One of the most popular in the post -Soviet space and at the same time unpleasant methods for treating colds and its symptoms is the production of mustard plasters. We decided to check if the effectiveness of this tool is proved.
The benefits of mustard plasters in the treatment of colds are written on sites devoted to a healthy lifestyle and natural food BIODOTS. This information is also found on culinary portals in articles About mustard. Also tips Users are divided by the use of mustard Platform blog And social networks. Posts about effectiveness this tool can be found on Rightsedician resources.
Mustard They are either a sheet of paper covered with a layer of mustard powder, or a bag containing such a powder. At setting It is lowered into hot water, and then applied to the patient’s back or chest (if the target is precisely in the treatment of colds), covering with a film and blanket. Typically, mustard plasters are left for 10-15 minutes (for adult patients), and then removed, after which the skin surface is wiped dry. If the procedure is carried out correctly, severe redness should occur on the skin (hyperemia) and a burning sensation. Among other things, manufacturers recommend the use of mustard with acute respiratory infections, bronchitis and pneumonia.
Previously, in the analysis of whether it helps with colds honey, It has already written “verified” that from a cold, in most cases caused by viruses, there is no specific treatment - one can only relieve symptoms. Moreover, not a single authoritative medical organization - for example, US Diseases Control Centers (CDC), National Medical Library USA, National Health Service Great Britain (NHS) or Ministry of Health RF - does not call mustard plasters among the means that can help in solving this problem. According to the Russian one Ministry of Health, with bronchitis, into which a cold sometimes develops, the use of mustard plasters (as, by the way, cans - another popular treatment in the countries of the former USSR) is at all inappropriate. Specialists of the Russian portal for evaluating the evidence and drug effectiveness Mediq It is noted that mustard plasters do not have proven effectiveness.
“Verified” really failed to detect qualitative medical research on the effectiveness of this tool for colds. However, it is impossible to argue on this basis that mustard must not help, because there are also no scientific works in which appropriate evidence is given. However, the lack of an international medical community of interest in the study of this method of treatment indirectly indicates not in its favor. Back in the 19th century, mustard plasters in the usual form of one of the first began to produce a company Johnson & Johnson (Plant itself of the genus mustard Applied in medicine for millennia), but already in the 1980s American journalists They wrote About their use as a strongly outdated procedure.
To understand whether the mustard plasters can bring any benefit in the treatment of colds, you need to figure out how exactly they Work. When mustard powder comes into contact with hot water, an enzyme of myrosinase is activated in it, which breaks down synigrin - the main active component of mustard, which gives it a characteristic burning taste. As a result of this reaction, a substance of allilisothyocyanate is formed, which has irritating properties, causes burning and redness during the procedure. Allilisotiocyanate penetrates the skin and Activates TRPA1 receptors on the surface of the nerve endings and cells, of which the walls of blood vessels consist. These receptors give the body a signal that the skin under a mustard compress is heated, and this, in turn, provokes a blood flow.
Authoritative medical organizations mentioned earlier do not provide recommendations for the use of any warming agents for colds-except for some experts Consult Hot or cold compresses to relieve congestion to the sinuses for the nasal sinuses, but mustard must not be used for these purposes. But even if the warming effect helped with colds, there are safer means to achieve it - for example, the same wet compresses or heating pads. Mustard has a series contraindications. So, they cannot be placed at elevated body temperature (which is not uncommon for colds), bronchial asthma, and the presence of skin damage. Experts advise with caution to use them during pregnancy and lactation. In addition, mustard can cause a strong allergies, and with improper use - Chemical burns And Phytodermatitis.
There are some data about antimicrobial And antifungal The properties of mustard, which theoretically could be useful in non -viral diseases. However, the experiments were mainly conducted in vitro, that is, not in the body, but in laboratory conditions, when these or other components of mustard acted directly on the pathogen. Given that mustard is a means for external use, it is doubtful that in real life they can show the effectiveness comparable to described in research.
Thus, although mustard is known as a drug for millennia, scientific evidence that mustard have any positive effect in colds. The authors of few existing studies on this topic emphasize that there is not enough data for unambiguous conclusions. Authoritative medical organizations do not recommend using mustard plasters for colds and other respiratory tract infections, and some directly declare that this is inappropriate. At the same time, mustard plasters have a number of contraindications, as well as side effects in the form of individual intolerance to mustard or serious burns with improper use, that is, they can be not only useless, but also dangerous.
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