With SARS and influenza, analgin and aspirin should not be given to children - these drugs increase vasospasm and can damage the kidneys

They say that it is not necessary to bring down a high temperature in case of respiratory viral diseases: it indicates that interferon is produced in the body, which helps fight microbes.

At the same time, there were cases when, due to the heat, children developed cerebral edema and convulsions, - says the head of the pediatric department of the younger age of the city children's clinical hospital No. 2 in Kyiv, the doctor of the highest category Lidia Pobedimskaya. - The younger the child, the higher the risk of such a complication. If the baby already had convulsions during a fever, then the temperature should not be allowed to rise above 37.5 degrees. In older children, it is advisable to pay attention to the complexion: if it turns red, then the temperature can not be reduced. Paleness and sweating indicate that the vessels are spasmodic and blood circulation is disturbed. Such a child must be brought down the fever.

What is the best way to do this?

Previously, with a cold, mainly analgin or aspirin was prescribed. Today, scientists have come to the conclusion that these drugs should not be used to reduce fever, as they increase vasospasm and can harm the kidneys. With ARVI, it is advisable for a child to give drugs from the group of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs based on nurofen, ibuprofen or paracetamol, carefully observing the dosage prescribed by the doctor. With their help, you can slow down the inflammatory process and reduce the temperature. The effect of such drugs will be in a few hours. Not all parents know this and try to speed up the process by giving the child a large dose or multiple drugs on the same basis. As a result, the child ends up in the hospital not only with a high temperature, but also with drug poisoning. A wet towel or napkins will help to quickly remove the heat - they are placed on the forehead, armpits, in the groin area, where large blood vessels pass. After a while, the towel and napkins are moistened with water and put back on. With a fever, you can not cover the child with a blanket that is too warm - it is better that he be undressed.

During illness, the baby usually eats poorly, complains of nausea, even vomiting sometimes occurs.

The cause may be intoxication of the body from a viral infection, poisoning with pills, heavy food, liver enzyme deficiency. Vomiting is also a sign of inflammation of the meninges, so you should definitely call a doctor. Before his arrival, it is necessary to replenish the loss of fluid in the child's body: every two to three minutes, give him a teaspoon of plain water, tea, non-carbonated mineral water. If the baby drinks a cup of water in one gulp, then vomiting will occur again. The smaller the portion, the greater the chance that the liquid will be absorbed. You can use a solution of rehydron (package per liter of water) - it replenishes the salt balance well.

What to do if the baby has seizures due to a high temperature? Will rubbing the body with vinegar, alcohol or vodka help bring down the heat? What measures should be taken to protect against infections? Do I need to boost my child's immunity?

To these and other questions of our readers today, October 23, from 15.00 to 16.00 Lidia Anatolyevna Pobedimskaya will answer the FACTS direct line.

Sapa Irina Yurievna

In children, compared with adults, an increase in body temperature (hyperthermia) is observed more often. This is due to the insufficient development of the thermoregulation center in babies.

The most common causes of fever in children are:

• acute infectious diseases (ARVI, pneumonia, intestinal infections);
• dehydration of the body;
• overheating;
• damage to the central nervous system.

Normal body temperature, measured in the axillary region in a child over one year old or in the femoral fold in babies up to a year old, ranges from 36 to 37 degrees, but on average - 36.6 0. The temperature in the mouth and in the rectum (anal temperature) is 1 degree higher.

An increase in body temperature in the armpit from 37 to 38 degrees is called subfebrile, from 38 to 39 degrees - febrile, from 39 to 40.5 - pyretic (from Greek pyretos - fever), and above 40.5 - hyperpyretic.

The main periods of development of hyperthermia:

gradual increase in temperature (initial period). Often accompanied by chills, headache, worsening of the general condition. In children of the first year of life, vomiting often precedes a rise in temperature;

period of maximum increase. There is a further deterioration in the general condition: there is a feeling of heaviness in the head, a feeling of heat, severe weakness, aches all over the body. Often there is excitement, convulsions are possible. Sometimes delusions and hallucinations appear. During this period, the child should not be left alone in bed without the supervision of any of the family members, as children may fall out of bed or hit themselves;

period of decrease in body temperature. The process can be critical (crisis) or lytic (lysis). A rapid drop in body temperature, for example from 40 to 36 degrees, is called critical. A gradual decrease is lytic. With a critical decrease, there is a sharp decrease in vascular tone and blood pressure. The pulse becomes weak, thready. The child develops severe weakness, profuse sweating, hands and feet become cold to the touch. With a gradual (lytic) decrease in temperature, a slight perspiration and moderate weakness appear. As a rule, the child falls asleep peacefully.

From what period of the process the child also depends on medical procedures that can be carried out at home before the baby is examined by a doctor and the use of antipyretic medications.

Help in the initial period of fever:

• the child should be put to bed;
• cover carefully;
• apply a warm heating pad to the legs;
• provide an influx of fresh cool air, but without drafts;
• drink tea. If the baby refuses tea, offer other drinks (compote, juice, rosehip infusion);

Help during the period of maximum temperature increase:

continue to give the baby plenty to drink: give liquid in the form of fruit juices, fruit drinks, mineral water, herbal infusions. With an increase in body temperature above 37 degrees for each degree, an additional 10 ml of liquid per 1 kg of body weight is required (approximately 20-30% more than the usual volume). For example, an 8-month-old child with a body weight of 8 kg at a temperature of 39 degrees needs 160 ml of liquid in addition to the daily diet;

do not insist on food in the absence of appetite. The nutrition of a child at a high temperature should be gentle, with the restriction of animal proteins (meat, milk). It is better to feed the baby more often and in small portions;

if dry mouth and cracks appear on the lips, then they should be lubricated with a weak solution of soda (1 teaspoon per glass of warm boiled water), petroleum jelly or other fat;

cold is used on the head with a severe headache - they put an ice pack, but always through a diaper or a linen towel folded in 3-4 layers. At home, you can use water-filled and pre-frozen heating pads or small plastic bottles. Today, in pharmacies, you can purchase special gel bags (more often this inert gel is blue in color), which, after cooling in the refrigerator, are used on any area of ​​the body. The use of such gel packs is very convenient, as they take on the shape of the part of the body on which they are applied and can be reused;

cold compresses with cold water can also be applied to the forehead area, but they should be moistened repeatedly and changed as they heat up (approximately every 2-4 minutes). It is better to use alternately two napkins. While one is placed on a zone of high temperature, the second cools in cold water. You can use vinegar water for compresses (1 tablespoon per liter of water).;

in the armpits and in the femoral folds, pressing a little leg to the stomach, put small bottles of ice (10-20 ml), wrapped in gauze;

when the temperature rises above 38 degrees, the child should be opened, you can blow it with a fan;

apply wiping the skin with an alcohol or vinegar solution.

How to do wiping a child in order to reduce the temperature:

prepare a small container of 200-300 ml;

pour 50 grams of alcohol or vodka there;

add the same volume of water;

moisten a gauze napkin or a piece of cloth measuring 20x20 or 30x30 cm;

wring out a napkin;

wipe the skin of the child (chest, abdomen, back, hips) with a moistened cloth, especially carefully rubbing the palms, soles, the inner surface of the arms and legs. In young children, the skin is very delicate, so wiping should be carried out so as not to injure the skin. The alcohol solution quickly evaporates from the surface of the body and due to this, heat transfer increases and the temperature decreases. For vinegar wipes, one tablespoon of vinegar (but not vinegar essence) is added to one liter of cold water. You can use apple cider vinegar in the same proportion. Rubbing can be repeated every 1.5-2 hours. If the child sweats, it is necessary to change underwear every time.

after wiping, the child is dressed in ordinary pajamas;

put the baby to bed. Do not wrap children very warmly, as a repeated increase in temperature is possible.

Recently, questions have been discussed about the advisability of using vinegar compresses and vinegar rubdowns in hyperthermia. Some authors believe that the external use of acidic or alcoholic solutions increases intoxication. However, in my many years of practice, I have not had to deal with the aggravation of the child's condition when using two or three acetic or alcohol rubbing during the day. Repeated persistent increase in body temperature after physical cooling requires the use of medications.

In the event that a child is difficult to tolerate an increase in temperature or has previously had convulsions against this background (the so-called febrile convulsions), then one should begin to lower the temperature already at 37.5-37.8 o, without waiting for the rise to 38 degrees.

Help with a quick critical temperature drop:

• the child needs to be warmed;
• apply a heating pad to the legs;
• give strong tea to drink;
• make sure that the child's clothes and underwear are dry. If the bed becomes damp due to sweating, the bed linen should be changed.

With a gradual lytic decrease in temperature it is enough to make sure that the baby is not woken up at this moment, since during the sleep period he restores his strength and control whether his clothes and bed linen are dry.

How to do full body wraps to reduce high body temperature:

collect at least 1 liter of cold tap water into a container or pour in an infusion of herbs (chamomile, yarrow, St. John's wort);

a cotton sheet or linen is moistened in the prepared solution;

wring out;

quickly wrap around the child's body so that the arms remain free and the legs are wrapped on all sides except the feet;

wrap the child in a sheet or thin blanket, then in a thicker blanket or blanket, but the face and feet remain free;

socks moistened with cold water are put on the feet, and woolen socks are worn on top;

leave the child in such a general cold compress for 45-60 minutes;

if it is noticeable that the child is freezing, then he should be additionally covered with something warm or put a warm heating pad at his feet;

while wrapping, give the children a warm drink. The stronger the sweating, the faster the body temperature will drop;

prepare a bath with warm water for the expiration of the procedure;

unroll the child;

quickly redeem it;

get wet with a towel;

put to bed;

after 15-30 minutes, dress in clean linen. You can rinse the baby in the shower instead of a bath. If the child falls asleep during the procedure, then he should not be awakened until he wakes up on his own.

Cold wrapping for babies should be done in this way:

lay a terry towel or blanket across the crib or changing table;

moisten a diaper folded in half in cold water;

put a wet diaper on top of a towel or blanket;

lay the undressed child on his back on a wet diaper;

picking him up in a diaper;

wrap the loose ends of the wet diaper around the baby's chest;

moisten and wring out the second diaper;

attach the second diaper to the baby's chest;

then wrap the baby in a dry towel, blanket or blanket;

after 30-45 minutes, untie the baby;

wipe with a dry towel and put on dry clothes.

Cold wraps are carried out once a day. They can be alternated with rubdowns - acetic or alcohol. It should be remembered that cold wraps are used only when the body temperature rises above 38 degrees. Subfebrile temperature (37-37.5) requires the use of hot wraps.

Another method of non-drug reduction of body temperature is enemas. This procedure allows you to rid the body of toxins, which in themselves can cause an increase in body temperature. But for such an antipyretic enema, a hypertonic 5-10% saline solution should be used: 1 tablespoon of salt per glass of water. Use slightly warm water. The enema bottle (pear) should be with a soft tip. The volume of enema for children, depending on age, is as follows: at the age of up to 6 months - 30-50 ml, from 6 months to 1.5 years - 70-100 ml, from 1.5 to 5 years - 180-200 ml, 6 - 12 years - 200 -400 ml, over 12 years old - 500-700 ml. You can use chamomile infusion (3 tablespoons of flowers in a glass of water, boil in a water bath for 15 minutes or brew in a thermos) as the basis for a hypertonic enema.

How to give an enema to a child:

before use, the enema pear should be boiled for 2-5 minutes;

after cooling the pear, it is filled with the prepared solution;

remove excess air by slightly squeezing the balloon until liquid appears from the upwardly facing tip;

the tip is lubricated with petroleum jelly;

an infant is placed on its back with legs raised up, and older children are placed on its side with legs pulled up to the stomach;

the tip of the balloon is inserted into the anus very carefully so as not to injure the mucous membrane of the rectum, without effort, to a depth of 3-5 cm in young children, 6-8 cm in older children;

gradually squeeze the pear and squeeze the liquid into the rectum;

after emptying the balloon, without opening it, carefully remove the tip

To hold the injected fluid in the intestines, you should squeeze the buttocks of the child for several minutes with your hand. This is followed by bowel movement. Currently, in pharmacies you can buy disposable sterile plastic bottles with tips and ready-made solutions for cleansing enemas of various sizes, including for the smallest children.

In inflammatory bowel disease with the threat of ulcers, erosions or cracks in the rectum or large intestine, enemas at home without consulting a doctor are contraindicated.

Thus, at home or on vacation, in the country, non-drug methods should be used to reduce high body temperature before contacting a doctor to prevent complications associated with hyperthermia. As their own experience is accumulated, parents begin to understand which procedures the child tolerates more easily and which of them are the most effective. It is these methods that must be applied in the future with repeated episodes of a pronounced increase in body temperature.

An increase in body temperature is a protective reaction of the body against the effects of pathogenic bacteria and viruses. Under the influence of temperature, the immune system activates specific cells - leukocytes and antibodies, and begins to produce interferon. Therefore, harmful microbes stop multiplying and die. In addition, by raising the temperature, the body adapts to changing environmental conditions. An increase in body temperature to 38-38.5 ° C is not dangerous. However, high temperature (39-40 °C) can affect the heart and respiratory systems, as well as the liver and kidneys, significantly worsening the general condition of the child. Particularly dangerous are changes in the central nervous system (the child becomes depressed, his consciousness is disturbed) and convulsions that occur when the body temperature rises.

Reasons for the rise in temperature:

1. In children, body temperature may change depending on their emotional state and some factors - food, sleep, physical activity, crying, etc.

2. Fever can be caused by an acute respiratory viral or bacterial infection of the upper respiratory tract. It is accompanied by characteristic symptoms of a cold: runny nose, sore throat, cough, lacrimation, etc.

3. The temperature can rise with diseases of the central nervous system (birth trauma, hemorrhage, tumor), endocrine diseases (hyperthyroidism - increased thyroid function), under the influence of painful stimuli (pain with urolithiasis, cholelithiasis, acute diseases of the peritoneum), after the action of outsiders irritants (bruise, fracture, hematoma, burn), when using certain medications such as caffeine, ephedrine, a number of antibiotics, sulfa drugs.

4. There is also a vegetative increase in temperature. It most often worries teenage children and is caused by the peculiarities of their hormonal levels.

Body temperature measurement:

The normal temperature is considered to be 36.6 ° C, but this is a conditional norm, since there are individual characteristics of the organism. In one child, the temperature is 36 ° C, and in the other - 37 ° C. In addition, the temperature during the day varies within a whole degree. The temperature is not the same in different parts of the body.

You can measure the temperature in the armpit: conventionally, the norm is 36.6 ° C, the temperature in the mouth is 37 ° C, in the rectum - 37.6 ° C.

The most accurate temperature measurement is in the rectum. Lubricate the tip of the thermometer with petroleum jelly and gently insert it into the anus. This procedure should not bring the child any pain or discomfort. For an accurate temperature measurement, the thermometer must be in the anus for 2-3 minutes.

When urgent care is needed:

With an increase in temperature above 38 ° C in children of the first three months of life.

If the child has already had convulsions and they may appear again with an increase in temperature.

If the temperature has risen in a child with a disease of the central nervous system or with heart and vascular defects, as well as with some hereditary diseases - galactosemia, phenylketonuria, etc.

At temperatures above 40 °C.

If antipyretics do not work and the temperature continues to rise.

What to do when the temperature is high:

1. If the temperature has risen in an infant, first check whether he is lightly dressed. Swaddle or undress the child, give him the opportunity to move freely and take an air bath. The temperature may have risen as a result of overheating. Take your temperature after a few minutes.

2. If the child is older than three months and tolerates high temperatures well, that is, his skin is pink, warm and slightly moist to the touch, then the temperature can not be brought down to 38.5 ° C. Let your child drink more often - rosehip broth, cranberry and lingonberry juice (not sour), tea with lemon. Place a wet, cool washcloth on your forehead.

3. At high temperatures, undress the baby, wipe the body with water at room temperature (or do a water-vinegar rubdown). If his feet are cold, apply a heating pad with warm water to them, put on woolen socks. If the vasospasm does not go away, the limbs are still cold, give the child a no-shpu.

4. If the child's hands and feet are warm, continue wiping with water (for older children, half with vodka or vinegar) until the fever has passed.

5. If the child has a severe chill, first warm him up (cold water should not be taken away, as this can increase vasospasm and worsen heat transfer). Give your child an antipyretic - paracetamol, panadol, kalpol, tylinol, etc. Ibuprofen-containing drugs are also used (for example, Nurofen for children).

6. Many drugs are available in several forms - syrups, suppositories. For young children, it is better to use rectal suppositories, for example, eferalgan from 0 to 5 months, which already contain a dose of the substance selected for age. Medicines begin to act in 30-40 minutes.

7. If 1-2 hours after taking the antipyretic, the temperature remains above 40 ° C, seat the child in a bath with warm water, reaching him to the navel. Rub the child's body with a sponge or towel for about 20 minutes. To prevent the temperature of the water in the bath from falling and the child from feeling chills, periodically pour warm water into it. Quickly dry (but do not rub) the baby. Dress him in light clothes and give him a drink. Keep the room pleasantly cool.

8. In case of a severe headache, place an ice pack or water-filled and pre-frozen heating pads or small plastic bottles on the child's head through a diaper or thick towel. It is more convenient to use special gel bags, which are sold at the pharmacy. They are cooled in the refrigerator and put on the forehead. They are suitable for any part of the body, taking its shape.

9. If the child is not tolerant of fever or has had convulsions (so-called febrile convulsions) when the temperature rises, then lower the temperature already starting from 37.5 ° C, without waiting for its further rise.

10. With a very rapid decrease in elevated temperature (by 2 ° C per hour):

The child needs to be warmed;
apply a heating pad to the legs;
give him strong tea;
change clothes if the child is sweating, and change the linen if it becomes wet.

11. With a vegetative increase in temperature (without signs of somatic diseases), especially in adolescent children, use valerian, motherwort, corvalol (the number of drops corresponds to the age of the child) or sedatives prescribed by a doctor.

Water-vinegar rubdown

The alcohol solution quickly evaporates from the surface of the body and due to this, heat transfer increases and the temperature decreases.

Prepare the following mixture: 50 ml of 9% table vinegar (diluted 1:1), 50 ml of vodka and 50 ml of water.

Moisten a bandage or cotton swab with the resulting solution and wipe (without rubbing) the chest, stomach, back, arms, legs of the child, especially carefully rubbing the palms, soles, the inner surface of the arms and legs. Then let it dry and repeat the procedure 2-3 more times.
After the rubdown, dress your child in pajamas and put them to bed. Do not wrap the baby, as a repeated increase in temperature is possible.

Note!
You can not pour cold water on a child with a high temperature and rub it with alcohol. Also, do not wrap a child who has a fever in warm blankets!

Note!
A premature baby should not be left naked, because he has a very high heat dissipation and can become cold.

Non-drug methods to reduce high fever

Full wraps for children after a year

Type in a container about 1 liter of cold water or infusion of herbs - chamomile, yarrow, St. John's wort. Soak a cotton cloth in this liquid and wring it out. Then quickly wrap it around the child's body, leaving his hands and feet free. Wrap the baby in a sheet or thin blanket, then a thicker blanket or blanket, leaving the face and feet free. Put on socks soaked in cold water and wrung out on your feet, and warm woolen socks over them. Leave the child in such a cold compress for 45-60 minutes, during which time give him a warm drink.

Make sure that the child does not freeze. In this case, cover him with another warm blanket, and put a warm heating pad at his feet.

At the end of the procedure, prepare a warm bath for the child. Unroll your baby and quickly soak him in a bath of warm water, then pat him dry with a towel and put him to bed.
After 15-30 minutes, dress the child in clean underwear. You can rinse the baby in the shower instead of a bath. If the child falls asleep during the procedure, then he should not be awakened until he wakes up on his own.

Cold wrap for children up to a year

Lay a terry towel or blanket across the crib or changing table. Then soak a folded diaper in cold water and lay it on top of a towel or blanket. Undress the baby and lay him on his back on a wet diaper. Lifting the baby in the diaper slightly, wrap the loose ends of the wet diaper around the baby's chest. Now soak in water and wring out the second diaper, which is attached to the baby's chest.

Wrap your baby in a dry towel, blanket or blanket and put him to bed for 30-45 minutes. After that, untie the baby and dry it with a dry towel, then put on dry underwear.

Do cold wraps once a day and only at temperatures above 38 ° C. Wraps can be alternated with acetic or alcohol wipes. It should be remembered that cold wraps are used only when the body temperature rises above 38 ° C. Subfebrile temperature (37-37.5 ° C) requires the use of hot wraps.

Lowering the temperature with an enema

For enemas, a hypertonic solution is used: saline and herbal infusion of chamomile flowers.

Saline solution: 1 tbsp. a spoonful of salt in 1 cup of lukewarm water.

Chamomile infusion: take 3 tbsp. spoons of chamomile flowers in a glass of water, boil in a water bath for 15 minutes or brew in a thermos.

The enema bottle (pear) should be with a soft tip. The volume of enema for children depending on age: under the age of 6 months - 30-50 ml, from 6 months to 1.5 years - 70-100 ml, from 1.5 to 5 years - 180-200 ml, from 6 to 12 years - 200-400 ml.

Before use, boil the enema pear for 2-5 minutes, then cool and fill with the prepared solution. Remove excess air by lightly squeezing the balloon until liquid appears from the upwardly facing tip, lubricate the tip itself with petroleum jelly.

Lay the baby on his back with his legs raised up, and the child of the age of one year - on his side with his legs pulled up to his stomach. Carefully insert the tip of the balloon into the anus, so as not to injure the mucous membrane of the rectum, to a depth of 3-5 cm in young children, 6-8 cm in older children.

Slowly squeezing the pear, squeeze all the liquid into the rectum. Then, without opening the balloon, carefully remove the tip. Squeeze the child's buttocks for a few minutes to keep fluid in the intestines. This is followed by bowel movement.

Note!
Pharmacies sell disposable sterile plastic bottles with tips and ready-made solutions for cleansing enemas of various sizes for children of different ages.

Note!
In inflammatory bowel diseases, enemas should not be used without consulting a doctor!

Breast cold wrap

A very effective means of gradually but harmlessly lowering the temperature is a cold wrap.

Take two linen (kitchen) towels, fold in half lengthwise, soak one towel in cool (moreover, the higher the temperature, the colder the water should be) water, squeeze lightly (so as not to drip), wrap with a second (dry) towel, wrap on top woolen scarf, put the patient to bed for 30-40 minutes. On top of this wrap, you can put a shirt and sweater on the child and allow him to play in bed. Then remove the towel, take a warm shower and leave the patient for another 30 minutes to rest in bed.

You can do the so-called "three-quarter" wrap, that is, wrap the torso from the armpits to the groin, everything else is the same. This wrap is more effective and is also used to gradually reduce fever in acute colds. This wrap can be repeated two or three times a day. It is best to make it for children at the time of daytime sleep and leave until the child wakes up. In general, one must remember the sacred rule: no matter what healing and useful procedure is done to restore the health of a child and an adult, you should never wake up the patient, since rest and sleep are one of the most healing “medicines” that nature has “invented” for recovery.

It should be remembered that just as a patient cannot recover from one aspirin tablet, so there cannot be an instant “miraculous” effect from one wrap. The temperature will drop a little, the patient will breathe easier, his condition will improve, especially if after wrapping you take - only quickly - a warm shower, but in the evening, if you do not follow other recommendations used in a non-specific approach, the temperature may rise again. One or even two more times (at intervals, so that the patient rests) a three-quarter wrap should be done, take a warm shower after it, rub yourself in, go to bed and drink diaphoretic tea (see below) with honey or raspberry jam.

It is possible - at a very high temperature - before wrapping, wipe the patient with a sponge or linen towel dipped in cold water, and then make a cold wrap on a wet body, and the higher the temperature, the colder the water should be. To speed up the decrease in temperature, you can add vinegar to cold water at the rate of 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar (not vinegar essence!) Per 1/2 liter of water (depending on age). Wiping is best done right in bed, after which the patient should immediately do a wrap, warmly wrap up and give him diaphoretic tea.

Rubdown at high temperature

In S. Kneipp’s old book “My Hydrotherapy”, it is recommended that during the most severe influenza epidemics (“influenza” in the terminology of that time), at a high temperature, every half an hour, put a patient stripped to the waist in bed and very quickly wipe him to the waist - chest, sides, back , hands, neck - with a kitchen towel soaked in cold water and carefully wrung out, after which, without wiping dry, put the patient in bed and wrap it very warmly. In this case, it is necessary to give the patient a tablespoon of cold water, juice, fruit drink or compote to drink.

Full cold wrap

A more effective procedure that reduces high temperature and enhances the release of sweat is a complete wrapping of the entire body: lay a woolen blanket on the bed, put a dry sheet or canvas on top, slightly stepping back from the edge (the rougher and more porous the material, the more effective the wrap; canvas or harsh linen is best), put another sheet on top of it, soaked in cold water and carefully wrung out. It is important to remember that the higher the body temperature, the lower the water temperature should be. With a lower temperature and a feeling of chill (sometimes in deep chronics the flu occurs in such a temperatureless form), the water should be warmer and there should be more blankets on top. At very high temperatures, you can divide the temperature reduction procedure into two stages (in fact, into three, because at temperatures above 38C, you must first do an enema - see below for details - and then do the wrapping). First, wipe the patient from head to toe with a wet towel or throw a quickly cold wet sheet over him, rub him very vigorously with your hands over this sheet, and then lay him naked on another wet sheet prepared over a woolen blanket and a dry sheet on the bed, quickly wrap , and each leg must be wrapped separately, in a separate edge of the wet sheet (the arms can lie along the body, but then a wet fold should be laid between them and the body), quickly wrap the dry sheet on top of the wet sheet, then a warm blanket, and it is advisable to put something else warm. After all that has been done, the patient lies swaddled, like a nursing baby, only his head is free. If at the same time there are complaints of a headache, you can put a kitchen towel (folded to the size of your forehead) on your forehead, also soaked in cold water. To speed up the sweating process, you can mix cold water with vinegar in the above proportion.

For small children who do not like to have their hands tied, you can only wrap the torso from the armpits and below in a damp sheet, and wrap it with your hands in a dry and warm one. Warming occurs very quickly, especially if a hot heating pad is placed between the blanket and the damp sheet at the feet. In case of diseased kidneys, one more heating pad should be put to the kidneys, in case of a diseased liver - to the liver. A mother or grandmother, being near a wrapped child, should drink hot diaphoretic tea with honey or raspberry jam at this time.

If they want the patient to simply drop the temperature without sweating, then it is enough to lie down for 10-15 minutes. A wet general wrap for an hour and a half (until sweat comes out on the forehead) is a strong diaphoretic procedure. After profuse sweating, it is imperative to wipe the patient with a damp towel soaked in warm water, and it is best to take a warm shower, and do not unfold the sheets until you stand under water. Only brave people who are accustomed to contrasting temperature changes can take a cold shower or pour cold water after a general wrap. After a shower, you need to rub yourself well and go to bed. You can repeat diaphoretic tea.

It is very useful for small children to be accustomed to wrapping in advance, turning it into a game: “heal dolls” or animals, wrap them together with a toy in a dry one just to fill their hands, and in case of illness, do the wrapping quickly and deftly. Small children generally tolerate a three-quarter wrap much easier, i.e. when only the torso is wrapped with a damp towel or a piece of canvas from the armpits to the groin, then a dry towel, and then wrapped in a woolen scarf or scarf. At the same time, wet, soaked in cold water and wrung out cotton socks are put on the feet, and woolen socks on top. Right on top of the wrap on the child, as already mentioned, you can put on a shirt and a sweater, and then he does not feel constrained and can safely play in bed. Such a wrap is effective not only at elevated temperatures, but also with stomach pains of an ulcerative, gastritis or enterocolitis nature, unless, of course, the doctor has ruled out the possibility of appendicitis.

In case of diseased kidneys, it is necessary to put a hot heating pad under the kidneys and give diaphoretic tea to drink, which must necessarily include "kidney" herbs. In the book "My hydrotherapy" Sebastian Kneipp advised taking an ordinary clean bag (only in our time you need to make sure that it is made of real canvas, and not synthetic). In such a bag, wetted and squeezed out, the patient can quickly climb without outside help and wrap himself warmly on top in a warm blanket. In cold water with vinegar, you can soak a cotton robe or even a simple tracksuit, and then something woolen on top and wrap yourself up very warmly. With any variant of the general wrap, the following rules must be observed: wrap yourself warmly, do not forget about heating pads and diaphoretic tea, in no case wake up if the patient falls asleep in the wrap, which, by the way, happens very often, be sure to take a shower after the wrap and at least rest for half an hour, do not go outside after wrapping, do not wait for a “miracle”, but patiently continue wrapping for several days in a row, each time improving your well-being and health.

Of course, mothers who want to try non-drug ways to reduce fever with wraps on their children should first try this procedure on themselves to make sure it is safe and effective. They will feel that the compress quickly becomes warm. This is explained by the fact that from cold water capillaries, the smallest blood vessels (if they are stretched in one line, they will stretch for 100,000 km!) Instantly narrow and then reflexively expand, blood begins to flow through them faster, and with it to the skin The accumulated slag wastes also come to the cover, which are released outside with sweat. It should always be remembered that a short-term exposure to cold water gives a tonic, activating blood circulation effect (remember how the skin burns if you rub yourself with snow!), And long-term use of warm and hot water (you need to be careful with the latter!) Gives a relaxing effect, relieves tension, stress and gives a feeling of relaxation.

Unlike the rack, the Spanish boot, the “iron maiden” and other types of painful tortures, torture by water was so fond of the executioners of antiquity for one reason - outwardly very simple and not requiring special devices, they had more effect on the psyche of the prisoners. As a result, even the most persistent of the victims broke down, as soon as the jailer threatened with water execution. Something similar is now happening with Russian banks and DIAs, whom the Central Bank, headed by Nabiullina, seems to be torturing and killing drop by drop.

Unlike the rack, the Spanish boot, the “iron maiden” and other types of painful tortures, torture by water was so fond of the executioners of antiquity for one reason - outwardly very simple and not requiring special devices, they had more effect on the psyche of the prisoners. As a result, even the most persistent of the victims broke down, as soon as the jailer threatened with water execution.

In medieval Germany, drinking torture was often used, in which the victim was forced to drink large amounts of water for a short time. This led to distension of the stomach, poisoning and eventually death. Often the victim's mouth was forcibly kept open - a funnel was inserted into it and his nose was pinched. Thus, the person had no choice - he was forced to swallow water in order to take another breath. Such torture was especially popular due to the fact that it did not cause serious bodily harm to the victim and then she could be tortured for a very long time. Depending on the severity of the guilt, they could infuse from 4 to 15 liters. Over time, the executioners changed the angle of the board to which the victim was tied, so that the weight of the filled stomach squeezed the lungs and heart. Periodically, the executioners beat on the swollen stomach, causing a vomiting reaction, and then repeated everything again. It was in this way that in the 17th century the French police managed to “split” the famous poisoner Marquise de Brainvilliers, who until then had completely denied all accusations of the atrocities committed. In the new story, this torture was used by Japanese militarists, who tortured prisoners of war in death camps during World War II.

Much more painful was the boiling water torture. They could scald the body, or they could completely immerse the poor fellow in a vat of heated water. Lowering first to the ankles, then to the knees, the victim was actually boiled alive.

In turn, the Spanish Inquisition liked to use this type of torture: they put a bound person on his back, bowed his head and began to pour water on his face. The unfortunate man experienced symptoms of suffocation and it seemed to him that he was drowning. Such a psychological effect was a permissive trough in which a heretic was laid. His mouth and nose were covered with a wet rag. Then the executioner began to pour water over it slowly and for a long time. Soon the rag was stained with blood coming from the nose and throat of the victim, with which the person began to choke. The result was death.

However, torture, invented by the ancient Chinese, was still considered the most sophisticated and terrible. The man's head was fixed, the top of his head was shaved, and water from a vat fixed at a height fell drop by drop onto his crown. Within a few hours, the unfortunate lost consciousness, after which he was returned to his senses. Such torture could continue for several days.

At the same time, the most severe suffering was caused by the monotony of torture. At first, the person did not even pay attention to the dripping water, then he began to get annoyed, tried to free himself, tightening himself with the fetters even more, in the end he became numb and fell into unconsciousness. Each new drop seemed to him like a hammer blow on the head. Cold water spasms blood vessels, depressing an ever larger area of ​​the brain. Depending on the duration of the torture, the victim eventually went insane or died.

Something similar is now happening with Russian banks and DIAs, which