Every autumn and winter is the season when respiratory diseases are rampant, and every year many babies will be recruited, and even some babies have already been recruited.
When respiratory diseases occur, one of the most common symptoms is expectoration. However, expectoration is a technical activity. Many babies have not mastered it, and some babies have not even learned the basic cough. Parents often can only judge whether the baby has phlegm by the wheezing sound in the baby’s throat.
Aware that the baby has phlegm, one of the instinctive actions of many parents is to pat the baby’s back (pat phlegm), hoping to help the baby excrete phlegm through this loving action.
In imagination, by repeating this action continuously, the sputum stuck in the respiratory tract can be [patted loose], and even the sputum can be kept going up and then spit out of the mouth, or swallowed into the stomach in a different direction in the throat.
This action is simple and easy to learn, and seems feasible in theory. It once comforted many parents’ anxious hearts-at least it did some what for the child and helped him pat his back to excrete phlegm.
But the question is, can this action really photograph phlegm?
Can sputum be effectively discharged by patting?
Pat the back to excrete phlegm, to say in [Gao Da Shang], it belongs to a kind of [chest physiotherapy technology], manual tapping of the back to excrete phlegm is a relatively primitive method, and many other methods have been developed.
Traditional chest physiotherapy techniques include postural drainage, chest percussion, sputum suction, etc. In recent years, some new techniques have been added, including high-frequency chest wall vibration, positive expiratory pressure, pulmonary percussion ventilation, ultrashort wave therapy, microwave therapy, ultraviolet therapy, etc.
These methods look very high-end, don’t they? But in fact, whether it is the most primitive back pat or the latest various technologies, it is difficult to free up the phlegm in the trachea by the vibration generated by the pat alone.
For common respiratory diseases such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis, there is no definite benefit. It can neither improve respiratory conditions nor shorten hospitalization time. In some cases, it will increase discomfort of children. Guidelines related to pneumonia in children at home and abroad also believe that it is not necessary to adopt them routinely.
Although patting the back does not have the exact benefits of what for diseases such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia, it still needs to be noted that there are indeed some diseases that may require chest physical therapy, such as children suffering from diseases related to difficulty in removing respiratory secretions, such as neuromuscular diseases, tracheobronchial malacia, etc.
Can I still shoot phlegm?
Our view is that phlegm shooting is not recommended, but moderate phlegm shooting is not opposed.
Although tapping the back may not have a good sputum excretion effect, it will not have what side effects, at least it can give anxious parents a psychological comfort. Therefore, there is no objection to giving children appropriate sputum, the bottom line is not to make children too uncomfortable.
If you want to pat phlegm on your baby, you should pay attention to it. In order to avoid accidental inhalation, it is best not to pat your back within one hour after feeding milk or eating full. At the same time, you should pay attention to the intensity and not pat too much. The principle is that your baby does not feel uncomfortable.
It’s useless to pat phlegm. What about expectorant and cough medicine?
1. Phlegm-resolving drugs?
Don’t hope too much.
The so-called [expectorant] is actually a pseudo concept, because at present there is no [expectorant] that what can directly convert phlegm into non-existent.
There are only [expectorants] in medicine, mainly including sputum diluents, mucous dissolving agents and mucous regulators. The main function is to dilute the thick sputum and make it easier to cough up. However, another problem arising from this is that if the sputum is diluted, it also means that the amount of sputum will increase and more cough is needed to cough up the increased sputum.
However, it is also said above that expectoration is a technical activity, and it is difficult for children, especially babies of small age, to use it.
Moreover, the curative effect of expectorants in children still needs further confirmation, so it should not be taken as the focus of treatment, and it is more important to solve the root causes of sputum generation. If you can find a suitable expectorant with relatively single ingredients, you can try it, but don’t expect too much.
2. Cough medicine?
Not recommended.
We have to stop an action, usually because it is harmful to us, but cough is actually a very instinctive action. Cough can remove secretions (sputum) from respiratory tract, which is beneficial to human body, can ensure smooth respiratory tract and avoid blockage and secondary infection.
Therefore, it is not recommended to deliberately relieve cough when there is phlegm. The American Academy of Pediatrics also stressed that for children under 6 years old, over-the-counter cough medicine and cold medicine have both disadvantages and advantages, and cannot be used casually. It is even less recommended to deliberately use cough medicine or cold medicine to relieve cough when there is phlegm.
How can we reduce sputum?
Phlegm shooting is basically ineffective, cough medicine is not recommended, and expectorants cannot be expected too much. What should the baby do if he has phlegm?
The treatment of sputum still depends on the root cause of sputum production, but no matter the cause is what, it is always beneficial for children to take in more liquid (including breast milk and formula milk), which may help dilute sputum and relieve respiratory mucosa. However, it should not be done too much. Excessive supplementation of water is not beneficial to what, and children are also miserable. (Don’t do such things as forcing children to drink more water …)
At a certain age, you can also give your children more warm liquid food, such as gruel and chicken soup, which is also a way to supplement water.
Or maybe it’s not phlegm
Most of the time, Parents hear their children [snoring in their throats], Or when you feel the child’s chest and back with your hands, you may have [tremor], or even if the child only has a cough like clearing his throat, you will think that the child [has phlegm in his throat]. However, in most cases, the child does not have real [phlegm], but nasal secretions (nasal mucus) flow back to his throat, that is to say, the sound of [phlegm] heard by parents may be only nasal mucus.
This situation is more common in children suffering from rhinitis and sinusitis, and children suffering from colds (including influenza) are also more common, especially in the middle and late stages of the disease course (this stage is often in the recovery stage), so it is even more unnecessary to use what’s special phlegm-reducing drugs.
However, if parents think their children [have phlegm], they still suggest seeing a doctor. Whether they really [have phlegm] needs to be determined by a professional doctor. In the same sentence, don’t give your baby drugs without authorization.