4 things to keep in mind when steaming at home
Medicinal steam inhalation is a method of using medicinal steam to affect the treatment area for the purpose of treating the disease. This is a method that can be applied at home, but must be done correctly...
1. What is the effect of medicinal steam?
Medicinal steam baths cause thermal effects on the body, helping to increase sweat and waste secretion, dilate peripheral blood vessels, increase blood flow, and enhance metabolism.
Furthermore, steaming also helps improve respiratory function, reducing congestion.
This is an extremely effective health care measure, applied in many different diseases such as:coldAllergic rhinitis, sinusitis, urticaria, allergies, atopic dermatitis, dyshidrosis, acne...Musculoskeletal diseases, conjunctivitis, adnexitis...
2. In which cases should you not use medicinal steam?
The following cases should not use medicinal steam:
- People who have just drunk alcohol:In these cases, herbal steam can cause blood vessels to dilate excessively, leading to symptoms of fatigue, dizziness, lightheadedness, nausea... More seriously, it can lead to stroke or death on the spot if not detected and taken to the emergency room promptly.
- People with fever:Steam baths cause the body to lose more water, especially electrolytes and minerals, making the body even more tired.
- Hypertension patients:People with uncontrolled high blood pressure should not use herbal steam baths because blood vessels can suddenly dilate, causing serious complications.
- The elderly:The elderly, weak, pregnant women and emergency cases should not use steam baths.
3. Perform medicinal steam inhalation properly
Step 1:Put the medicine in the pot, add water to cover the medicine about 2cm, cover tightly. Boil the medicine for 5 to 10 minutes. Place the pot of water in the steaming position in the steaming chamber.
Step 2:The patient wears underwear, sits in front of the steam pot, and uses a large cloth or blanket to cover the entire body. Open the lid to let the steam slowly escape, within the body's tolerance. While deeply breathing in the steam, use a tool to stir the steam pot to let the steam rise.
Step 3:Sit and steam until you see sweat coming out of your head, face, neck, chest, and back, then stop steaming, about 15 - 20 minutes. Use a dry towel to dry your whole body and change into clean, dry clothes.
4. Some notes when using herbal steam bath
The heat from the steam can cause burns, so the steam temperature should only be 7-8 degrees Celsius higher than body temperature. Be careful not to let the steam get too close to your skin to avoid burns and do not steam for more than 30 minutes. Because when steaming, the body will lose water, so you need to drink warm water after steaming. Be careful not to drink cold water because it will cause an imbalance in the body's heat. Do not bathe immediately after steaming because the pores are open, if it is cold, you will easily catch a cold, making the illness worse. Do not steam many times or continuously because it will cause the body to lose water, making the illness worse and endangering your health.
Some commonly used steaming remedies:
- Steam medicine to treat colds:Bamboo leaves, lemongrass, grapefruit leaves, mugwort, mint, perilla, Vietnamese balm, and basil, each a large handful (note: put the bamboo leaves in to boil first, when the water is almost boiling, add lemongrass and finally the remaining leaves)
After steaming, you should eat porridge with onions and perilla leaves, adding a little salt, to increase the effectiveness of the cold relief.
- Steaming remedy to relieve back pain:
+ Prescription 1: 40-50g of betel leaves, 40-50g of mimosa, 20-30g of camphor leaves and 15g of cinnamon. Boil water for steaming.
+ Prescription 2: 40-50g each of Pogostemon caeruleus, Hy Thiem, Perilla, Mugwort, and Dipsacus root. Boil in water for steaming.
- Herbal medicine to treat hives:20g of Vietnamese balm, 20g of grapefruit leaves, 20g of lemon balm and 20g of Smilax glabra. Boil water for steaming.
