Due to weak immunity, children catch colds faster and get sick longer. In order for the child to please you with good health, it is worth taking certain measures to prevent ARVI in children.
What people used to call a cold is called ARVI in medical language - an acute respiratory viral infection. Why respiratory? Because most often the inflammatory process affects the respiratory organs: the nasopharynx, trachea, bronchi, lungs.
SARS is accompanied by a low rise in temperature (maximum 38, 4), profuse nasal flow or congestion, inflammation of the tonsils, cough. If the temperature is higher than 38, 4, there is "aches" in the bones and severe chills - we can talk about the flu. In any case, you should call a doctor at home and follow medical recommendations. Frequent colds (more than 6 times a year) indicate weak immunity and require preventive measures.
Prevention of ARVI should begin with a complete examination of the child for the presence of chronic diseases. Chronic tonsillitis can often be the cause of reduced immunity. In order to avoid further colds, it is recommended to do the child once a year sanitation of the tonsils - irrigation of the throat with saline from a special syringe with a rounded nozzle.
After the sanitation, teach your child to properly observe oral hygiene and rinse his mouth at least 3 times a day after meals. After the treatment of chronic diseases of the nasopharynx, tempering should be started.
Having adopted the habit of wrapping up the child warmer from their grandmothers, parents forget that a bunch of clothes will not protect the child from ARVI, but, on the contrary, will weaken the immune system. The more unnecessary clothes on the child, the sooner the body begins to sweat and cools down faster in a cool room. Do not insulate the child too much, the body must breathe. Hardening is designed to improve thermoregulation of the body and strengthen children's immunity.
For hardening, purchase a needle mat (Lyapko or Kuznetsov's Ipplikator), a soft massage mat and small foot baths (2-3 pieces). Take your child for a walk every morning along the health road.
First, the child gets up for 2-3 minutes in a bath with hot water (39-40 degrees), then with cold (19-21 degrees), then carefully wipes his feet on a terry towel and walks on the massage mat. Finally, walk in place for 5 minutes on a needle mat.
Instead of water, you can use solids such as sand and ice. For a hot foot bath, the sand should be slightly heated. Hardening is impossible without morning exercises. If possible, charge outdoors in warm weather and in a pre-ventilated area in cold weather.
Hardening will be the most effective ARVI prevention measure if combined with proper nutrition. The child's diet should be enriched with all essential vitamins and minerals. Once a week, the diet should include fish meat rich in omega fatty acids (lamprey, halibut, mackerel, tuna, sardines). Vegetables and fruits every day.
Organize a mini phyto-bar at home, brewing healthy herbal decoctions for your child. As a prophylaxis of ARVI in folk medicine, decoctions of rose hips, linden flowers, thyme, burdock and chicory roots are used. Homemade cranberry and raspberry fruit drinks strengthen the immune system.
