperature?
The degree of increase in body temperature does not always correspond to the severity of the disease. So, with acute respiratory viral infection body temperature can rise to 40 ° C, but the child is doing well. And with pneumonia, especially in a weakened child, the body temperature may not exceed 38 ° C. With any increase in body temperature in a child, you should call a doctor, since tactics for elevated temperature the body can be different. However, if the child's body temperature exceeds 38.5 ° C, in any case, you should try to lower it even before the doctor arrives.
If the child has a fever, parents, trying to help, often put the child to bed, turn on the heater and cover him with a pile of blankets, thereby making it difficult to transfer heat. In such a situation, on the contrary, it is necessary to create conditions for improving heat loss. To this end, it is necessary to normalize the room temperature (ventilate) and give the child plenty of water. Decoctions of some plants have antipyretic properties: lingonberry, cornflower, cranberry, linden, raspberry, chamomile, string, mother-and-stepmother. This will improve the child's sweating. If necessary, quickly reduce high temperature child's body apply physical cooling methods.
Physical methods of lowering the temperature: how to do it right
To do this, at a room temperature of 20-21 ° C, you can undress a child and leave it open for 10-15 minutes, or even better - while directing a warm stream of air from the fan to it. You can put a napkin moistened with cool water on the hot forehead of your child and change it as it warms up.
More intense exposure is rubdown... The arms, legs and torso of the child are wiped with warm (30-31 ° C) water and left open or covered with a thin diaper or sheet. Rubbing the skin improves blood flow, and when moisture evaporates, the body temperature decreases by 1-1.5 ° C, to a level that is safe for the child's body.
Traditionally, as a possible option for cooling, it was previously widely used (and some are still used) vodka-vinegar rubdownwhen a mixture was used to rub the child (1 tablespoon of vodka, 1 tablespoon of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of water). To keep the mixture warm, it was diluted in a preheated plate. Vodka and vinegar quickly evaporate from the baby's body, which leads to a decrease in body temperature.
The negative side of this method is the appearance of a sharp, irritating odor, poorly tolerated by children and capable of causing spasm. respiratory tract... In addition, the components of the mixture can be absorbed through the skin and intensify intoxication. Comparative studies carried out at one time showed that the effectiveness of water rubdowns is not at all lower than that of vodka-vinegar, but water rubdowns are devoid of negative effects and can be repeated many times. Therefore, at present, preference is given to warm water wipes. The decrease in body temperature after an air bath or rubbing off the child is short-lived, but after 1-1.5 hours the procedure can be repeated.
But I would like to emphasize that the use of the listed physical methods of cooling a child is possible provided that the child has a fever: his forehead, arms and legs are hot to the touch. You can undress it in a warm room, blow it with warm air, and wipe it with warm water. Otherwise, exposure to the surface of the child's body with cold will cause contraction of superficial blood vessels and extremely difficult heat transfer. At the same time, the child's skin turns pale, acquires a marble shade, becomes covered with "goose bumps", the child's hands and feet become cold, and chills appear.
A similar variant of an increase in body temperature can also develop with severe diseases: flu, pneumonia. In such cases, the decrease in body temperature should begin with warming the child in order to eliminate the spasm of the skin vessels. Without this, it is impossible to increase heat transfer. The child is placed in a warm bed, a heating pad is applied to the legs. And only after the baby's skin warms up, turns pink and the chills stop, you can start cooling procedures.
How to take antipyretics correctly
Medicinal cooling methods usually combined with physical. Depending on the nature of the disease, different means are used to lower body temperature: anti-inflammatory, sedative, vasodilator drugs... The choice of adequate treatment is made by the doctor, but you will not harm the child if you give an antipyretic agent before the doctor's examination. The choice of such funds is quite large, but paracetamol is considered the drug of the first choice.
Compared with other drugs of the same group (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), paracetamol has rather pronounced antipyretic and analgesic properties, but the least side effects (stomach irritation, bleeding). The antipyretic effect of paracetamol appears fairly quickly (after 30 minutes) and lasts for 3-4 hours. A decrease in body temperature is usually accompanied by profuse sweating, weakness, and often the child falls asleep. An alternative antipyretic agent is ibuprofen. Its antipyretic effect appears later - after 1-1.5 hours, but it also lasts longer - up to 6-8 hours. Doses of drugs and the frequency of their administration are usually given on the packaging.
In children, the use of aspirin is undesirable because of its possible damaging effect on the liver and blood.
Good to know some antipyretic therapy rules:
- antipyretics are not prescribed as planned, just in case, but are given to children only when the child's body temperature has already increased excessively;
- during a period of high fever, it is necessary to measure the child's body temperature after 3 hours;
- antipyretics are not prescribed on an empty stomach, it is necessary for the child to eat something or first drink an antacid drug (for example, maalox);
- if, after taking the medicine, the child's body temperature has risen again earlier than the repeated administration of the medicine is possible, an antipyretic drug of the same group (nurofen, etc.) should not be given. This will dramatically increase the likelihood of drug complications;
- in order to reduce high body temperature in the intervals between doses medicines, use physical methods of cooling.
If the temperature is very high
In a special way, the body temperature should be reduced in case of hyperthermia. An increase in body temperature above 39-40 ° C is an inadequate response of the body to infection, associated with overexcitation of the center of thermoregulation of the brain. And you should fight hyperthermia using not only antipyretics, but also drugs that reduce the excitability of this center. Therefore, in cases when the child is flushed, hot to the touch (hyperthermia "red type"), along with cooling procedures and paracetamol, he is given sedatives.
In some cases, hyperthermia proceeds with chills, pale skin, cold hands and feet - "white type" hyperthermia. In situations where hyperthermia has the above signs of spasm of superficial vessels, along with an antipyretic agent, drugs are prescribed to relieve spasms (for example, no-shpu). Naturally, in such cases, cooling procedures should not be carried out until the chill stops and the skin becomes warm.