In childhood, colds and viral respiratory tract infections are the most common illnesses. Therefore, every mother is concerned about their treatment.
When a daughter or son has a runny nose, cough or other disturbing symptom, you always want to help the child with effective and safe means. These include various herbal preparations with anti-inflammatory, expectorant and bronchodilator effects.
Most often, children are given such funds in the form of a syrup, however, there are also medicines in the form of an ointment, for example, Dr. Mom Phyto. When is such a drug prescribed for babies? What symptoms can he relieve a sick child? How to apply this medication correctly and how can you replace it?
Release form
Dr. Mom, in the form of an ointment, is produced in synthetic polymer jars. Inside each can is 20 grams of a white translucent substance that smells of menthol and camphor.
Composition
The main active ingredients in Doctor Mom ointment are levomenthol and camphor. They are supplemented with active ingredients such as eucalyptus oil, nutmeg oil, thymol and turpentine oil. An auxiliary component of the drug is soft white paraffin. There are no other chemicals in the preparation.
Operating principle
Ointment Doctor Mom is classified as a herbal remedy with local irritating and distracting effects. The therapeutic effect is manifested both due to the absorption of the ointment, and when it is inhaled into the body, when the child inhales the particles of the medicine.
- Due to the presence of menthol in the preparation, the blood vessels of the treated skin are dilated and the nerve receptors are activated. This ingredient also has a pain relieving and mild cooling effect, distracting the child from the uncomfortable symptoms of the disease.
- Have camphor also has properties to influence the nerve endings and blood vessels of the skin, due to which such a component of the ointment helps to get rid of pain and chills.
- Thymol has antiseptic, antibacterial and antifungal effects. Such effects of this ingredient are valuable for viral lesions of the nasopharynx.
- The presence of turpentine oil in the preparation determines the warming effect of the ointment. Such a component quickly penetrates the skin and affects the painful area, activating metabolic processes and helping to get rid of toxins.
- Eucalyptus oil also warms, but also has a disinfecting and antibacterial effect. For such properties, it is often used in aromatherapy. It gives the ointment a pleasant smell, helps to eliminate swelling of the nasopharynx, headache and cough.
- Have nutmeg oil note the ability to reduce the activity of the inflammatory process. This is due to its effect on the production of prostaglandins.
It is also important to note that when applied to the skin, the drug does not enter the general bloodstream, but acts only locally, therefore its ingredients do not cause negative systemic effects.
Indications
Ointment is prescribed for ARVI as a symptomatic treatment of nasal congestion, cough or runny nose. Also, this medication is in demand for headaches, pain in the back or in the muscles.
From what age is it allowed to take?
Ointment Doctor Mom is not recommended to treat children under three years old. This age limit is noted in the annotation to the medicine. If the child is 3 years old, use the drug carefully to prevent an allergic reaction. For this, the first application should be on a limited area of the skin.
Contraindications
The ointment is not used if the small patient has an increased sensitivity to camphor or other components of the medicine. Treatment with such a remedy should also not be carried out with bronchial asthma.
Since it is permissible to apply the drug only on clean skin, contraindications to treatment with this form of Doctor Mom will be skin diseases and skin lesions, for example, bruises, cuts, dermatitis, eczema or burns.
Side effects
Since the composition of the medication includes natural substances, treatment with the ointment can cause allergies, for example, hives, itching at the site of application, redness of the treated skin area, excessive dryness or Quincke's edema. The result of drug vapors entering the child's respiratory tract after being applied to the chest for allergies may be lacrimation or bronchospasm. If, after lubricating the skin, such negative effects appear, the drug should be immediately washed off with water and not used again.
And here is what Dr. Komarovsky thinks about the treatment of bronchitis and pneumonia in children.
Instructions for use and dosage
Ointment Dr. Mom is used exclusively externally. The drug is applied to the skin, and then the lubricated area is rubbed with light movements and the treatment area is easily massaged.
- If the child has stuffy nose or rhinitis, the drug is advised to lubricate the wings of the nose.
- When sore throat or severe cough the drug should be applied to the chest, trying not to touch the heart area. Usually a thin layer of ointment is rubbed into the sternum area as well as the upper back. Then the child is advised to be put to bed and covered warmly.
- If the ointment is used with painful sensations in the back, then the back is treated with this agent and covered with a warm bandage.
- With bronchial damage lubrication of the feet area is also recommended
- For muscle pain the painful area is treated with the drug, and then it is wrapped.
- If the child is worried headache, the medicine can be applied in a small amount to the scalp in the temple area.
Pediatricians advise rubbing the child's skin with medicine no more than 3 times a day and no longer than 5 days in a row. Usually, two uses are prescribed, and sometimes one application per day is sufficient. If the symptoms of the disease persist after treatment, it is necessary to consult a specialist and choose another treatment.
The drug should not be applied to mucous membranes, therefore, care must be taken that the ointment does not get into the oral cavity, inside the nasal passages or on the conjunctiva. If this happens by accident, you must immediately rinse the mucous membrane with clean water in large quantities.
Overdose and drug interactions
The manufacturer does not mention cases of the negative effect of a large dose of the drug, as well as the incompatibility of the ointment with other drugs. If a child accidentally swallows this medicine, you should immediately show your baby to a doctor.
Terms of sale
Like other drugs under the brand name Dr. Mom, the ointment is sold as an over-the-counter product. The average price of one bottle in most pharmacies is 140 rubles.
Storage conditions and shelf life
The jar of ointment should be kept away from sunlight in a place where the drug will be inaccessible to small children. The optimal temperature conditions for storing this medicine are called the range from +15 to +25 degrees Celsius. The shelf life of this form is 3 years. If it has expired, and the ointment in the jar has not yet ended, it should be discarded. It is unacceptable to apply a drug that has expired on the child's skin.
Reviews
Moms respond to the use of Doctor Mom ointment in their children mostly positively. They confirm the effectiveness of such a medicine in the fight against colds and runny nose, especially if the treatment begins at the first symptoms. The main advantage of the drug is the presence in the composition of natural oils and medicinal plants.
Analogs
If for any reason it is impossible to use Doctor Mom in the form of an ointment to treat a child, you need to consult a pediatrician and choose a similar drug that has the same properties. This could be:
- Pulmex baby ointment. This remedy is advised to smear the upper back and chest of children with bronchitis, laryngitis and other diseases manifested by coughing. The drug can be used in the treatment of babies over 6 months old. It is based on essential oils of rosemary and eqalipt, as well as a Peruvian balsam.
- Ointment Doctor Theiss Eucalyptus. Such a medication containing camphor, eucalyptus oil and oil from pine needles is prescribed for coughing with ARVI and bronchitis. The treatment of the skin of the chest and back with this agent is allowed to be carried out in children over three years old. In addition, the drug is used for inhalation.
- Ointment Vicks Active Balm. Its main components are eucalyptus oil and levomenthol. Such substances are supplemented with camphor, turpentine oil, thymol and cedar nut oil. Rubbing with this ointment is recommended over the age of 2 years. They are prescribed for runny nose, sore throat, stuffy nose, or cough.
