Bronchitis Resources

Bronchitis is a condition where bronchi or tubes connecting the trachea into the lungs are inflamed. Infection usually causes acute bronchitis and it can either be viral or bacterial. While bronchitis that is chronic is caused by continuous irritation of the lungs due to smoking or prolonged exposure to poisonous chemicals.

There are ten simple steps that you could follow to treat bronchitis successfully.

1. Take initiative to lessen your exposure to irritants and toxins. Stop smoking and avoid breathing secondhand smoke. Stay inside your house when the presence of air pollution is very high. Wear face masks to keep you protected from harmful chemicals and other irritants.

2. Use vaporizer or humidifier to keep the air moisturized. This will aid in loosening secretions for you to breathe easier.

3. Place a bottle with hot water on your back or chest. A moist, warm cloth can be also utilized. This reduces inflammation and is very useful when applied at night before you sleep.

4. Cover your mouth and nose with your scarf especially when you plan to go out in a cold atmosphere. Keep in mind that cold weather can aggravate bronchitis.

5. Avoid the use of cough suppressants. Coughing is needed to take out secretions. Suppressants can be utilized at night.

6. Take medicines as prescribed. If you take antibiotics to treat bacterial infection, then take its entire dosage. As much as possible complete the entire duration even if you already feel better.

7. Use inhalers and aerosols as prescribed. Never use larger dosage or frequently use it more than what is directed to prevent side effects.

8. Seek the advice of a general practitioner or naturopathic doctor regarding dietary supplements including echinacea, goldenseal, zinc, colloidal silver, vitamins A and C, and coenzyme Q10.

9. Improve your nutrition and diet. Drink lots of fluids including soups, herbal teas, and water.

10. Reduce or eliminate intake of foods with higher risks of mucus formation. It includes white flour, sugar, processed foods, dairy products, and foods causing allergic reactions.

People with bronchitis have also learned successful treatment based from their experiences.

- Some people find it effective in cleaning their mucus by ingesting vinegar with cucumber. It helps in killing bacteria in the lungs and excretes mucus out of the mouth.

- Charcoal slushes. Mix 4-6 teaspoon of charcoal powder with water enough to make a half-thick slush. The mixture is gritty when you drink it but it does not have any foul taste. Drink the dosage at 4 to 6 hours intervals while awake. Bacteria and germs will be absorbed by the charcoal and allow you to eliminate it in the bathroom.

- Use frankincense, thyme, and oregano oils. Give the patient 2 drops of frankincense oil, in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening for three days. Mix this oil with the Ciaga’s organic juice. For another three days, oregano and thyme are mixed in the same manner. Pleurisy root can be an alternative. This can relive symptoms such as breath shortness thus ventilation is not anymore needed.

- Breathing steam. Boil water with aromatic herbs in a pot. Turn off the stove. Use a towel to wrap your head similar to a mini-steamed bath then breathe in the steam by lowering your face on the pot carefully. It is okay if you do it upon intervals. Cooling down your face before returning. Repeat this process for several times in a day. Your phlegm will loosen because of the steam.

- In some cases, pounding the back with firm gentle strokes while the patient is lying down on the bed with belly down while keeping the upper parts of the body in hanging position helps. This is helpful in breaking-up or dislodging the phlegm. However, this procedure is not comfortable and unsafe but if done correctly, the mucous plugs can be taken out through coughing.

If ever the symptoms last for more than one week, the mucus turns green, rust-colored, or yellow, severity of cough increases, and develop chest pain when coughing, then it is advised to consult a doctor. It is also recommended to ask a physician and other health care providers before engaging in activities related to diet and health. This information is not however intended to become alternatives for medical treatment or advice.

Inflammation of the respiratory tract that includes the trachea and the bronchus is known as bronchitis. This may be caused by viral or bacterial infection or constant exposure to pollutants (such as smoking and air pollution). There are two kinds, acute and chronic bronchitis.

Acute bronchitis usually takes place right after an infection of the upper respiratory tract has occurred like a sinus infection or the common cold. As for chronic bronchitis, there is no exact microorganism that can be pinpointed as a cause but smoking and environmental pollutants are believed to be the major culprits which then may be followed by bacterial or viral infection as the immune system becomes vulnerable.

Common symptoms of both kinds of bronchitis are nasal congestion, muscle pains, fever and chills, sore throat, poor sleep, and dyspnea (common in chronic bronchitis). Basically, the symptoms of bronchitis are similar to that of the common cold. It starts with an irritation at the back of the throat and as it gets worse, cough will enter the picture which may come with phlegm. If the phlegm is streaked with blood, it is best to consult a physician.

Although the name ’swine flu’ brings up a lot of extra fear and worry, it is important to note that swine flu is just an influenza A H1N1 virus.

That means that it is just another type of flu virus, just like that causes our typical seasonal flu symptoms. The big difference is that the current swine influenza A (H1N1) virus has components of pig and bird influenza viruses in it, so that humans don’t have any immunity to it. That makes it more likely to become a pandemic virus (have the ability to cause a global outbreak) if it can easily spread from person-to-person.

Symptoms of swine flu are like regular flu symptoms and include fever, cough, sore throat, runny nose, body aches, headache, chills, and fatigue. Many people with swine flu have had diarrhea and vomiting. Nearly everyone with flu has at least two of these symptoms. But these symptoms can also be caused by many other conditions. That means that you and your doctor can’t know, just based on your symptoms, if you’ve got swine flu. It takes a lab test to tell whether it’s swine flu or some other condition.

So far, even as you see swine flu cases increase on this swine flu map, experts don’t know if this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus will become a pandemic strain of flu. It could or we just continue to see sporadic cases for a few weeks or months until it stops.

We do know that swine flu symptoms are just like seasonal flu symptoms. Signs of a more serious swine flu infection might include pneumonia and respiratory failure.

Swine Flu Symptoms

According to the CDC, like seasonal flu, symptoms of swine flu infections can include:

* fever, which is usually high, but unlike seasonal flu, is sometimes absent
* cough
* runny nose or stuffy nose
* sore throat
* body aches
* headache
* chills
* fatigue or tiredness, which can be extreme
* diarrhea and vomiting, sometimes, but more commonly seen than with seasonal flu

What to call the new strain of flu raising alarms around the world has taken on political, economic and diplomatic overtones.

Download Bird & Swine Flu Survival Guide

Pork producers question whether the term “swine flu” is appropriate, given that pigs so far do not seem to be falling ill. Government officials in Thailand, one of the world’s largest meat exporters, have started referring to the disease as “Mexican flu.” An Israeli deputy health minister — an ultra-Orthodox Jew — said his country would do the same, to keep Jews from having to say the word “swine.” However, his call seemed to have been largely ignored.

The World Organization for Animal Health, which handles veterinary issues around the world, issued a statement late Monday suggesting that the new disease should be labeled “North American influenza,” in keeping with a long medical tradition of naming influenza pandemics for the regions where they were first identified. This has included the Spanish flu of 1918 to 1919, the Asian flu of 1957 to 1958 and the Hong Kong flu of 1967 to 1968.
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