Common cold is indeed a very common illness among persons of all age groups. Runny nose or stuffy nose, sneezing, headache are the complaints of a patient with common cold. One of the common ways to assist in managing common cold is steam inhalation. But what does steam actually do?
Effects of steam inhalation according to different studies are discussed as follows:
- Steam inhalation in support of pharmacological treatment reduces symptoms of sneezing, runny nose, headache, facial pain.
- Inhalation of hot and humid air increases the nasal mucosal temperature, inhibiting chemical secretion from mast cells.
- After inhalation of steam, the histamine level in nasal mucus of patients decreased significantly leading to decreased nasal obstruction and vascular leakage.
- Steam decreases osmolarity of mucus, leading to easy removal of sticky nasal mucous and phlegm.
- It reduces mucus secretion from various nasal glands.
- Nasal Muco-ciliary clearance ( propulsion of mucus by cilia to expel irritants) may be reduced in acute upper respiratory infections. Steam inhalation improves this nasal muco-ciliary clearance.
Conclusions:
To sum it up, steam inhalation in support of pharmacological treatment can help reduce symptoms of common cold by-
- Reducing secretion
- Decreasing obstruction
- Removing the sticky mucus or phlegm
Addition of herbs like tulsi, lemongrass, ginger can further improve the symptoms but is recommended only after proper consultation.
Feel free to share some proven tips on managing common cold.
MBH/PS