Bring down Bronchitis!

What is Bronchitis? Bronchitis is a respiratory disease that causes the mucus in the lungs to become inflamed and irritated, which causes the membranes in the lungs to swell and grow thicker, shutting off the tiny airways that carry oxygen to and from the lungs. The obvious symptoms of Bronchitis are strong coughing fits normally accompanied by phlegm, breathlessness and acute pain in the throat and chest.

Bronchitis is caused when Viruses or Bacteria irritate the Bronchial tubes, often the same types of viruses that cause the common told. More serious forms of Bronchitis (Known as Chronic Bronchitis) is most commonly caused by cigarette smoking, however there are other causes that are less commonly mentioned, such as Air pollution, dust, toxic gases and industrial fumes which are all known causes of Chronic Bronchitis as well as other respiratory diseases.

The majority of people who suffer from Bronchitis are smokers; this is where the “Smokers cough” originates. Although this is true and the most common sufferers of Bronchitis are smokers, there are others that also suffer from Bronchitis, such as:

• The Elderly and Infants whose immune system is either building an immune system or their immune system are degrading.
• People with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)
• People regularly exposed to Air pollution or irritants like chemical fumes.
• People regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.

The signs of Bronchitis are many, yet most signs can be confused with those that are attributed to illnesses such as the common cold, these symptoms are as follows:

•         Coughing fits.
•         Fatigue.
•         Fever and the Chills.
•         Blocked or runny nose.
•         Production of clear, white, grey, yellow or green thick mucus.
•         Wheezing and shortness of breath.

As you can see, these symptoms are fairly common when attributed to things such as the common cold. This does unfortunately lead to many people mistaking acute Bronchitis for a lingering cold, causing more and more cases of damage from untreated Bronchitis.

Fear not though brave reader! There are, fortunately, many ways to fight Bronchitis naturally, most of which are cheap and easy to put into practice.

• The simplest and most common way to treat Bronchitis is the intake of extra liquids. Most people say “Water is best”, but this isn’t true, it doesn’t matter what type of liquid you intake they all act in the same way, keeping the sputum more fluid and far easier to expel from your lungs. However, if you are looking for a way to relive the pain in a sore throat, a hot drink is a great way to decrease the pain by soothing the irritated throat.
  
  
• Keeping with the theory of using warm water, by gargling with warm saltwater you will simultaneously relieve pain in the throat as well as cutting through a few levels of mucus that build up in the throat membranes.
  
  
• There ar Fruits and nuts that can help to alleviate the symptoms of Bronchitis whilst fighting of the illness. Almonds being one of the key nuts that hold all the right vitamins and nutrients to fight back many illnesses, including Bronchitis. They are rich in Calcium, Magnesium and Potassium and have recorded effectiveness when used to treat respiratory diseases, if you are suffering from Bronchitis, be it Acute or Chronic I severely recommend a daily intake of a handful of Almonds to help combat the symptoms. 
  
  
• A fruit with great Anti-Bronchitis properties is the lemon, which is suggested to dissolve mucus and kill harmful bacteria. The recommended way to intake lemons is grating 1 teaspoon of lemon rind and adding it into a cup of boiling water, the excess citric acid will mix into the mixture, and then allow the mix to steep for five minutes. After doing so this mixture should alleviate some of the more painful symptoms of the illness.
  
  
• A honey and onion mix is another great way to alleviate the symptoms and help fight off the symptoms, a great way to relieve the cough that comes from bronchitis, is to slice an onion into a bowl, then cover with honey. Allow to stand overnight, then remove the onion. Take 1 teaspoon of the honey, four times a day. This will help to increase the flow of mucus, removing the blockages in your lungs in the process.
  
  
• Bronchitis can cause muscle pain due to the excessive amounts of coughing, so a way to release the pain from the chest is definitely something you will be looking for. One of the best things to use is Cats claw or Uncaria tomentosa, this is a powerful herb that blocks the production of the hormone called prostaglandin which causes inflammation and pain. By taking Cats claw regularly you will be able to cause pain to subside, which I can guarantee will be a plus.
  
  
• SLEEP! Regular rest helps your body develop antibodies to combat the effects of the illness, and due to the flu like symptoms of Bronchitis, you may find it difficult to rest, even sitting down will become uncomfortable, however moving around constantly will slow your body’s ability to produce antibodies and you may cause the disease to spread unintentionally.
  
  
• Certain herbs are also useful for combating the symptoms of Bronchitis, Bay leaf is a great addition to ones intake when fighting bronchitis. It acts and an Expectorant, much like the onion mentioned before, breaking up increasing the flow of mucus from the lungs into the airways, allowing it to be easily expelled whilst coughing. 
  
  

  Savory and thyme are also said to expel mucus from the lungs, much in the same way that Bay lead does, making both of them a great tool in the fight against Bronchitis.

By keeping a high intake of each of these natural aids you will find your body becomes much more resistant to the symptoms of Bronchitis, and able to quickly rid itself of the illness should you become infected.

But as I stated earlier, there are many ways to simply avoid Bronchitis; don’t smoke, avoid second hand smoke, utilize an air purifier at home and in the workplace, there is no shortage of ways to fight off the onset of this debilitating disease, most of which are simply “Keep a clean lifestyle.”