Bronchitis & Lung Health
Updated Mar. 21st, 2021
Updated: March 21st 2021
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the airways that can often result in difficulty breathing. It can occur acutely as the result of an infection or chronically in the case of respiratory diseases like asthma, or emphysema. Acute bronchitis most commonly begins with cold symptoms and a dry cough. As it progresses the cough can become deeper, painful and more productive in respect to mucous.
Phlegm and Congestion
Whether it's acute or chronic, most people when they have an attack of bronchitis will have congestion, which is partly caused by phlegm. Phlegm can be clear, white, or yellow and can vary in thickness. Chest tightness and breathlessness can occur as a result. Acute cases usually resolve in a few weeks, while chronic cases can last over extended periods of time.
The cough of chronic bronchitis is usually less severe but constant. Phlegm may or may not be produced. This is usually caused by repeated irritations like tobacco smoke, environmental chemicals or other allergens. A weak immune system can also result in repeated bronchial infections.
Conventional Treatments
Conventional treatment of severe or chronic bronchitis involves bronchodilators. They treat the symptoms of bronchitis by reducing bronchospasms and inflammation. They do not address the root cause of the problem. Acute infective bronchitis is often treated with antibiotics. Make sure to replace the helpful bacteria in your system with a probiotic supplement after antibiotic therapy.
Pay Attention to The Air You're Breathing
Avoidance of all irritating substances is important for prevention of bronchitis. Home air purification systems, humidifiers and dehumidifiers can be helpful. Keep plants that remove pollutants from air. These types include bamboo palm, Boston fern, dracaena, English ivy, ficus ali, peace lily, rubber plant and spider plant.
Breathing Exercises
Regular moderate exercise and deep breathing practices can decrease hypersensitivity of the airways. Steam inhalations with thyme or eucalyptus essential oils are antispasmodic and antimicrobial.
Use hydrotherapy to boost the immune system. At the end of your shower alternate one minute of hot water with one minute of cold water. Alternate several times always ending with cold. To restore strength to the lungs blow up a balloon several times a day.
Diet and Bronchitis
Dietary approaches to bronchitis are as follows. Increase fluid intake to decrease viscosity of mucous secretions. The lungs are used as a pathway for toxins to be excreted when the primary organs of detoxification are overwhelmed.
Reduce Inflammation
It’s important to keep the body detoxified to reduce strain on the lungs. Our lungs work to filter through toxins, so by altering the diet to ensure adequate intake of nutrients, vitamins and antioxidants you can improve bronchial symptoms. Raw fruits and vegetables are best and by including onion and garlic you can cause an anti-inflammatory effect in the lungs. Another source of anti-inflammatory healing are flax seed and fish oils.
Avoid
Some foods to avoid are dairy products, white flour, sugar, processed foods which increase mucous production. Animal products should be avoided due to their inflammatory precursors.
This is a good article from National Nutrition. I am asthmatic and get bronchitis as a result and need to take supplements which I find at National Nutrition to keep my symptoms at bay. I take Quercetin of good quality and that helps me get through the allergy season as well. It is good to have this library that one can refer to for more info. Thank you, National Nutrition!
Hello,
You're welcome, we're happy you enjoyed this article on lung health and it's helped you discover new ways to care for your health. Quercetin has great benefits at supporting allergy symptoms, we're glad to hear it's helped you find relief too.
Stay healthy & well!
What about nebulizing with hydrogen peroxide? I love NAC, but it can feel like a brick in my tummy. And I suppose advil won't do much right? Eucalyptus really helps me, I sniff it straight out of the bottle deeply, 3x each nostril. Sadly having been a 30 yr smoker, I know when it's developed, and I always have to go on antibiotics.
Hello Mandy,
If you are experiencing repeated bouts of bronchitis, and always end up on antibiotics, it might be a good idea to see a naturopath. They will help you to get on a diet and supplement regimen that can help optimize your lung health so that you can reduce your changes of recurrences. You might also consider probiotics if you are frequently on antibiotics in order to maintain the health of your gut flora.
What is safe to give a 3 month old baby for congestion, cough, plugged nose? He was hospitalized for 2 days because he had trouble breathing and drinking (sucking) therefore was dehydrated and had low oxygen levels and I believe his bronchial tubes were inflamed. He's home but is still very congested.
Hello, Jennifer,
Thank you for your question and enjoying our articles. We would advise you to speak to a naturopath to get a natural protocol that would best suit your babies needs. In the mean time, you can have a look at this article:
https://www.nationalnutrition.ca/articles/health-concerns/childrens-health/
Have a healthy day!