The arrival of autumn, complete with the changing colors of the leaves and a distinct chill in the air, often is accompanied – for many of us – by the arrival of a scratchy throat that can develop into a cough and, ultimately, bronchitis, a condition that involves inflammation of the bronchial tubes. In short, you're looking at a lot of hacking and discomfort that can mean lost work days or time missing school (even if remotely), separate from what's going on with Covid-19. That lingering, nagging cough (which often comes with mucus in the form of yucky drainage) is not the only symptom of bronchitis; others include chills, heaviness in your chest, wheezing, nasal congestion, fever, muscle aches and a level of fatigue that can become debilitating.
Two Major Classification of Bronchitis
Bronchitis can be chronic or acute, with the former usually produced by smoking. Bronchitis in its acute form, per health.com, can originate from the same viruses that cause cold or flu and typically are transmitted through the air such as when a nearby person coughs or through physical contact. Although acute bronchitis can usually clear up in a week or less, it can be a miserable thing to experience during the time that it does stick around. There is no known cure for bronchitis or even for significantly shortening its duration, but there are a number of remedies that can help a sufferer get through a case with at least some sense of normalcy.10 Natural Tips and Remedies to Alleviate Bronchitis
Following, in alphabetical order, are 10 of the popular remedies for bronchitis. If your symptoms become especially severe or last longer than a week, it's time to visit a healthcare professional for a proper diagnosis and to discuss stronger treatments available via prescription:- Chicken soup. It's good for the soul as well as for that cough brought on by bronchitis. Chicken soup has been shown to provide a modest but measurable anti-inflammatory effect when ingested by a sufferer, per health.com.
- Garlic. Mixed with milk, per effectiveremedies.com, garlic has shown to be helpful in easing bronchitis symptoms thanks to its antiviral and antibiotic characteristics. The milk's role is to make a drink out of it by chopping garlic cloves and putting them in the milk so you can drink the garlic.
- Ginger. This natural rhizome, or root, per thealternativedaily.com, has been used for centuries to bolster the human immune system, with evidence that it can support the natural treatment of bronchial irritation.
- Holy basil. This is a common herb found most abundantly in India and has demonstrated an ability to calm the inflammation besieging your lungs and contributing to a cough.
- Hydrate. Drinking water consistently throughout the day and at night while battling a case of bronchitis, per health.com, will help thin out mucus and thus act as an expectorant, making it easier to get rid of that nasty cough.
- Oregano oil. This is one of the strongest antibiotic products you can find over the counter. Per thealternativedaily.com, the oil's active ingredient, carvacrol has been effective in reducing chest congestion and inflammation.
- Raw honey. As an alkaline-forming agent, raw honey can assist in regulating your immune system while going after inflammation, per thealternativedaily.com. Added bonus: it can also help soothe a throat made sore by all that coughing.
- Rest. Get plenty of it, shooting for at least eight hours a night, although the fatigue-causing nature of bronchitis might have you needing more sleep than that. Sleep-deprived people often risk a compromised immune system.
- Thyme. This is an herb that has shown promise in bolstering your lungs to thwart infectious agents and bacteria, while also clearing out problem-causing mucus, per effectiveremedies.com.
- Turmeric. Turmeric's anti-inflammatory properties makes it a natural for treating a cough associated with bronchitis.