What are the Symptoms of Bronchitis?

Bronchitis is a condition in which the bronchi - the pipe which takes air into the lungs – is inflamed because of viral attacks. This condition may develop a reddening and swelling on the pipe leading to breathlessness. The patient of bronchitis may generate excess mucus that is yellow-gray or green in color. The ailment is also accompanied with chest pain with cough, a mild fever, hoarseness of the voice, and also a loss of appetite. Depending on the reason of the ailment, a person can have acute bronchitis or chronic bronchitis. Acute bronchitis is generally a virus-inflicted illness or it develops from a cold and can be generally treated in about a week’s time. Chronic bronchitis is a state where a person has excess mucus for a period of one to three months in a year. The reasons for chronic bronchitis maybe cigarette smoking, air pollution, allergies to dusts and fumes, stuffy damp environment, and a change in weather. Bronchitis can be a contagious ailment. The symptoms of acute and chronic bronchitis are almost the same.

Acute and Chronic Bronchitis

Chronic bronchitis is not a curable disease but it can be controlled and effectively reduced over a period of time. You can start with having lots of fluids (except for alcohol and caffeinated drinks) and fruits to avoid dehydration. Consuming orange juice regularly controls and reduces the symptoms of bronchitis. To ease breathing, one can begin with humidifying the air with hot steam or a humidifier to clear up the mucus. Turmeric can effectively treat bronchitis. You can take half a teaspoon of turmeric with half a glass of warm milk twice everyday to reduce almost all the symptoms of bronchitis. Another remedy is making a mix of one teaspoon of honey and half a teaspoon of a powdered mixture of ginger, clove and pepper. Lick this mixture thrice a day or take it as an infusion with tea. Apart from reducing bronchitis, it also helps in increasing the metabolism levels.

Cure for Bronchitis

A mixture of 250 ml of water, one teaspoon honey with ¼ gram of spinach and a pinch of ammonium chloride can be also taken to get relief from bronchitis. Having one teaspoon of onion juice in the morning can also help in calming down the symptoms of this ailment. Every night you can apply little turpentine oil or castor oil on the chest to treat bronchitis. It’s important to treat bronchitis at the earliest because it can lead to asthma if not treated in time.