Respiratory system

What are different home remedies for Influenza?

What is meant by Influenza?
• Influenza is one of the most common health problems affecting thousands of men, women and children.
• It can be described as a viral infection that attacks the respiratory system.
• These include organs like your lungs, throat and nose.
• Most people commonly refer to this infection simply as “the flu”.
• This infection is highly contagious.
• People suffering from asthma, diabetes and heart diseases are most prone to this disease.

Symptoms for Influenza
• Runny nose
• Sore throat and throat irritation
• Nasal Congestion
• Muscle pain
• Mild to severe headaches
• Fever that is over 100 degrees F (38 degrees C)
• Weakness and fatigue
• Dry cough
• Sweats and chills

Home Remedies for Influenza

1. Warm water
• Gargling with warm salt water can help you loosen the phlegm in your airways.
• Simply add a spoon of salt to lukewarm water and gargle with it twice a day.
• Do it once in the morning and once in the evening.
• In addition to this, drink warm water with some turmeric.
• This will also help you to get rid of the infection and soothe the inflamed airways.

2. Fenugreek seeds
• Boil some fenugreek seeds in 250 ml of water.
• Remove from flame when one-third of it is left.
• Add one teaspoonful of ginger juice and one teaspoonful of honey in it.
• It is highly beneficial for the relief of congestion.

3. Onion juice and honey
• Mix equal amounts of honey and onion juice in a jar.
• Consume around 3 to 4 teaspoons of this mixture once a day.
• Administer this till the flu lasts.

4. Garlic
• Garlic is one of the more popular home cures for colds and congestion.
• Have chicken soup with lots of garlic or a drink made with raw crushed garlic to help with common cold.
• The patient should be given garlic cloves that are boiled in thirty grams of milk daily.
• The cold-fighting compound in garlic is thought to be allicin.
• It has antibacterial and antifungal properties.
• Allicin is what gives garlic its distinctive hot flavor.
• To maximize the amount of allicin, fresh garlic should be chopped or crushed and it should be raw.
• It is also available in pill form.
• Half a teaspoon of turmeric powder should be administered with half a glass of milk.
• It should be taken about two or three times daily.
• It acts best when taken on an empty stomach.

5. Ginger
• Prepare a mixture of half a teaspoon of the powder of ginger, pepper, and cloves.
• Take this mixture, three times a day.
• It may be coated with honey.
• It can also be taken as an infusion with tea.
• The mixture of these three ingredients has antipyretic qualities.
• It is effective in reducing fever accompanying bronchitis.
• It also tones up the metabolism of the patient.
• Ginger root is another folk remedy for cough, colds and sore throat.
• It’s used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat coughs.
• It is also for colds accompanied by runny nose.
• Hot ginger tea is a popular home remedy for cold symptoms and sore throat. Honey and lemon are sometimes added.

Diet for Influenza

1. Some of the foods that should be included in a diet for influenza:
• Leafy greens like spinach cabbage, Brussels sprouts and kale
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Onions
• Grapefruit
• Oranges and orange juice
• Lemon
• Peppers

2. Some of the food items that should be eliminated from a diet for influenza:
• Spicy food
• Sugar and sweets
• Red meat or processed meat
• Refined flour and bakery products
• Alcoholic beverages
• Coffee, aerated drinks and other caffeinated beverages

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What are different home remedies for Bronchitis? – Part 2

What is Bronchitis?

• Bronchitis refers to the inflammation of the mucous membrane that lines the bronchial tubes within the lungs.
• The bronchial tubes are the small air passages that connect the nasal passages to the lungs.
• The mucus membranes in these tubes function to trap bacteria and all other pathogens that invade the body.
• These bacteria pose danger of infecting the lungs and the respiratory system.
• Bronchitis may be acute or chronic.

Bronchitis Symptoms

• Inflammation in the Bronchi
• Fever, Difficulty in Breathing, Cough
• Hoarseness, Pain in Chest and Loss of Appetite
• Acute Bronchitis Symptoms
• Cough
• Wheezing

Causes of Bronchitis

• Smoking
• Working in a stuffed atmosphere
• Use of drugs and heredity
• Weather Changes
• Pathogens
• Allergies
• Low Immunity

Home Remedies for Bronchitis

8. Bronchitis treatment using Chicory
• Chicory or endive is another effective home remedy for bronchitis.
• The powder of the dry root of this herb should be given in doses of half a teaspoon mixed with one teaspoonful of honey three times a day.
• It is a very useful expectorant in chronic bronchitis.

9. Bronchitis treatment using Humidifiers
• Use some humidifiers in your room for a few hours every day.
• This will help soothe the irritation and inflammation of the air passageways.
• Both warm and cool mist humidifiers can be used to help to get rid of the mucus in the airways.
• This will also help you get rid of your cough.

10. Bronchitis treatment using Warm Salt Water
• Gargling with warm salt water can help you loosen the phlegm in your airways and the bronchioles.
• Simply add a spoon of salt to lukewarm water and gargle with it twice a day.
• Do it once in the morning and once in the evening.
• In addition to this, drinking warm water with some turmeric.
• This will also help you to get rid of the infection and soothe the inflamed airways.

Acute bronchitis is contagious. Acute bronchitis treatment should also include adequate rest for the patient.

Bronchitis Diet

1. Orange Juice and Water
• In acute bronchitis, the patient should fast on orange juice and water.
• This should be done till the acute symptoms subside.
• Late, he should adopt an all-fruit diet for two or three days.

2. All-fruit Diet and then Well-balanced Diet
• In the case of chronic bronchitis, the patient can begin with an all-fruit diet for five to seven days
• Take three meals a day of fresh juicy fruits
• After the all-fruit diet, follow a well-balanced diet with emphasis on seeds, nuts, grains, raw vegetables, and fresh fruits.
• For drinks, unsweetened lemon water, or cold/hot plain water may be taken.

Other Bronchitis Treatments

1. Hot Epsom salts Bath
• A hot Epsom salts bath every night or every other night is valuable during the acute stages of the attack.
• This bath is prepared by dissolving 1 ½ kg of Epsom salt in 60 litres of water that has a temperature of 37.8″C.
• The patient should remain immersed in the bath for about twenty minutes.
• In the case of chronic bronchitis, this bath may be taken twice a week.

2. Hot Towels Application over Upper Chest followed by Cold Towel
• Hot towels wrung out and applied over the upper chest are helpful in both chronic and acute bronchitis.
• After applying three hot towels in turn for two or three minutes each, finish off with a cold towel.
• A cold pack can be applied to the upper chest several times daily in acute conditions.
• The procedure is to wring out some linen material in cold water and then wrap it two or three times round the affected part.
• Cover it with flannel.
• The pack can remain for about an hour at a time.

3. Fresh Air and Outdoor Exercises
• Fresh air and outdoor exercise are also essential for the treatment of bronchitis.
• The patient is advised to take a morning walk every day.

4. Herbal mixes
• This tea strengthens the upper and lower respiratory systems.
• It clears out the mucous and relieves cough and breathing problems.

- Respiratory Tea
• 2 parts Wild cherry bark
• 1 part Marshmallow root
• 1 part Mullein leaf
• 1 part Nettles
• 1/2 part Yerba Santa

- Juicing
• 3 carrots
• 1 bunch parsley
• 1/2 garlic clove

- Another juice
• 4 carrots
• 4 ozs. watercress