What is Bronchits?

A cold or the flu runs its course in a couple weeks, if you re lucky. After that, you re back to normal. But sometimes you may get bronchitis, too.

That s when your bronchial tubes, which carry air to your lungs, get infected and swollen. You end up with a nagging cough and a lot more mucus.

Types:

-Acute bronchitis: This is the more common one. Symptoms last for a few weeks, but it doesn t usually cause any problems past that.
-Chronic bronchitis: This one is more serious, in that it keeps coming back or doesn t go away at all. It s one of the conditions that makes up what's called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Causes:

Most often, the same viruses that give you a cold or the flu also cause bronchitis. Sometimes, though, bacteria are to blame.
In both cases, as your body fights off the germs, your bronchial tubes swell and make more mucus. That means you have smaller openings for air to flow, which can make it harder to breathe.
If any of these things describe your situation, you have a bigger chance of getting bronchitis:
You have a weaker immune system. This is sometimes the case for older adults and people with ongoing diseases, as well as for babies and young children. Even a cold can make it more likely since your body s already busy fighting off those germs.
You smoke or live with a smoker.
You work around substances that bother your lungs, such as chemical fumes or dust. (Examples: coal mining, working around farm animals).
You live in or travel to a place with poor air quality or lots of pollution.
Symptoms:

-Cough and production of mucous or sputum are the two most common symptoms of bronchitis.
-Due to excess production of mucous within the bronchial tubes, the cough reflex is induced in a bid to get rid of the mucous. The mucous is usually whitish in colour.
-Often patients feel shortness of breath. This shortness of breath is aggravated on any physical activity like walking, running or climbing stairs.
-There may be wheezing in the chest while breathing. A sensation of tightness or heaviness in the chest may be felt.
-Exercising or running or climbing stairs is often difficult as the compromised lungs are unable to meet the increased requirements of oxygen.

Diagnosis:

Your doctor usually can tell whether you have bronchitis based on a physical exam and your symptoms.She ll ask questions about your cough, such as how long you ve had it and what kind of mucus comes up with it. She ll also listen to your lungs to see whether anything sounds wrong, like wheezing.

That s usually it, but in some cases, your doctor may:

-Check the oxygen levels in your blood. This is done with a sensor that goes on your toe or finger.
-Do a lung function test. You ll breathe into a device called a spirometer to test for emphysema (a type of COPD in which air sacs in your lungs thin out and are destroyed) and asthma.
-Give you a chest X-ray. This is to check for pneumonia or another illness that could cause your cough
-Order blood tests.
-Test your mucus to rule out diseases caused by bacteria. One of these is whooping cough, which is also called pertussis. It causes violent coughing that makes it hard to breathe. If your doctor suspects this or suspects the flu she'll also take a nasal swab.

Role of Homeopathy In Bronchits:

When it comes to treating bronchitis, Homeopathy is very effective. In fact it is the most promising system of medicine for the treatment of bronchitis. Here one must mention that the preventable or avoidable causes of bronchitis should be and must be removed. It is very important that one should stop smoking if the patient is suffering from bronchitis. Any sort of pollution should also be avoided. In homeopathy, I have seen pretty severe cases of bronchitis getting cured.

Diet and Non Diet Food:

Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. You can also eat meats low in fat, chicken, fish, and low-fat or nonfat dairy.

Bronchits - All You Should Know!

Tuberculosis refers to an infectious disease associated with the lungs, which is mostly caused by bacteria. There are two types of tuberculosis, that are pulmonary tuberculosis and extrapulmonary tuberculosis. There are various types under each type of tuberculosis. Here are some the possible treatments for both pulmonary and extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

What is pulmonary tuberculosis?
Pulmonary tuberculosis is a type of disease in which bacteria invade your lungs. It is possible that the bacteria in your lungs could kill you. However, fortunately if you have been taking the right medicines for your bacterial infection you can get cured immediately. The name of the bacteria which causes tuberculosis is known as the Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, Mycobacterium tuberculosis can attack other parts of the body as well. When this happens, it is known as extrapulmonary tuberculosis.

What is extra-pulmonary tuberculosis?
Extrapulmonary tuberculosis is when tuberculosis affects in parts of the body other than the lungs. There are many parts of the body which tuberculosis can affect, including the lymph nodes, nervous system as well as the bone and joints. Luckily, it is easily curable.

Treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis
Firstly, it is worth noting that latent tuberculosis has no symptoms and there is no way you can pass it to another person either. However, it is still crucial that you take treatment for it. If you do not complete your treatment, then your tuberculosis will progress to a very dangerous form of tuberculosis. This is known as multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis is sometimes abbreviated as MDR TB. There are plenty of medicines which people are recommended to cure tuberculosis. These include:
1. Isoniazid
2. Rifampin
3. Ethambutol
4. Pyrazinamide

Treatment for extrapulmonary tuberculosis
Extrapulmonary tuberculosis has pretty much the same symptoms as pulmonary tuberculosis. This is because extrapulmonary tuberculosis is the exact same disease which occurs to the patient, it is just that it affects a different body part. Therefore, the exact treatment recommended for pulmonary tuberculosis can be used to cure extrapulmonary tubercul

Types Of Tuberculosis: Pulmonary and Extra-Pulmonary and Treatment For Them

The sound of the word cancer can be really traumatic and the fact the one may most of the time be unaware of this condition can be hard to handle. The same is the situation in the case of lung cancer as it does not produce any remarkable signs and symptoms in its early stages. However, there are ways in which you can be aware of this life-threatening ailment. Here are some tell-tale signs of an early stage of lung cancer:

A stubborn cough:
Beware when a cough is lingering on for long with no sign of relief. When a cough is related to cold and respiratory infection, it will subside within a week or so. But in case the cough is persistent, it can be a symptom of lung cancer. You should never dismiss a stubborn cough regardless of whether it is dry or producing mucus. You should talk to a doctor right away as he can check the lungs and may order for other tests to determine whether you have cancer.

Breathing problems:
Becoming easily winded or shortness of breath is considered the most prominent symptoms of lung cancers. This may occur when cancer blocks or inhibit the airway or when the fluid from the tumor starts building up in the chest. If you find that it is becoming difficult for you to breathe in doing tasks that you found easy before, you should not ignore it.



Wheezing:
When the airways become inflamed, blocked or constricted, then the lungs would produce a wheezing and whistling sound while breathing. It can be associated with a host of other causes that are easily treatable but could also be due to lung cancer.

Headache:
Even though headaches are considered one of the most common health problems, if there is a persistent headache, then it could be a sign that lung cancer has spread to the brain. It is important to understand that all headaches are not associated with the brain metastases. There are times when the lung cancer creates pressure on the superior vena cava which is in charge of supplying blood to the upper part of the brain. This pressure can also lead to headaches.

Pain in the bone:
If the lung cancer has spread to the other parts of the body, then it may produce mild pain in the back and other parts of the body. It tends to become worse during the night when you are resting on your back. But it can be difficult for a commoner to differentiate between muscle and bone pain. In case you are suffering from bone pain, you will see that it is becoming worse with movement. Moreover, lung cancer is also associated with pain in the shoulder, neck, and arm even though it is very rare. You should be very attentive to the pain and aches in the body and consult with an expert at the earliest.

You can easily combat lung cancer if diagnosed and treatment is started in its early stages. In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Five Signs That You Might Be Suffering From Early Stage Lung Cancer!

Without our lungs, it would be impossible to breathe. People suffering from chronic lung diseases have compromised lung functioning. This leads to shortness of breath, fatigue and weakness. In turn, this can make the person avoid anything that exerts the lungs such as exercise. While this may seem like a good idea, it is actually detrimental. Not exercising can further weaken the lungs and muscles and make this a vicious cycle. This is where physiotherapy can help with lung rehabilitation or pulmonary rehabilitation.

Physiotherapy is a branch of medicine that treats diseases and health conditions with exercise and manual therapy. Physiotherapists may also use radiation, sound waves, electric therapy, prosthesis and assistive devices. The aim here is not to cure the disease but to improve lung functioning and the patient s quality of life. Pulmonary rehabilitation can help in a number of ways.

It reduces breathlessness: As the lung muscles weaken, their ability to pump oxygen and transport it to the other parts of the body reduces. This can make a person feel breathless even with the slightest exertion. Lung rehabilitation works on strengthening the lung muscles to reduce this breathlessness.
It increases muscle strength in the arms and legs: When oxygen does not reach the limbs, they, in turn, get weaker. By strengthening the lungs, lung rehabilitation increases the muscle strength in the patient s arms and legs.
It increases stamina and endurance: Stamina is directly linked to lung functioning. By helping the patient breathe more comfortably, lung rehabilitation increases the patient s stamina and helps him or her endure more physical exercise.
It helps patients understand your condition: Physiotherapy is part exercise and part education. By helping patients get an insight into their condition, physiotherapy helps them come to terms with their limitations and motivates them to work harder towards overcoming them.
It increases self-confidence: Feeling breathless and tired all the time can make people feel frustrated. This is especially so because these things cannot be controlled without help. Physiotherapy teaches patients how to deal with these issues and thus increases their confidence in dealing with their medical issues.
It makes patients more independent: A lack of energy can make people dependent on others. Even simple tasks like getting a bottle of water from the fridge can seem like a tiring task. Physiotherapy improves lung functioning and hence makes the person feel less tired doing everyday tasks. This makes the person more independent and improves their quality of life.

Lung Rehabilitation With Physiotherapy!


Lung cancer may not always give out noticeable symptoms in the early stages. Most cases get diagnosed in later stages. It can happen to anybody irrespective of age or geographical location although smokers fall under high risk groups. Prevention and awareness can help. Check these lung cancer symptoms as early screening/diagnosis may help people fight the disease.

1) Unstopable Cough: Be cautious if your cough lingers. While a cough associated with a cold or respiratory infection will go away in a week or two, a persistent cough that lingers can be a possible sign of lung cancer. Don't dismiss a stubborn cough, whether it is dry or mucus-producing, as "just a cough."  See your doctor right away.

2) Disrupted Chronic Cough: Pay attention to any changes in a chronic cough, esp. if you smoke. If you are coughing more often and it has gone deeper or hoarse, or you are coughing up blood or more mucus than usual, it’s time to make a doctor’s appointment.

3) Short breath: Shortness of breath or becoming easily winded is also a possible symptom of lung cancer. This symptom occurs if lung cancer blocks or narrows an airway, or if fluid from a lung tumor builds up in the chest. Keep a track of how quickly you go short on breath. Does it happen while taking stairs or doing routine jobs is a question to answer.

4) Wheezing: When air passages of the body become blocked, constricted, or inflamed, the lungs produce a wheezing  or whistling sound as you breathe. While it can be due to other causes, wheezing is also a lung cancer symptom, which is why it demands your doctor’s attention. If wheezing continues, don’t assume it’s asthma or an allergy. Let your doctor find out what's causing it.

5) Chest Pain: Lung cancer may cause pain in the chest, shoulder, or back area. These aches may not be associated with coughing. Consult a doctor if you notice any type of chest pain, whether it is sharp, dull, constant, or twitching.

6) Hoarse Voice: If there is a noticeable change in your voice that stays for more than 2 weeks, or if someone else points out that your voice sounds hoarse or deeper, get it checked out by your doctor.

7) Loss of  weight: A sudden and unexplained loss of weight can be associated with lung cancer or another type of cancer. Cancer cells use energy in the body. Do not ignore it.

8) Painful Bones: If it gets spread to the bones, lung cancer may produce pain in the back or in other areas of the body. This pain may get worsen at night while resting on the back. Notice your aches and pains, and discuss them with your doctor.

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Alert! Don't Ignore These Signs of Lung Cancer

It is nightmarish when your babies have cough, congestion and stomach aches – and they happen often. The littles ones can't express very well, but as parents you might be able to figure out. Here are common and highly effective home remedies to these baby ailments.
 
1) COLD & COUGH : Honey is highly soothing for temporary cough relief. You can prepare a warm drink with ginger, honey, and lemon juice to drink before bedtime. The ginger and lemon soothe the throat, and the honey loosens up mucus and also acts as a gentle cough suppressant.  Don't give honey to babies ages one or under, though, due to the risk of infantile botulism. For the really little ones, a hot steam vaporizer usually does the trick. 
 
2) NASAL CONGESTION: A stuffy nose is an added challenge with babies and toddlers, as they can’t blow their nose. Prepare a solution of salt in lukewarm water, put this saline solution into the nose, then let your baby lie down for a while, and use the aspirator to remove the loosened mucus. This remedy is safe for babies as well as toddlers.
 
3) STOMACH UPSET/VOMITING:  Stomach aches or infections are the most difficult to get around and can be highly uneasy for the child. Try giving light liquids like dal/rice and vegetable stock, the best that works for everything is breat milk. If you can't breast feed, try to boil fennel seeds (sauf) in milk to make the baby's stomach feel better. 
 
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3 Must-know Home Remedies For Every Parent

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