Bronchitis

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Bronchitis

It starts with a tiny tickle deep in your chest. It turns into a painful hack that rattles your collarbone, turns your face three shades of red and leaves you gasping for air. The worst part? The coughs just keep coming.

More than seven million Americans suffer from chronic bronchitis , an inflammation of the bronchial tubes, the larger passages of your lungs that deliver oxygen to your body. Bronchitis can be caused by viruses, bacteria, dust, car exhaust or tobacco smoke.

Some types of bronchitis are short-lived, lasting maybe one to two weeks. But others linger for months. The natural remedies in this chapter—in conjunction with medical care and used with your doctor’s approval—may provide relief from the symptoms of bronchitis , according to some health professionals.

See Your Medical Doctor When... Your cough lingers for more than one week. You cough up blood at any time. You run a fever that’s over 101°F or that lasts for more than three days.

Aromatherapy

An inhalation of cool eucalyptus is wonderful for inflamed lungs, says Victoria Edwards, an aromatherapist in Fair Oaks, California. She suggests putting three drops of eucalyptus essential oil on a hot, wet washcloth and holding the cloth over your face for three to four minutes every few hours (be sure to keep your eyes closed). “You can also put a couple of drops in your hand, rub your palms together and inhale it right from your hands,” says Edwards.

For information on preparing and administering essential oils, including cautions about their use, see page 19. For information on purchasing essential oils, refer to the resource list on page 633.

Food Therapy

“Think cayenne pepper when you have bronchitis ,” says Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and president of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California. “Cayenne helps break up the congestion and may help you get quicker relief. And stay away from dairy products. They are mucus producing and may aggravate your condition.”

Also, you ought to take some advice from Mom, says Allan Magaziner, D.O., a nutritional medicine specialist and head of the Magaziner Medical Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. “Drinking chicken soup is an excellent way to break up congestion,” he says. “Another food you should eat when you have bronchitis is garlic, which has natural antiviral and antibacterial qualities. Also, try to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, since they’re high in vitamin C, which stimulates white blood cells, so you get over the infection quicker.” (For other food sources of vitamin C, see “Getting What You Need” on page 142.)

Herbal Therapy

Thyme, the popular kitchen herb, can help relieve bronchial spasms, says Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., professor of pharmacognosy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. He says to make a tea by steeping one teaspoon of dried thyme in a cup of hot water for five to ten minutes, then straining the mixture so that there’s no dried thyme in it. He suggests drinking a cup of tea three times daily, adding a little honey to sweeten.

Dr. Tyler says you might also try taking echinacea tincture, available in most health food stores. One manufacturer of this tincture recommends 15 to 30 drops between two and five times a day, says Dr. Tyler; he suggests you follow the label directions for dosage. This herb boosts immune system functioning and will help you fight off a virus, he explains.

Hydrotherapy

To loosen chest congestion, try hot compresses, suggests Charles Thomas, Ph.D., a physical therapist at Desert Springs Therapy Center in Desert Hot Springs, California, and co-author of Hydrotherapy: Simple Treatments for Common Ailments. Here are Dr. Thomas’s instructions for making and using a compress: Fold a large bath towel lengthwise, twist it as if you were wringing it out and dip the center third into almost-boiling water. Pull the ends apart as hard as you can to remove most of the water, then lay the hot towel over a dry one on your chest. Leave in place for about five minutes, and repeat for three changes of the hot towel. Repeat the entire procedure every two hours, suggests Dr. Thomas.

Imagery

In your mind, see yourself as a tiny person who can go on a trip down into your lungs. On this journey, you carry a bucket and a special backpack that holds all of the supplies you need to clean up your respiratory system. Take in a deep breath and begin your trip, writes Barbara Dossey, R.N., co-author of Rituals of Healing: Using Imagery for Health and Wellness. Move with the cool air through your nose, down the back of your throat and into the windpipe. Here, two large airways branch off to the left and right. Choose one of the airways and follow it down into your lungs.

Notice the condition of the walls of your breathing passages. If you see inflammation, redness or roughness, imagine painting those walls with a cool, relaxing blue-green solution. If you see any airways that are constricted, caress the surrounding muscles, so they’ll relax. If you find mucus or phlegm, mop it up with a sponge and squeeze it into the bucket you are carrying with you. As your journey ends and you retrace your steps through your respiratory system, feel your body clear any remaining phlegm from your throat with a gentle cough. Feel a sensation of warmth and relaxation in your chest.

Dossey says to practice this imagery twice a day for 15 to 20 minutes each time until the condition clears.

Juice Therapy

“Juices rich in the antioxidant nutrients beta-carotene and vitamin C strengthen the immune system,” says Cherie Calbom, M.S., a certified nutritionist in Kirkland, Washington, and co-author of Juicing for Life. “But because sugar—even fruit sugar—has been shown to depress the immune system, I tell people to get their vitamins from vegetable juices rather than from fruit juices when they’re fighting infections.” To prepare Calbom’s antioxidant-rich Garden Salad Special, juice three broccoli florets and a clove of garlic with four or five carrots, two celery stalks and half of a green pepper. To shore up the immune system, drink this blend or other fresh juices several times a day, says Calbom.

For more information on juicing techniques, see page 93.

Massage

Massaging your chest and back can help break up congestion in your lungs, says Vincent Iuppo, N.D., massage therapist, naturopathic physician and director of the Morris Institute of Natural Therapeutics, a holistic health education center in Denville, New Jersey.

Here’s how Dr. Iuppo says to perform the massage: Take off your shirt, then lightly oil your hands with vegetable oil or massage oil. Sit in a comfortable chair or lie on a bed. Then lightly stroke your entire chest for several minutes using the effleurage stroke (page 570).

Then switch to your fingertips and make gentle, slow circles over your entire chest. Do this for several minutes. If you have a partner, let that person rub your upper back using the same strokes.

Dr. Iuppo says this massage may cause some discomfort in the early stages of bronchitis . He suggests doing this routine at least once a day—twice, if you can tolerate it—until the infection clears.

Reflexology

Using the corresponding golf ball technique (page 588), work the adrenal gland, lung and solar plexus points on both hands, say Kevin and Barbara Kunz, reflexology researchers in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and authors of Hand and Foot Reflexology. They also suggest working the lung and solar plexus points on your feet.

To help you locate these points, consult the hand and foot reflex charts beginning on page 582. For instructions on how to work the points, see “Your Reflexology Session” on page 110.

Vitamin and Mineral Therapy

“Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial tubes, so you might benefit from taking more vitamins A and C, which can help heal that inflammation,” says Richard Gerson, Ph.D., author of The Right Vitamins. “My advice: Take 5,000 international units of vitamin A and at least 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C when you have bronchitis .” Once you recover, he adds, a daily vitamin C supplement of at least 500 milligrams may prevent new cases.

“Another thing that helps you get over bronchitis more quickly is a cayenne pepper supplement, which is available in most health food stores,” adds Julian Whitaker, M.D., founder and president of the Whitaker Wellness Center in Newport Beach, California. “I recommend one capsule a day containing between 40,000 and 80,000 heat units.”