Bronchitis
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the windpipe and bronchial tubes, the
large airways that lead to the lungs. These airways swell and thicken,
paralyzing the cilia, the tiny hairs that line the respiratory tract and sweep
away dust and germs. Mucus builds up, resulting in a cough.
There are two types of bronchitis: acute and chronic. Acute is marked
by a slight fever that lasts for a few days and a cough that goes away after
several weeks. In chronic bronchitis, a hacking cough along with
discolored phlegm persists for several months and may disappear and recur.
Acute bronchitis frequently follows a cold or the flu, though it can also
result from a bacterial infection or exposure to chemical fumes. Chronic
bronchitis occurs when the lungs have been irritated for a long time. The
primary cause of chronic bronchitis is cigarette smoking. People with
long-term exposure to secondhand smoke, workers routinely exposed to
chemical fumes, and individuals with chronic allergies are also susceptible.
Supplements and herbs
Supplements can help strengthen your body's immune response and also
stimulate its normal process of loosening and bringing up phlegm. The
supplements for acute bronchitis should be taken only while you are ill.
Those for chronic bronchitis require long-term use.
The following vitamins should be used daily. Vitamin C is particularly
helpful in fighting off viruses that attack the respiratory system. Take it
coupled with powerful antioxidants called flavonoids (or
bioflavonoids),
which are natural antivirals and anti-inflammatory.
Vitamin A is also
important for immune health. In chronic bronchitis, both vitamins assist
in the healing of damaged lung tissue.
For an acute attack, drink horehound tea to help thin mucus
secretions. Or use the herb slippery elm in place
of horehound if you prefer.
The amino acid-like substance NAC (N-acetylcysteine) also thins mucus
and has been reported to reduce the recurrence rate of bronchitis.
The herbs Echinacea and
astragalus have antibacterial, antiviral, and
immune-strengthening properties. At the higher doses, they can be used
to fight off acute bronchitis. For chronic or seasonal bronchitis, try taking
the following herbs in rotation: Echinacea (200 mg twice a day), astragalus
(200 mg twice a day), pau d'arco (250 mg twice a day), and 1,500 mg
of reishi or 600 mg of maitake mushrooms a day. Use one herb for one
week, then switch to another; continue this cycle as long as needed.
Homeopathy
Homeopathic remedies may help
relieve discomfort caused by coughing and help the
body overcome infection. Serious or prolonged
bronchitis requires a physician's attention.
- Antimonium tar.
When this remedy is indicated, the person has a
feeling of wet mucus in the chest, and breathing can make
a bubbly, rattling sound. The cough takes effort and is
often not quite strong enough to bring the mucus up,
although burping and spitting may be of help. The
person may feel drowsy or dizzy, and feel better when
lying on the right side or sitting up.
- Bryonia
This remedy is often indicated when a cough is dry
and very painful. The person feels worse from any
movement, and may even need to hold his or her sides
or press against the chest to keep it still. The cough
can make the stomach hurt, and digestion may be
upset. A very dry mouth is common, and the person
may be thirsty. A person who wants to be left alone
when ill, and not talked to or disturbed, is likely to
need Bryonia.
- Calcarea carbonica
This remedy is often indicated for bronchitis after a
cold. The cough can be troublesome and tickling,
worse from lying down or stooping forward, worse
from getting cold, and worse at night. Children may
have fever, sweaty heads while sleeping, and be very
tired. Adults may feel more chilly and have clammy
hands and feet, breathing problems when walking up
slopes or climbing stairs, and generally poor stamina.
- Causticum
Bronchitis with a deep, hard, racking cough can
indicate a need for this remedy. The person feels that
mucus is stuck in the throat and upper chest, and may
cough continually to try to loosen it. A feeling of
rawness and soreness can develop, or a sensation as if a
rock is stuck inside. Chills can occur along with fever.
Exposure to cool air aggravates the cough, but
drinking something cold can help. The person may feel
worse when days are cold and clear, and better in wet
weather.
- Dulcamara
When a person easily gets ill after being wet and
chilled (or when the weather changes from warm and
dry to wet and cool), this remedy may be indicated.
The cough can be tickly, hoarse, and loose, and worse
from physical exertion. Tendencies toward allergies
(to cats or pollen, for example) may increase the
person's susceptibility to bronchitis.
- Hepar sulp.
The cough that fits this remedy is usually hoarse and
rattling, with yellow mucus coming up. The person
can be extremely sensitive to cold-even a minor draft
or an arm out from under the covers may set off jags
of coughing. Cold food or drink can make things
worse. A person who needs this remedy feels
vulnerable both physically and emotionally, and may act
extremely irritable and out of sorts.
- Kali bich.
A metallic, brassy, hacking cough that starts with a
troublesome tickling in the upper air tubes and brings
up strings of sticky yellow mucus can indicate this
remedy. A sensation of coldness may be felt inside the
chest, and coughing can lead to pain behind the breast
bone or extending to the shoulders. Breathing may
make a rattling sound when the person sleeps.
Problems are typically worse in the early morning,
after eating and drinking, and from exposure to open
air. The person may feel best just lying in bed and
keeping warm.
- Pulsatilla
Bronchitis with a feeling of weight in the chest, and a
cough with choking and gagging that brings up thick
yellow mucus, may respond to this remedy. The cough
tends to be dry and tight at night, and loose in the
morning. The fever may be worse in the evening and at night.
Feeling too warm or being in a stuffy room tends to
make the person worse, and open air brings
improvement. Thirst is usually low. A person who needs this
remedy will often be moody and emotional, wanting
much attention and sympathy. (This remedy is often
helpful to children who are tearful when not feeling well
and want to be held and comforted.)
- Silicea
A person who needs this remedy can have bronchitis
for weeks at a stretch, or even all winter long. The
cough takes effort and may bring up yellow or
greenish mucus, or little granules that have an offensive
smell. Stitching pains may be felt in the back when the
person is coughing. Chills are felt more than heat
during fever, and the person is likely to sweat at night. A
person who needs this remedy is usually sensitive and
nervous, with low stamina, swollen lymph nodes, and
poor resistance to infection.
- Sulphur
This remedy can be indicated when a person has had
many bouts of bronchitis. (Sometimes the resistance
has been weakened by taking antibiotics too often for
minor complaints.) The cough feels irritating,
burning, and painful; yellow or greenish mucus may be
produced. Problems can be worse if the person gets
too warm in bed, and breathing problems at night
may wake the person up. Redness of the eyes and
mucous membranes, and foul-smelling breath and
perspiration are often seen when a person needs this
remedy.
What else you can do
- Quit smoking-and avoid situations where others smoke.
- Drink plenty of fluids, such as diluted fruit juices and herbal teas.
Dehydration can cause mucus to become thick and difficult to cough up.
- Eliminate the use of aerosol products (hair sprays, deodorants, and
insecticides), which can irritate airway passages.
- Stay indoors when the air quality is poor if you have chronic bronchitis.
How much to take
-
- Vitamin C / Flavonoids
- 1,000 mg vitamin C and 500 mg flavonoids 3 times a day.
Reduce vitamin C dose if
diarrhea develops.
- Vitamin A
- 25,000 IU a day for 1 month.
Women who are pregnant or considering pregnancy
should not exceed 5,000 IU a day.
- Horehound
- As a tea, 3 or 4 cups a day.
Use 1 or 2 tsp per cup of hot water; add
honey to taste.
- NAC
- 500 mg (acute) or 250 mg (chronic) 3 times a day.
Take between meals. For long-term use, add 30 mg
zinc
and 2 mg copper daily.
- Echinacea
- 200 mg 4 times daily (acute) or twice a day (chronic).
Standardized to contain 3.5% echinacosides.
- Astragalus
- 200 mg 4 times daily (acute) or twice a day (chronic).
Supplying 0.5% glucosides and 70% polysaccharides.
For kids
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