The Cough and the Fever Never Quite Goes

Your cold seems to have gone, when suddenly you have this irritating cough and a fever that comes and goes. You feel weak, even sitting around seems too much of a task. The song You give me fever is no longer something you wish to dance to!

A visit to the doctor quickly reveals that you have bronchitis or an inflammation of the bronchial tubes. These are the air passages that extend from the windpipe into the lungs.

The disease is caused by a virus or bacteria, living in the polluted city can aggravate it. Smokers had better watch out, as you are more prone to it than anyone else. Basically, the cells of the bronchial-lining tissue get irritated, so the tiny hairs or cilia within stops trapping and eliminating pollutants. The air passages are congested by waste and a heavy secretion of mucus develops  to result in bronchitis. Depending on your condition you could have acute or chronic bronchitis which means varying degrees of antibiotics are prescribed. Watch out, as some of them are pretty strong.

There are those who cure bronchitis with home remedies, a friend of mine has a whole list of cures. She has tried these out in a recent bout of the illness. Highly recommended is turmeric, her formula is half a teaspoon of turmeric in half a glass of milk, two or three times daily, taken on an empty stomach.

Another cure that she swears by is ginger. She recommends fresh ginger boiled in water or tea and drunk to relive the symptoms and clear the air passages.

There is also a home made cough expectorant she makes with it. Take half a teaspoon ginger, pepper, and cloves powder, and mix it with honey, take it three times a day to reduce cough, clear the air passages and even bring down the fever.

Onion has been used for centuries for its expectorant properties. It helps in liquefying phlegm and prevents its further formation. You could try taking one teaspoon of raw onion juice, first thing in the morning.

It is also suggested that patients are given plenty of fluid and the bedroom is humidified to soothe the irritated membranes. Productive cough needs to encouraged, especially among children, as it clears the lungs. Pat your child gently on the back to cough up the mucus, keep tissues at handy. Now here is a word of warning, bronchitis is contagious so handle patients with care. Plenty of hand washing is recommended and so are facial masks.