Originally published January 18 2010
Simple Natural Remedies can Stop Bronchitis before It Begins
by David Victor
(NaturalNews) Bronchitis is a relatively common illness that often follows a cold or flu and can affect anybody young or old. Whether you have acute bronchitis after a cold or chronic bronchitis brought on by recurring illnesses or smoking, there are natural remedies you can use to cure it and make sure it doesn`t come back. The key is to support your body with nutrients so it can heal.
Bronchitis is a disease where the air tubes in the lungs, the bronchi, are enflamed and can either be acute or chronic. Symptoms of acute bronchitis include coughing, chest pain, and fever which often follows a cold or flu. Symptoms of chronic bronchitis are more severe and include difficulty in breathing, wheezing, and exhaustion.
Bronchitis is often preceded by the common cold or flu. The treatment of these common illnesses can actually cause bronchitis. Most conventional treatments for a cold or flu focus on suppressing the symptoms like coughing. By keeping the body from expelling germs and mucus, the mucus can get trapped in the lungs where it becomes infected causing bronchitis.
At the first sign of disease that can lead to bronchitis, it is important to start combating it. The best way to combat any disease is to give your body the support it needs to fight it by itself. There are some basic vitamins and minerals you can take to support your body and some herbal remedies to help ease the symptoms while your body heals.
Taking vitamins A, C, and E as well as beta-carotene and zinc can give your body the support it needs. Vitamin A is important for lung health. Vitamin C is an antihistamine and supports the immune system. Vitamin E helps in the healing of tissues. Beta-carotene is helpful for lung health and tissue repair. Zinc also supports tissue repair.
While your body is healing, there are some things you can do to help ease your symptoms, particularly the coughing. Peppermint tea is a good way to soothe your cough. A ginseng tea can help eliminate infection and can also soothe coughing fits. A drink of crushed ginger, honey, and a little lime can also help you soothe a cough. These drinks can help you and are usually pretty tasty.
Another thing you can do to help recover from a bout of bronchitis is to strengthen your lungs. Blowing up balloons is a simple way to strengthen your lungs after they have been infected. Doing yoga may also help you regulate your breathing and strengthen your lungs.
You can even make some dietary changes that help your body get rid of the germs and toxins that contributed to your illness. A juice fast of fresh vegetable and fruit juices can help you. Just remember, your symptoms, like the coughing, will persist while your body gets rid of the germs and toxins. The goal is to get them out of your body so you can get healthy again.
If you use these simple remedies, you can start feeling better without using the chemical concoctions most people use. This is good because the use of "traditional" medicines like cough suppressants can actually be the cause of illnesses like bronchitis and can keep you from getting better, so you definitely should stay away from them.
References:
Better Health through Natural Healing by Dr. Ross Trattler, N.D., D.O. and Dr. Adrian Jones N.D.
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies by C. Norman Shealy MD, PhD
Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine by Michael Murray N.D. and Joseph Pizzorno N.D.
About the author
David Victor is a health and fitness enthusiast who enjoys learning about all aspects of health and sharing that information with others through writing. He maintains a health and fitness website called Sassafras Station and an associated blog at http://www.sassafrasstation.com/blog
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