Error 1: Cough is easy to cough up pneumonia. Stop cough as soon as possible.
Cough is the body’s physiological protection mechanism, is the only way to remove respiratory mucus. Infants and young children’s respiratory system is not yet mature, cough reflex ability is poor, sputum is not easy to discharge, if given strong cough, sputum will remain in the respiratory tract, will aggravate the disease and even can cause other complications.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explicitly recommends that children under the age of 2 should not be given any over-the-counter cough medicine. Many studies have confirmed that cough medicine is not recommended for children under the age of 6. They believe that the side effects (the drug may have serious life-threatening side effects) far exceed the efficacy itself.
- Correct approach
Pay attention to keep the air fresh and circulating, with a relative humidity of about 60%. Keep respiratory tract unblocked and remove secretions in time.
For slight cough, it is recommended to pat back to help sputum discharge. Severe cough can be considered by aerosol inhalation of expectorant, bronchial spasmolytic agent, etc. to help relieve. If it is caused by bacteria or mycoplasma, it should be treated for pathogenic microorganisms. Let children rest more and drink more water, etc.
Error 2: Do not atomize children, treatment is more harmful than infusion,
In fact, atomization, like oral administration and infusion, is only a way of administration.
The atomization device changes the drug into particles in an aerosol state, so that the drug can directly reach the focus through the respiratory tract, and the drug does not need to pass through blood circulation, so that the dosage is low, the whole body absorption is less, and the atomization safety is higher.
However, it should be noted that the drugs and doses of atomization therapy are not over-the-counter drugs. Atomization therapy must be carried out under the guidance of doctors and should not increase or decrease the drugs or drug doses by itself.
At present, there are no special antibiotics and antiviral atomizing preparations for children in China, and atomizing is not recommended for traditional Chinese medicine preparations.
- Correct approach
Please use atomization therapy rationally under the guidance of doctors.
Error 3: Give your child transfusion, it will recover faster than taking medicine.
WHO’s principle of rational drug use is: those that can be taken orally do not inject intramuscularly, and those that can be injected intramuscularly do not inject intravenously.
Intravenous infusion is to replace or make up for the shortage of oral fluid intake and as a medium for intravenous medication. Its effect is determined by the input drug composition in addition to the rapid replenishment of body fluid.
During intravenous infusion, the drug directly enters the blood circulation. Although the drug effect will exert faster, if the drug has adverse reactions, it will appear faster and more serious.
Special explanation is needed here, because children’s muscles are underdeveloped, such as improper positioning, it is easy to hurt blood vessels and nerves, therefore, in addition to vaccination, children are rarely given intramuscular drugs.
- Correct approach
It is not easy to choose infusion. Those who can heal themselves or can be cured by atomization and oral medication must not choose infusion therapy.
However, when the disease is serious and requires infusion, don’t blindly refuse.
Error 4: Take antibiotics or antiviral drugs to prevent flu.
Apart from vaccines, all kinds of preventive drugs are nonsense.
More than 90% of the common cold is caused by virus infection, which is a self-limited disease with a course of about one week.
Antibiotics can kill bacteria or inhibit their growth, but they are not effective against viruses.
Common virus infection is a self-limited disease that can be completely cured without drug treatment. Even if some appropriate nursing drugs are taken for some symptoms, it is only to make the human body feel more comfortable.
- Correct approach
Please do not use drugs without authorization when you do not need to use drugs. In addition, please do not easily choose compound preparations when you can use a single drug! If there is a cold symptom, symptomatic nursing is also only aimed at a certain symptom.
Error 5: Fever is easy to cause convulsion. Give antipyretic drugs as soon as possible.
[Febrile convulsion] is a spastic seizure of muscles in the whole body caused by abnormal discharge activity in the brain caused by sudden rise or drop of body temperature.
In fact, there is no limit on the temperature of febrile convulsion. Some children will not have convulsions when they get hot to 40 ℃, while some children may have convulsions when they get hot to 38.5 ℃, and even some children will have convulsions during the cooling process.
So far, there is no authoritative evidence that antipyretic drugs can effectively shorten the course of fever and prevent the occurrence of febrile convulsions. In fact, all our symptomatic care is to make the human body feel comfortable and make the disease turn in a good direction.
- Correct approach
Usually antipyretic drugs are given above 38.5 ℃ in axillary temperature. Of course, this is not absolute, but also referring to the general performance of the child at that time.
If the child is in good spirits and can eat, drink and play, even if the axillary temperature is above 38.5 ℃, he can still consider continuing to observe and not using antipyretic drugs for the time being.
If the child’s spirit is not good and his diet is not good, antipyretic drugs can be considered even if the axillary temperature is below 38.5 ℃.
Error 6: Diarrhea requires fasting. Breast milk and food should be stopped.
The treatment of diarrhea focuses on the prevention and treatment of dehydration. The strategy of fasting during diarrhea is not scientific. On the one hand, it is easier to cause dehydration if you enter less and leave more. On the other hand, it can lead to increased intestinal peristalsis under hunger, which will aggravate diarrhea.
- Correct approach
In the event of diarrhea, sufficient liquid should be taken orally to prevent dehydration and ensure nutrition intake.
For children within 6 months old, breast-fed infants should continue breast-feeding, increase the frequency of feeding and prolong the time of single feeding. Children over 6 months old can continue to eat the daily diet they have become accustomed to (ORS solution is added when necessary), encourage children to eat a small number of times, and avoid feeding children fruits and vegetables rich in crude fiber and high-sugar foods.
If breast-fed or artificially fed children suffer from secondary lactase deficiency, they can be temporarily given low (de) lactose formula milk. Generally, diarrhea can be improved after 1-2 weeks and gradually converted to the original feeding method. Breastfed children can also add exogenous lactase on the basis of breast-feeding.
Error 7: Diarrhea is easy to collapse. Use antidiarrheal immediately.
In principle, antidiarrheal drugs are generally only applicable to severe non-infectious diarrhea. If infectious diarrhea is stopped immediately, pathogenic microorganisms and toxins remain in the body, which is not conducive to the improvement of the disease, especially for small infants, which are more likely to aggravate the disease.
- Correct approach
The treatment of diarrhea focuses on prevention and treatment of dehydration, and improper medication must be avoided. Emphasis is placed on oral rehydration as soon as possible, continuous feeding, identification of dehydration sign, zinc supplement therapy, breast feeding, and a new hypotonic ORS formula is recommended.