Bronchitis is a viral disease characterized by excessive and prolonged cough. Acute bronchitis is often a sporadic episode that lasts for several weeks, while chronic bronchitis is usually permanent and lasts at least a few months or longer. Although there are approximately 10-12 million patients who go to the doctor each year to treat bronchitis, in most cases it is an acute episode that can be treated at home and that usually goes away on its own with proper care.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Home Treatments
Step 1. Stay hydrated
It is important to stay properly hydrated during illness to allow the body to perform its normal functions properly. Ideally, you should drink 250ml of fluids every one to two hours.
- Proper hydration relieves congestion and keeps normal bodily functions active.
- If your doctor has restricted your fluid intake due to other medical conditions, you should follow his or her instructions.
- Most of the liquids you drink should be water or other low-calorie drinks to avoid getting too many calories.
- Fruit juices, broth, and hot lemonade with honey are other great options. Hot drinks, among other things, have the advantage of being emollients for the throat already irritated by excessive coughing.
- Do not consume drinks with caffeine or alcohol, as they are diuretic and cause greater dehydration.
Step 2. Rest as much as possible
Try to sleep as much as you can. Aim for at least 8 hours of sleep per night but, if your discomfort prevents you from sleeping all night, at least try to rest by lying down with your head slightly raised or level.
Sleep plays a vital role in keeping the immune defenses active and strong. Without adequate rest the body is unable to fight the virus
Step 3. Reduce the physical activity you would normally do when you have bronchitis
The normal tasks you do every day are fine, but you should avoid engaging in intense or even moderate physical activity. This type of training can stimulate further coughing fits and strain the immune system more.
Step 4. Use a humidifier
Turn it on at night when you go to sleep. Breathing warm, moist air loosens mucus in the airways, making breathing easier and reducing the severity of coughing.
- Clean the humidifier following the manufacturer's instructions. This is an important step, otherwise bacteria and fungi can develop inside the water container and spread through the air, aggravating your bronchitis.
- You may also decide to sit in the bathroom with the door closed and turn on the hot water tap in the shower for 30 minutes. The steam that is released acts in the same way as that produced by the humidifier.
Step 5. Avoid irritants
Pollution and cold air can make your condition worse. While you can hardly avoid exposing yourself to pollutants altogether, there are some measures that allow you to reduce their effects.
- Stop smoking and don't be around people who smoke. Smoking is a major irritant to the lungs, and smokers are more likely to develop chronic bronchitis.
- Wear a face mask when you plan to be exposed to paints, household cleaners, perfumes, or other strong, aggressive fumes.
- Put a mask on your face when you go outdoors. Cold air can constrict the airways, making coughing worse and making it more difficult for air to pass into the lungs. The mask allows you to warm up the air a little before it reaches the airways.
Step 6. Only take antitussive medications when it is really necessary
A cough syrup, which you find at the pharmacy without a prescription, should only be taken if the cough becomes so bothersome that it interferes with daily activities. Under normal circumstances you need to make the cough as productive as possible (with phlegm and mucus), to prevent excess mucus from remaining in the lungs and causing further infections. For this reason, you should not constantly take cough syrups and other similar suppressants during the course of the disease.
- Cough syrups are generally suppressive. This kind of medicine tends to block or limit the urge to cough, so by coughing less, you can't get rid of phlegm.
- If you are unable to sleep due to coughing or if you are coughing so much that you feel pain, you can alternate a cough suppressant with other medications for temporary relief.
- Always ask your doctor for advice before taking cough syrup, even though these medications can be bought without a prescription.
Step 7. Get an expectorant
This type of drug, which does not require a prescription, allows you to release and expel more mucus. In fact, it has been found that the risk of developing pneumonia or other serious infections is greater in patients suffering from bronchitis, due to an excessive amount of mucus produced. Expectorant is therefore recommended to get rid of this excess mucus, especially if the cough is dry and not very productive.
Step 8. Do some research on herbal remedies
The research has not yet reached certain results regarding herbal remedies. It is important to discuss this with your doctor before going this route. There is no concrete evidence that herbal remedies are effective for acute bronchitis. However, some preliminary studies have shown that South African geranium (Pelargonium sidoides) can help. One study, in particular, found that people who took this herb instead of a placebo recovered faster.
Since common colds, if not managed properly, can lead to bronchitis, herbal remedies useful in preventing colds are also effective against the development of bronchitis. Some herbal remedies that have been studied and have led to some promising results are echinacea (300 mg 3 times / day), garlic and ginseng (400 mg / day)
Method 2 of 3: Medical Treatments
Step 1. Know when it's time to see your doctor
If your bronchitis symptoms last longer than a week and show no signs of improvement, you should make an appointment with your doctor. You should see your doctor even if your symptoms tend to get progressively worse.
- Schedule an appointment with your doctor if your cough persists for more than a month.
- Go to the hospital as soon as possible if you cough up blood, have difficulty breathing, have a fever, or feel particularly weak or generally unwell. Go to the emergency room even if your feet start to swell.
- See your doctor if you start expectorating a bad-tasting fluid. In this case, it is usually the gastric juices from the stomach that flow down the lungs during sleep. If you experience this problem, your doctor will prescribe an antacid medication to manage this particular type of bronchitis.
Step 2. Discuss antibiotics with your doctor
He may prescribe this type of medication if he suspects a bacterial infection is present. In any case, there is no concrete evidence that antibiotics are effective for treating acute bronchitis.
- Under normal circumstances, the doctor does not prescribe antibiotics because bronchitis is caused by a virus and these drugs only fight bacterial infections.
- However, if you begin to excrete a lot of mucus or it becomes very thick, there may be a bacterial infection. In this case, the doctor usually prescribes antibiotics to treat the problem appropriately. The course of antibiotics lasts from 5 to 10 days.
Step 3. Learn about bronchodilator medications
These are typically medications used to manage asthma; However, if bronchitis makes it difficult for you to breathe, your doctor may prescribe them.
This type of medication comes in the form of an inhaler. The medicine is sprayed directly into the bronchi, in order to open the airways and promote the expulsion of mucus
Step 4. Consider undergoing pulmonary rehabilitation
If you have chronic bronchitis, long-term therapy may be needed to strengthen weakened lungs. Pulmonary rehabilitation consists of a special breathing exercise program. A therapist works alongside you to set up a routine that allows you to slowly rebuild your lung capacity, strengthening it while helping you breathe easier.
Method 3 of 3: Understanding Bronchitis
Step 1. Learn about this disease
It is a pathology that can affect all ages and both sexes indifferently. Bronchitis is characterized by inflammation of the trachea, bronchi and bronchioles, and is caused by an infection or chemical irritants. It can result from a bacterial, viral or chemical infection.
This article mainly addresses the most common acute bronchitis, as chronic bronchitis is a different medical condition that generally requires professional treatment. Acute bronchitis is a very common disease, in fact most people find themselves suffering from it at least once in their life. Almost all cases of acute bronchitis heal on their own at home with proper care, rest, and time
Step 2. Know the treatments for bronchitis
This disease goes away on its own and usually requires no treatment with antibiotics, although the cough can persist for weeks after the active phase. The most important aspects of treating bronchitis are trying to relieve symptoms and rest, to allow the body to heal.
- There are no certain and clear tests to recognize bronchitis. Doctors usually diagnose it based on the symptoms the patient presents.
- Treatments and the recovery process usually take place completely at home, unless further infections or complications arise.
Step 3. Know the symptoms
People with acute bronchitis report a recent onset of cough unrelated to other conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pneumonia, or the common cold.
- The typical cough of bronchitis is initially dry and unproductive. However, it can progress to become fat. Pain in the throat and lungs may occur due to the constant, intense coughing that is triggered in an attempt to relieve the irritation.
- In addition to a red throat (pharyngeal infection), many people also have other symptoms: difficulty in breathing (dyspnea), wheezing when inhaling or exhaling, fever over 38.3 ° C, and fatigue.
Step 4. Know the risk factors for bronchitis
In addition to the common causes, there are many risk factors that can increase the chances of bronchitis. These include: age (very young children or the elderly are more predisposed), air pollutants, active or even passive smoking, environmental changes, chronic sinusitis, having undergone a tracheostomy, allergy bronchopulmonary, HIV infection, alcoholism and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
In healthy people, bronchitis is a self-limiting disease (which means that the body is able to heal on its own, without the need for special specific treatments). In this case, most medical protocols do not recommend antibiotics; if you have several symptoms that persist for more than a month and if you have any questions or concerns, go to your doctor for laboratory and / or imaging tests, and to find the appropriate treatment for your specific situation
Warnings
- Even a mild form of the disease can be a cause for concern in older people. This is even more true if the person already has another illness, such as the flu, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or congestive heart failure.
- When the patient is a child, it is important to understand if he also suffers from other possible respiratory diseases. If a child has recurrent bronchitis, it could be a sign of an underlying condition or airway malformation. In addition, the doctor should also analyze the possible presence of an immune deficiency or chronic asthma. In very young children, acute viral bronchitis (caused by the respiratory syncytial virus) can be fatal. It is always important to see your pediatrician when you suspect your child has bronchitis.
