In Russia, the bath was considered a cure for all ailments. The good owners had a strong bathhouse, and the brooms were dried for the future. And how without it? After all, doctors were consulted in the most extreme cases. However, today the question "is it possible to bathe in a bath with a cold" is not answered so clearly. Doctors advise to be careful and first of all assess your condition before going to the steam room. Although to challenge the claim that the bath is of great benefit, no one is taken.
Why does a modern person need a bath?
Well, okay, before the choice was small: either swim in the river, or went to the bathhouse. But why do modern people need a bath when they have a comfortable bathroom at home? Let's speculate. What can be done in the bathroom? Sit in the lush fragrant foam, listen to relaxing music, perform the necessary hygiene procedures. This is actually all. And what can be done in the bath? Chat with friends, enjoy the natural aromas of wood and brooms. It’s good to steam your body and remove harmful substances from the body through the pores. And besides, relax, improve blood circulation, increase immunity, heal joints, drink a tonic gull, get a boost of energy. Can there be anything harmful in such a wonderful pastime? So, maybe a bath with a cold is what you need? To understand this issue, try to listen to both sides.
Supporters Opinion
Those who believe that during a cold a bath is the first choice, always give the following arguments:
- A visit to the bath enhances blood circulation, which means that the blood quickly copes with self-cleaning of pathogenic bacteria and viruses. This is because in a steam room, with a gradual increase in steam temperature, the body temperature rises and the number of leukocytes increases.
- Plant volatile and hot steam contribute to the purification of the nasopharynx from pathological microorganisms. This means that a bath with a cold can alleviate the condition of the patient.
- Inhaling wet steam in a steam room acts like an inhalation, cleansing the lungs and bronchi.
- High humidity and hot steam help calm the cough.
- Bath broom - at the same time a shock dose of volatile, the best massager for hot skin and an excellent tool to remove aches in joints during illness.
And if you take into account that after a steam room in the bathhouse it is customary to drink fragrant herbal tea, then we can say that the body receives a full range of medical and supportive procedures in order to refresh faster and overcome a cold.
Opinion of opponents
Doctors who are not sure that you can bathe in a bath with a cold also give quite reasonable arguments in defense of their opinion:
- A cold is accompanied by a general malaise and fever. In some, the temperature rises slightly, but in the steam room it will gradually increase by at least 2 ° C. The patient may not even notice a rise to 37 ° C, but its growth to 39 ° C may lead to resuscitation.
- 2-3 days after the onset of the common cold, the body is dominated by bacteria and viruses. Warm, warm air can accelerate their reproduction.
- A bath with a cold is contraindicated in those whose disease is accompanied by a headache. Heat and overheating will aggravate the situation and may cause a faint.
- A cold in itself increases the load on the heart, and the bath makes this load prohibitive. A harmless steam room can end in a heart attack.
- Colds in many are accompanied by herpes on the lips or body. Overheating of the body in this case will complicate the course of herpes and can cause the spread of this disease.
All these arguments are quite reasonable. Therefore, answering the question: “Bath with a cold - is it good or bad?”, You need to proceed from your condition. At the initial stage of the disease, with the first minor manifestations, the bathhouse will help, in the acute stage - it is more likely to harm.
How to cure a runny nose in a bath
Almost all colds begin with a runny nose. This symptom can be successfully cured in the steam room. Take a bottle of essential oils with you. It can be a pharmacy inhalation product or just an essential oil of eucalyptus, lavender fir or menthol. A small amount of these funds must be added to the water, which will pour out on the hot stones.
A good remedy for the common cold is tincture of chamomile, ledum and thyme. A concentrated decoction of these herbs is splashed onto hot stones and inhaled by the nose. Thus, the effect of inhalation is achieved.
How to cure a cough in a bath
A bath with a cold with a cough can also be quite useful. In this case, essential oils and herbal decoctions are also used, but in addition it is necessary to use a special broom massage.
It is best to seek the help of a professional bath attendant, in extreme cases, ask friends for help. Treat with a broom needs the chest and back. Brooms are best taken with wide leaves. The best option for treating cough is a birch or oak broom. Eucalyptus or juniper can be hung under the ceiling in the steam room to saturate the air and steam with volatile products.
When coughing in a steam room, in addition to inhalation and exposure to a broom, juice from black turnip with honey can be taken. You need to do this right in the steam room.
Coming out of the steam room, be sure to drink a few cups of tea. Naturally, these should be infusions of herbs, in which it is desirable to use mint, chamomile, and thyme. If desired, you can brew another composition, if the patient is allergic to the proposed components. Tea from fennel seeds, coltsfoot leaves and linden blossom has a very good effect on the body.
You can go to the bathhouse with a cold only if you are 100% sure that such a procedure will benefit and not harm. In addition to colds, there are a number of diseases in which going to the sauna is strictly contraindicated, and this must be taken into account.
How else can a bathhouse help with a cold
In addition to the steam room, brooms and inhalations, rubbing can be done in the bath. This procedure is very useful for the first symptoms of the disease. Rub the body after visiting the steam room, when it is as warmed up as possible. For grinding use honey mixed with sea salt. Rubbing with a terry towel soaked in saline is considered effective. Manipulations are carried out until severe redness of the skin.
How to choose and prepare a broom
True steam room lovers harvest bath brooms themselves. For them, it's like a magic ritual. To collect material for brooms, choose trees away from roads and large settlements. Be sure to pay attention to the location of the tree. It should grow on a hill. In addition, the age of the plant is important. It should be young and strong enough.
Cutting branches is only on dry sunny days. But brooms can be dried only in the shade. Sunlight will deprive them of their beneficial properties.
What diagnoses are definitely not allowed in the bathhouse
If we ignore the question of whether it is possible to go to the bathhouse for colds, we should learn the following information: for some diseases, you cannot go to the bathhouse at all! This list includes:
- heart failure;
- ischemia;
- angina pectoris;
- heart attack;
- hypertension (stage 3);
- thrombophlebitis;
- atherosclerosis;
- neoplasms in any organs;
- tendency to bleeding;
- tuberculosis.
Can I go to the bath with a cold? The question is almost rhetorical. Even after reading about the positive and negative effects, people often remain unconvinced. But it is much more important to remember that diseases are better prevented than treated. Go to the bathhouse regularly, throughout the year, and a cold will not be able to prevail over you.