A runny nose in children can be caused by a variety of reasons - from physiological rhinitis in newborns to a viral disease or an allergic reaction to something. Regardless of the cause of the common cold, a child needs adult help. In addition to the use of drops, salt rinses, which mothers often practice, massage takes its place in the treatment of rhinitis. How to properly massage the procedure for nasal congestion, this article will tell.
Features:
Massage for children with rhinitis must be done, however, in compliance with the technique of the procedure and certain safety measures. This massage belongs to the category of the most difficult types of manipulations - point manipulations. Moreover, it is not only an acupressure, but also a complex massage, which includes different types of impact.
Among all types of acupressure, it is the effect of rhinitis that is the simplest and easiest to learn. Massage can be done for a child of any age - for babies, preschoolers and teenagers. It allows you to regulate the production of nasal mucus, helps to restore breathing, improve local blood circulation. At an early stage of the disease, it helps the child to breathe better, at the final stage it helps to drain sputum and final recovery.
Massage of the nose and other strategically important points should be done only when the child does not have a high fever. In hot weather, massage can be harmful, causing increased circulation and increased fever.
Therefore, parents should make decisions about such supportive care in a sound and balanced way.
Technique
There are many points on the human body, touching which leads to the stimulation of certain nerve endings, which trigger processes that are not visible to the eye. Massage zones, the pressure on which relieves a cold, are located:
- between the eyebrows;
- in the area of the wings of the nose and slightly above.
In addition, there are other acupuncture areas that are considered interconnected with the nose. They are:
- in the middle of each auricle;
- in the outer corners of the eyes;
- in the crown of the head;
- above the first cervical vertebra;
- on the hands in the space between the thumbs and forefingers;
- on the wrists from the inside;
- in the popliteal space;
- in the central part of the heels.
You need to start massage only when the child is awake. Mom should have warm and clean hands. If your hands are dry, you can use a drop of massage oil to make it easier to slide around the points.
The peculiarity of acupressure is that the massage therapist should try to get as accurately as possible into a certain small biologically active point. Therefore, before starting, it is advisable to carefully read the layout of the above important massage points.
Do not massage the eyebrows and temples. Movements should not be too forceful, since excessive impact on massage biological points is quite painful.
An adult (mom, dad or other relative) should not touch the points with his thumb, as some think, but with his index or middle finger. If the points are symmetrical, they are massaged simultaneously and, if possible, synchronously with both hands. Only two points are asymmetrical - above the first cervical vertebra and between the eyebrows. They are massaged with one hand.
You should start from the tip and wings of the nose, making circular movements with your fingertips (10-12 "circles" clockwise, and then the same amount counterclockwise). From the wings of the nose, they gradually move to the glabellar space, to the crown, auricles, descend below (from the first vertebra to the wrists and hands), and from there to the popliteal points and feet. This is the recommended sequence. Chaotic effects on biological points with nasal congestion may not have a pronounced effect.
The duration of the session is no more than five minutes. During the day, you can repeat the massage no more than 5 times.
Who is it contraindicated for?
As mentioned above, point exposure with rhinitis is excluded at elevated body temperature. In addition, you should not perform acupressure if, in addition to a cold, the child has:
- vomiting;
- high blood pressure;
- inflammation in the lymph nodes (the nodes are enlarged, and the surface of the skin above them is reddened and hot to the touch);
- the presence of hepatitis, HIV-positive status in a child;
- diagnosed and confirmed psychiatric illness;
- tumors and neoplasms;
- osteomyelitis;
- skin diseases and injuries in the area of point exposure.
If the child is already 12 years old, acupressure for rhinitis can be done in the absence of contraindications, even without prior consultation with a doctor. For children younger - you must first get the consent of the pediatrician.
Tips & Tricks
It is important to know the following guidelines.
- Sometimes doctors recommend performing acupressure massage of acupuncture points with nasal congestion at the same time using the Golden Star balm or the Nozzle patch-applicator. Essential oils make breathing easier.
- The last session of the day should be done just before bed. This will help your baby sleep better all night.
- If the child is worried during the procedure, it is better to interrupt the massage and return to it at a later time, when the child's mood is more appropriate.
- Carry out a massage in a playful way, tell the baby rhymes or fairy tales, sing a song. Then he will be more complacent about massage manipulations.
- If the child is big enough to understand what they want from him, try to combine acupressure with a cold with breathing exercises. While massaging the point, breathing should be short and shallow; during the break between the points, you should take deep and measured breaths, if possible with your nose.
The most difficult is considered an allergic rhinitis, in which massage will be ineffective if the parents do not eliminate contact with the allergen. With this form of rhinitis, it is also undesirable to use essential oils and products based on them.
Reviews
Judging by the numerous reviews of parents, massage of acupuncture points with rhinitis helps quite effectively, especially if it is used in combination with other doctor's prescriptions.
Often, mothers claim that massaging important points for 2-3 days led not only to the restoration of nasal breathing, but also to the disappearance of night snoring, which often affects children with upper respiratory tract diseases.
Parents who regularly give such a massage to their child speak of it as an excellent means of preventing a cold. Simple manipulations help to strengthen the immune system and protect the child from colds and viral diseases, even during periods of massive incidence of influenza and ARVI.
For information on how to make a massage for cough and runny nose for children and adults, see the next video.
