Most PARENTS are no strangers to infections. Just about every child has had their share of colds and coughs and infected cuts or the flu. Some youngsters have had first-hand experience with infections that are even more serious pneumonia and meningitis.
Usually, we expect our kids to quickly recover from an infection. We count on our body’s immune defenses (sometimes with the help of antibiotics) to get rid of any germs that cause infection, and to protect our kids against new germs in the future.
Some children, however, are born with an immune defense system that is faulty. They are missing some or, in the worst cases, almost all of the body’s immune defense weapons. Such youngsters are said to have a primary immunodeficiency (PI).
There are over 70 different types of PIs. Each type has some what different symptoms, depending on which parts of the immune defense system are deficient. Some deficiencies are deadly, while some are mild. But they all have one thing in common: they may open the door to multiple infections.
If your child is affected by more than one of the following conditions, speak to their doctor about the possible presence of Primary immunodeficiency.
Eight or more new ear
infections within 1 Year…………….. Recurrent, deep skin or organ abscesses
Two or more serious sinsus
infections within 1 year………………Persistent thrush in the mouth or elsewhere on skin after age 1.
Two or more months on
antibiotics with little effect…………Need for intravenous antibiotics to clear infections
Two or more pneumonias
within one year………………………Two or more deep- seated infections in one year
Failure of an infant to gain
weight or grow normally…………. A family history of Primary Immunodeficiency
It’s one of the most common medical complaints, and each year millions of people — up to 10% of the population by some estimates — seek their doctor’s help for it. Often, however, using one or two natural treatments may be all that’s necessary to get relief from a bothersome cough.
Symptoms
A cough is really a symptom — usually an indication of a respiratory infection or irritation of the throat, lungs, or air passages.
When to Call Your Doctor
If cough persists day and night, is exhausting, or is accompanied by shortness of breath, chest pain, weight loss, wheezing, or severe headache.
What It Is
Despite its seemingly unhealthy sound, a cough is actually a vital bodily function. Even though you may not realize it, you probably cough once or twice every hour to clear your throat and air passages of debris. Coughing causes trouble only when an environmental substance or an illness makes you hack uncontrollably. Coughs can be dry and nonproductive, meaning they bring up no fluids or sputum; or they can be wet and productive, expelling mucus and the germs or irritants it contains.
What Causes It
When an irritant enters your respiratory system, tiny cough receptors in the throat, lungs, and air passages begin producing extra mucus. This action stimulates nerve endings and sets in motion a sequence that culminates with the forceful expulsion of air and foreign material through the mouth — the cough. A variety of factors can trigger this reaction. Bacteria or viruses — such as those that cause the flu or the common cold — lead to an overproduction of mucus, which initiates a cough reflex (particularly at night, when sinuses drain and set off tickly coughs). Asthma, bronchitis, hay fever, and environmental pollutants — such as cigarette smoke, chemicals, or perfume — are other culprits.
How Supplements Can Help
Natural cough remedies can be used in place of typical drugstore cough medicines. There are two primary goals in treating a cough: The first is to subdue the cough reflex, especially when a cough causes pain or interferes with sleep; the second is to thin the mucus, making it easier to bring up so the irritant can be flushed from the body.
What Else You Can Do
Drink lots of water, warm broth, tea, and room-temperature fruit or vegetable juice to help thin the mucus.
Use a cool-mist vaporizer or humidifier to moisten the air.
Don’t smoke and avoid contact with irritating fumes or vapors.
The herb plantain (Plantago lanceolata) is an effective cough remedy. However, the FDA warns that many products claiming to be plantain actually contain digitalis, a substance that can cause heart abnormalities. Avoid products labeled “plantain” unless the botanical name is given. And don’t confuse either type of plantain with the banana-like fruit Musa paradisiaca.
Slippery Elm
Dosage: As a tea, 1 cup up to 3 times a day as needed. Comments: Use 1 tsp. dried herb per cup of hot water.
Marshmallow
Dosage: As a tea, 1 cup up to 3 times a day as needed. Comments: Use 2 tsp. dried herb per cup of hot water; can blend with slippery elm.
Licorice
Dosage: 45 drops tincture or 1 cup tea 3 times a day. Comments: Add tincture to water or to herbal cough teas. Or steep 1 tsp. dried herb in hot water with slippery elm or marshmallow.
Horehound
Dosage: As a tea, 1 cup up to 3 times a day as needed. Comments: Use 1 or 2 tsp. dried herb per cup of hot water. Can be taken alone or with other herbs listed.
Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose.
Source:Your Guide to Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs
Description:
Bronchitis is the inflammation of the bronchial tubes, the tubes that carry air to your lungs. This condition causes you to cough persistently, sometimes making it hard to breathe. The coughing may even lead to chest pain and wheezing. Bronchitis is also known as a chest cold because it usually occurs after you’ve already experienced symptoms of the common cold.
About 5 percent of adults self-report an episode of acute bronchitis each year. Up to 90 percent of them seek medical advice. In fact, bronchitis is the fifth most common reason why adults see their general practitioner.
Symptoms:
The main symptom of acute bronchitis is a persistent cough. This cough lasts until your bronchial tubes heal and the swelling goes down. The cough lasts for less than 3 weeks in 50 percent of patients. But for 25 percent of patients it may last more than one month. Because bronchitis usually develops after you’ve already had a cold or flu, you may also experience typical cold and flu symptoms, such as:
*Sore throat
*Fatigue
*Stuffy or runny nose
*ever
Body aches
*Vomiting
*Diarrhea
When you cough, you may produce a clear mucus, or slimy substance; if the mucus is a yellow or green color, that’s a sign that you have a bacterial infection as well.
Other symptoms of acute bronchitis include wheezing (a whistling or squeaky sound when you breathe), chest tightness or pain, lower fever and maybe even shortness of breath, especially during physical activity.
People with chronic bronchitis most commonly experience coughing (often called a smoker’s cough) with large amounts of fluid, wheezing and chest discomfort.
When to Call Your Doctor
If a persistent cough interferes with your sleep or compromises your daily activities.
If mucus becomes darker or thicker or increases significantly in volume.
If your fever is above 100F.
If your breathing becomes increasingly difficult or if you cough up blood.
If your symptoms last more than 48 hours. Reminder: If you have a medical condition, talk to your doctor before taking supplements.
What It Is ....click & see the pictures
Bronchitis is an inflammation of the windpipe and bronchial tubes, the large airways that lead to the lungs. These airways swell and thicken, paralyzing the cilia, the tiny hairs that line the respiratory tract and sweep away dust and germs. Mucus builds up, resulting in a cough.
There are two types of bronchitis: acute and chronic. Acute is marked by a slight fever that lasts for a few days and a cough that goes away after several weeks. In chronic bronchitis, a hacking cough along with discolored phlegm persists for several months and may disappear and recur.
There are two types of bronchitis: acute and chronic. Acute is marked by a slight fever that lasts for a few days and a cough that goes away after several weeks. In chronic bronchitis, a hacking cough along with discolored phlegm persists for several months and may disappear and recur.
What Causes It
Acute bronchitis frequently follows a cold or the flu, though it can also result from a bacterial infection or exposure to chemical fumes. Chronic bronchitis occurs when the lungs have been irritated for a long time. The primary cause of chronic bronchitis is cigarette smoking. People with long-term exposure to secondhand smoke, workers routinely exposed to chemical fumes, and individuals with chronic allergies are also susceptible.
How Supplements Can Help
Supplements can help strengthen your body’s immune response and also stimulate its normal process of loosening and bringing up phlegm. The supplements for acute bronchitis should be taken only while you are ill. Those for chronic bronchitis require long-term use.
The following vitamins should be used daily. Vitamin C is particularly helpful in fighting off viruses that attack the respiratory system. Take it coupled with powerful antioxidants called flavonoids (or bioflavonoids), which are natural antivirals and anti-inflammatories. Vitamin A is also important for immune health. In chronic bronchitis, both vitamins assist in the healing of damaged lung tissue.
For an acute attack, drink horehound tea to help thin mucus secretions. Or use the herb slippery elm in place of horehound if you prefer. The amino acid-like substance NAC (N-acetylcysteine) also thins mucus and has been reported to reduce the recurrence rate of bronchitis.
The herbs echinacea and astragalus have antibacterial, antiviral, and immune-strengthening properties. At the higher doses, they can be used to fight off acute bronchitis. For chronic or seasonal bronchitis, try taking the following herbs in rotation: echinacea (200 mg twice a day), astragalus (200 mg twice a day), pau d’arco (250 mg twice a day), and 1,500 mg of reishi or 600 mg of maitake mushrooms a day. Use one herb for one week, then switch to another; continue this cycle as long as needed.
What Else You Can Do
Quit smoking — and avoid situations where others smoke.
Drink plenty of fluids, such as diluted fruit juices and herbal teas. Dehydration can cause mucus to become thick and difficult to cough up.
Eliminate the use of aerosol products (hair sprays, deodorants, and insecticides), which can irritate airway passages.
Stay indoors when the air quality is poor if you have chronic bronchitis.
When suffering from bronchitis, people often have difficulty breathing while they’re eating. So try to avoid foods that are hard to chew, such as meats and raw vegetables.
Avoid antihistamines and decongestants, which won’t help alleviate lung symptoms and may actually make your condition worse. That’s because these drugs can dry up and thicken mucus, making it more difficult for you to cough up.
Supplement Recommendations Vitamin C/Flavonoids
Vitamin A
Horehound
NAC
Echinacea
Astragalus
Vitamin C/Flavonoids
Dosage: 1,000 mg vitamin C and 500 mg flavonoids 3 times a day. Comments: Reduce vitamin C dose if diarrhea develops.
Vitamin A
Dosage: 25,000 IU a day for 1 month. Comments: Women who are pregnant or considering pregnancy should not exceed 5,000 IU a day.
Horehound
Dosage: As a tea, 3 or 4 cups a day. Comments: Use 1 or 2 tsp. per cup of hot water; add honey to taste.
NAC
Dosage: 500 mg (acute) or 250 mg (chronic) 3 times a day. Comments: Take between meals. For long-term use, add 30 mg zinc and 2 mg copper daily.
Echinacea
Dosage: 200 mg 4 times daily (acute) or twice a day (chronic). Comments: Standardized to contain 3.5% echinacosides.
Astragalus
Dosage: 200 mg 4 times daily (acute) or twice a day (chronic). Comments: Supplying 0.5% glucosides and 70% polysaccharides.
Source:Your Guide to Vitamins, Minerals, and Herbs
Click for herbal cure & Home remedies forBRONCHITIS
Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose.
Fenugreek6 steps to take at the first sign of flu symptoms.
At the First Sign of the Flu …
Unlike the common cold, which is annoying but ultimately harmless, the flu can be dangerous — even deadly. Your best bet? Focusing on the twin Super Threats of chronic stress and immune weakness. With a strong immune system, you’re much more likely to fight off this potential killer.
If you do get the flu, act fast. Prescription antiviral medications can help you get better faster, and numerous studies find that natural remedies can also significantly reduce the amount of time you suffer — but you need to take them at the very first sign of symptoms, or as a precaution during flu season.
Do This Now Follow these six steps at the first sign of the flu. 1. Call your doctor and ask for an antiviral medication such as amantadine, rimantadine, zanamivir, or oseltamivir.
3. Also start taking the homeopathic remedy Anas Barbariae Hepatis et cordis extractum 200c, more commonly known as Oscillococcinum or Flu Remedy. Follow the dosage instructions on the package.
4. To relieve headache and achiness, take 500 to 1,000 milligrams of enteric-coated aspirin, 200 milligrams of ibuprofen, or 500 to 1,000 milligrams of acetaminophen every four to six hours, or 275 milligrams of naproxen twice a day. Don’t take acetaminophen if you have liver disease. Don’t give aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen to children or adolescents (use acetaminophen instead).
5. Now that you’re medicated, work on bringing your fever down to make yourself more comfortable. Start with cool compresses on the pulse points at the neck, throat, and wrists.
6. If your fever is still high and you’re still achy, add a cup of Epsom or sea salt to a warm tub, soak for 20 minutes, then wrap up warmly and lie under blankets to induce a sweat. Adding 10 to 15 drops of eucalyptus or peppermint oil to the bath will help with congestion, cough, and muscle aches.
Why It Works, Plus More Approaches Antiviral drugs can decrease the severity and length of your infection if you take them within the first day or two of symptoms. They’re particularly helpful if you got the flu even though you were vaccinated, because chances are you’re dealing with a different strain from the ones in the vaccine.
Sambucol also fights the flu directly. One well-designed study of 60 patients, all of whom had the flu, found that those who received the supplement were nearly recovered by the third or fourth day of treatment, whereas it took seven to eight days for the people in the placebo group to feel better. Researchers think that compounds called anthocyanins in elderberry may be responsible; they boost the immune system and also seem to prevent the flu virus from sticking to cells.
The other treatments are all about making you more comfortable and relieving aches and pains. The warm bath has an added effect: it causes a slight increase in body temperature, which makes bacteria-killing enzymes more effective, potentially helping to prevent a secondary bacterial infection when your defenses are down.
Other Medicines and Approaches Fenugreek. If you’re coughing, take 2 capsules three or four times a day. This herb helps thin mucus and also soothes a dry cough. (Note that it makes your urine smell sweet.)
Cough suppressants. If you want to use a cough suppressant, choose one that contains dextromethorphan. At night, try Delsym, which lasts for 12 hours.
Sports creams. For body aches, massage a pain-relief rub or sports cream like Ben-Gay or Tiger Balm onto the achy areas.
Fluids. Drink lots and lots of fluids, both hot and cold. Avoid caffeinated and overly sweet drinks like sodas and undiluted fruit juices.
Definition: A cough is our body’s way of responding to irritants in our throat and airways. An irritant stimulates nerves there to send a cough impulse to the brain. The brain signals the muscles of our abdomen and chest wall to give a strong push of air to our lungs to try to expel the irritant.
It is a sudden and often repetitively occurring reflex which helps to clear the large breathing passages from secretions, irritants, foreign particles and microbes. The cough reflex consists of three phases: an inhalation, a forced exhalation against a closed glottis, and a violent release of air from the lungs following opening of the glottis, usually accompanied by a distinctive sound. Coughing is either voluntary or involuntary.
A coughing attack can be very forceful — the velocity of air from a vigorous cough through the nearly closed vocal cords can approach 500 miles per hour. Prolonged, vigorous coughing is exhausting and can cause sleeplessness, headaches, urinary incontinence, and even broken ribs.
Frequent coughing usually indicates the presence of a disease. Many viruses and bacteria benefit evolutionarily by causing the host to cough, which helps to spread the disease to new hosts. Most of the time, irregular coughing is caused by a respiratory tract infection but can also be triggered by choking, smoking, air pollution, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, post-nasal drip, chronic bronchitis, lung tumors, heart failure and medications such as ACE inhibitors.
An occasional cough is normal and healthy. A cough that persists for several weeks or one that brings up discolored or bloody mucus may indicate an underlying condition that requires medical attention. A cough rarely requires emergency care.
Cough is a helpful phenomenon, it is the body’s natural reflex to irritation in the throat. There are two kinds of cough, one which is wet and associated with mucus (productive cough); and the other which is dry and there is no mucus (unproductive cough). It is important to differentiate between the two, because the treatments are entirely different.....CLICK & SEE
Causes: The list of possible causes of cough is long and highly varied. Doctors classify coughs into 2 categories, acute and chronic. Many doctors define an acute cough as one that been present for less than 3 weeks. Chronic coughs are those present for more than 3 weeks.
Acute coughs can be divided into infectious (caused by an infection) and noninfectious causes.
The easiest way to simplify the causes of chronic cough is to divide them into their locations with respect to the lungs. The categories are environmental irritants, conditions within the lungs, conditions along the passages that transmit air from the lungs to the environment, conditions within the chest cavity but outside of the lungs, and digestive causes.
Any environmental substance that irritates the air passages or the lungs is capable of producing a chronic cough with continued exposure. Cigarette smoke is the most common cause of chronic cough. Other cough-producing irritants include dusts, pollens, pet dander, particulate matter, industrial chemicals and pollution, cigar and pipe smoke, and low environmental humidity.
Within the lungs both common and uncommon conditions cause chronic cough. Common causes include asthma, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis. Less common causes of lung-induced chronic cough include cancer, sarcoidosis, diseases of the lung tissue, and congestive heart failure with chronic fluid build-up in the lungs.
The passages that connect the lungs to the external environment are known as the upper respiratory tract. Chronic sinus infections, chronic postnasal drip, diseases of the external ear, infections of the throat, and use of ACE inhibitors for high blood pressure have all been implicated in chronic cough.
In addition to disease processes within the lung and air passages, diseases elsewhere within the chest cavity may also be responsible for chronic cough. Conditions within the chest known to cause chronic cough include cancer, unusual growth of a lymph node, and an abnormal enlargement of the aorta, which is the main blood vessel leaving the heart.
An often-overlooked cause of the chronic cough is gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). GERD occurs when acid from the stomach travels up the esophagus. This abnormal condition can cause irritation of the esophagus and larynx resulting in the reflex production of a cough.
In the case of productive cough, coughing helps in removing excess mucus or phlegm which has come up in the back of the throat from the lungs or the nose and sinuses. A common cause of coughing in the night is mucus dripping from the nose into the back of the throat. Expectorant syrups , specially herbal base cough syrup can be used to get rid of the phlegm. Note that productive coughs should never be suppressed since they serve a very useful purpose. Night-time irritation of a chield can be eased by turning the child on his side or his front. A doctor should be consulted in case the cough lasts for more than 48 hours.
Unproductive coughs on the other hand serve no useful purpose, and can be very irritating to a small child, sometimes to the extent of preventing sleep. In this case, cough suppressants can help ease the discomfort.
Complications: The complications of coughing can be classified as either acute or chronic. Acute complications include cough syncope (fainting spells due to decreased blood flow to the brain when coughs are prolonged and forceful), insomnia, cough-induced vomiting, rupture of blebs causing spontaneous pneumothorax (although this still remains to be proven), subconjunctival hemorrhage or “red eye”, coughing defecation and in women with a prolapsed uterus, cough urination. Chronic complications are common and include abdominal or pelvic hernias, fatigue fractures of lower ribs and costochondritis.
Diagnosis: The diagnose of the cause of a cough usually begins by determining if it is specific or nonspecific in nature. A specific cough is one associated with other symptoms and further workup is dependent on these symptoms while a non specific cough occurs without other signs and symptoms. Further workup may include labs, x rays, and spirometry. Treatment: Treatment should target the cause as per diagnosis; for example, smoking cessation or discontinuing ACE inhibitors. Cough suppressants such as codeine or dextromethorphan are frequently prescribed, but have been demonstrated to have little effect. Other treatment options may target airway inflammation or may promote mucus expectoration. As it is a natural protective reflex, suppressing the cough reflex might have damaging effects, especially if the cough is productive.
In children half of cases go away without treatment in 10 days and 90% in 25 days.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics the use of cough medicine to relieve cough symptoms is supported by little evidence and thus not recommended for treating cough symptoms in children. There is tentative evidence that the use of honey is better than no treatment or diphenhydramine in decreasing coughing. It appeared similar to dextromethorphan. A trial of antibiotics or inhaled corticosteroids may be tried in children with a chronic cough in an attempt to treat protracted bacterial bronchitis or asthma respectively. Home Care for prevention :
If one has asthma or another chronic lung disease, he or she should make sure to taking medicines prescribed by the doctor.
Some helpful tips to ease cough:
*If one has a dry, tickling cough, try cough drops or hard candy. Never give these to a child under age 3, because they can cause choking.
*Use a vaporizer or take a steamy shower. These increase moisture in the air and help soothe a dry throat.
*Drink plenty of fluids. Liquids help thin the mucus in your throat making it easier to cough it up.
*Do not smoke and stay away from secondhand smoke
Medicines can be bought on own include:
*Guaifenesin helps break up mucus. Drink lots of fluids if you take this medicine.
*Decongestants help clear a runny nose and relieve postnasal drip. Check with your doctor before taking decongestants if you have high blood pressure.
* In case of children the doctor should be consulted before giving a child 6 years old or younger an over-the-counter cough medicine, even if it is labeled for children. These medicines likely do not work for children, and can have serious side effects.
If one has seasonal allergies, such as hay fever:
*Stay indoors during days or times of the day (usually the morning) when airborne allergens are high.
*Keep windows closed and use an air conditioner.
*Do not use fans that draw in air from outdoors.
*Shower and change clothes after being outside.
If one has allergies year-round, cover pillows and mattress with dust mite covers, use an air purifier, and avoid pets and other triggers.
Sometimes Homeopathic medication works well. Disclaimer: This information is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advise or help. It is always best to consult with a Physician about serious health concerns. This information is in no way intended to diagnose or prescribe remedies.This is purely for educational purpose. Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cough
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003072.htm
http://www.emedicinehealth.com/coughs/page2_em.htm
