When to breathe over potatoes and how to do it correctly

M.D., pediatrician, nutritionist, integrative medicine specialist

How does the grandmother’s method of “breathe over a potato” work? Who can not do such inhalations?

Those who happened to be born in the times of the USSR or a little later, probably remember such a procedure as inhalation with hot steam over potatoes. Potatoes in the jacket were boiled, next to the pot sat the child and covered him with a warm blanket with his head. It was necessary to breathe as deeply as possible. Inhalations were done for acute respiratory infections, bronchitis and even sore throat.

In addition, if we are talking about bacterial diseases, many bacteria do not like moisture, and viruses do not survive in an alkaline environment. Therefore, inhalations with the addition of soda are effective in viral diseases of the upper respiratory tract. However, it is better to consult a doctor beforehand.

How to breathe correctly over potatoes?

It is important that the steam is not scalding. It is necessary to cool down the potatoes a little. The temperature for children should be within 30-40 degrees, and for adults – about 40-50 degrees.

Whether to use a potato masher or just a pot of hot water is your choice. The mechanics are the same, potatoes retain heat longer and give more steam, especially if you mash them. But in the water you can add useful ingredients – baking soda, therapeutic essential oils.

Of course, it is better to use special safe inhalers (designs with a bulb for water and a spout to remove steam) or nebulizers. But an adult who carefully performs the procedure, you can breathe and over a pot.

And what are the alternatives?

“Grandma’s” recipes, as a rule, always work, after all, not for nothing they have been used for a long time. Of course, medicine is far “stepped”, but do not forget about methods that do not contradict physiology.

Warming the nose works well: boiled eggs or a bag of warm salt should be wrapped in an extra layer of cloth and held on the bridge of the nose (watch the temperature so that there is no burn). Warming the throat, lymph nodes, ears – categorically not recommended. But the nose and bridge of the nose – yes, but it is effective and does not cause harm only if the runny nose is viral, bacterial character, or a cold. In patients with maxillary sinusitis, sinusitis, rhinitis, with purulent discharge, heating will only aggravate the situation. Therefore, it is important to first consult with a doctor.

Inhalation with hot steam is contraindicated with high fever, as well as with tracheitis, bronchitis, laryngitis, sore throat, frontitis, maxillary sinusitis, as it can only aggravate inflammation. People with high blood pressure and vascular diseases, carrying out inhalations is also not recommended.

For inhalations it is worth using a nebulizer, which is not only safe, but also more effective.