Is it possible to massage the child with a cold and what to consider?

A runny nose in children can be caused by a host of reasons - from physiological rhinitis in newborns to a viral disease or an allergic reaction to something. Regardless of the cause of a cold, the child needs the help of adults. In addition to the use of drops, salt washes, which are often practiced by mothers, massage has its place in the treatment of rhinitis. How to carry out a massage procedure with a stuffy nose, this article will tell.

Massage for rhinitis children should be done, however, in compliance with the technique of the procedure and certain safety measures. This massage belongs to the category of the most complex types of manipulations - point ones. And it is not only a point, but also a complex massage, which includes different types of effects.

Among all types of acupressure, it is the effect of rhinitis that is the simplest and easiest to master. Massage can be done to a child of any age - a baby, a preschooler, and a teenager. It allows you to regulate the production of nasal mucus, helps restore breathing, improve local blood circulation. At the early stage of the disease, it helps the child to breathe better, at the final stage contributes to the discharge of sputum and the final recovery.

Massage of the nose and other strategic points should be performed only when the child does not have a high temperature. In case of heat, massage can be harmful, causing increased blood circulation and increased fever.

On the human body there are many points, touching which leads to the stimulation of certain nerve endings that trigger processes that are not visible to the eye. Massage zones, the pressure on which eliminates the common cold, are located:

• between the eyebrows;
• in the area of ​​the wings of the nose and slightly higher.

In addition, there are other acupuncture zones that are considered to be 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 thumb and forefinger;
• on the wrists from the inside;
• in the popliteal space;
• in the central part of the heels.

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.

You can not massage the eyebrows and temples. The movements should not be too assertive, since excessive effects on biological massage points are quite painful.

An adult (mom, dad or another relative) should not touch the points with his thumb, as some people think, but with the index or middle. If the points are symmetrical, they are massaged simultaneously and as far as possible synchronously with two hands. Asymmetrical are only two points - above the first cervical vertebra and between the eyebrows. They are massaged with one hand.

It should start with the tip and wings of the nose, making circular movements with finger pads (10-12 "circles" in a clockwise direction, and then the same counterclockwise). From the wings of the nose, they gradually move to the eyebrow space, to the crown of the auricle, descend below (from the first vertebra to the wrists and hands), and from there to the popliteal points and feet. The sequence is recommended just such. Chaotic effects on biological points with nasal congestion may not have a pronounced effect.

As mentioned above, the point effect with rhinitis is excluded at elevated body temperature. In addition, you should not carry out acupressure, if in addition to the cold in a child are observed:

• vomiting;
• high blood pressure;
• inflammatory process in the lymph nodes (nodes are enlarged, and the surface of the skin above them is reddened and hot to the touch);
• the presence of hepatitis B, HIV-positive status in a child;
• diagnosed and confirmed psychiatric diseases;
• tumors and neoplasms;
• osteomyelitis;
• skin diseases and injuries in the area of ​​acupressure.

It is important to know the following recommendations.

• Sometimes doctors recommend acupuncture acupressure point massage with nasal congestion at the same time as using the Golden Star balm or adhesive patch “Nozzle". Essential oils help to make breathing easier.
• The last session during the day should be done immediately before bedtime. 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 baby’s mood is more appropriate.
• Massage in the form of a game, tell the child poems or fairy tales, sing a song. Then he will be more complacent to take massage manipulations.
• If the child is big enough to understand what they want from him, try to combine acupressure for a cold with breathing exercises. During the massaging point the breathing should be short and shallow, during the break between the points you need to take deep and measured breaths, if possible with the nose.

Judging by the numerous reviews of parents, massage acupuncture points for rhinitis helps quite effectively, especially if it is used in combination with other medical appointments.

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 children with upper respiratory tract diseases often suffer from.

Parents who regularly make such a massage to a child speak of it as an excellent means of preventing rhinitis. Simple manipulations help to strengthen the immune system and protect the child from colds and viral diseases even during periods of mass incidence of influenza and ARVI.

For information on how to cough and runny nose massage for children and adults, see the following video.