People generally think that when spring arrives, all the colds, flu, and other illnesses tend to disappear but that does not seem to be the case this year.
Many people I talk to have bronchitis and it is lasting, literally, for weeks!
What is bronchitis?
The bronchioles are the passageways that carry air to and from the lungs. When the bronchioles get inflamed, it is called bronchitis. This condition may be caused by a viral from a cold or the flu, a chemical reaction from smoking or environmental toxins, or an environmental situation such as allergens or mold.
A severe, hacking cough is the most common symptom of a bronchiole infection. Because the body is inflamed, it tends to create more mucus to help clear the offending virus, chemical, or allergen out of the body. Coughing is the body’s attempt to clear the excess mucus out of the passageways to open them up again.
People with bronchitis often suffer from fatigue or low energy. This is because oxygen is necessary to provide the body with energy. When the air cannot access the lungs, oxygen is not as effectively exchanged and it is not reaching our cells which use it to produce energy.
In addition, someone with bronchitis may suffer from sinus pressure and headaches. The inflammation causes swelling of the mucus membranes which leads to this discomfort.
In addition to the above symptoms, you may also experience a tightness in your chest as the inflamed tissue swells, a fever as your body fights the offending infection, coughing up sputum as your body tried to get rid of the offending virus, toxin, or allergen, and/or shortness of breath as it becomes difficult to breathe since the bronchioles are so swollen.
How to manage it?
What Grandma told you is still the best answer today. After all, Grandma didn’t make up these remedies. They were passed down through generations because they work.
Listen to your body! Get plenty of rest, drink lots of liquids to thin your mucus secretions, and allow the illness to run its course.
If you do run a fever for more than a day or two, see your doctor because your bronchitis may have progressed to something more serious, such as pneumonia and, sometimes, antibiotics can not be avoided. If your condition is viral, antibiotics will not help you get better but, if your condition arises from a bacterial infection, the antibiotic will help you recover. Just be sure to take it with a probiotic of at least 50 billion cfu’s, at least 3 hours before or after taking the antibiotic, to help avoid long-term issues that may arise from taking an antibiotic.
Also, as long as you are temperature free, salt therapy, such as what we offer at Just Breathe, can help you recover faster. The pharmaceutical grade salt that we spray into the air enters your lungs and that salt is anti-viral and anti-bacterial. It can help control the bugs that are affecting your bronchioles and lungs. The salt also aids in thinning your mucus secretions so that you can cough stuff out more easily and get rid of it faster. Finally, the salt helps ease inflammation which will reduce the swelling and help you get rid of the sinus pressure and help you feel better faster.
Are you in need of salt therapy? It is no harder than sitting in a comfortable, zero-gravity chair and relaxing for 45 minutes while breathing in pure, pharmaceutical salt which does all the magic. Book your appointment today by calling Just Breathe at 508-366-8292.
