Truth be told, we are all a bit guilty of taking our health for granted. This can be depicted by how unimpressed we are by the reality that the average human’s life expectancy is 60+ now, when in fact, less than a 100 years ago, people were dying by the thousands from diabetes; a disease which is currently considered to be easily manageable. There are countless examples of human triumph over health menaces. One of these is bronchitis, a disease that many people suffer from but get to live healthy and full lives due to advancements in medicine. Many wonder, is bronchitis viral or bacterial? And this usually affects how you go about treating and living with the condition. Below are some of the ways people are living with bronchitis.
Always Watch Your Diet
One can’t really talk about bronchitis sufferers’ coping mechanisms without mentioning diet and its prominence in helping them lead better lives. The goal is to dilute and help maintain the flow of mucus. At the same time, you want a few pathogen combatants in your lung’s ecosystem to ferociously fend off the germs that cling to this phlegm.
The real advantage of utilizing the appropriate diet in your bronchitis treatment plan is how easily it can be achieved. Several simple home remedies based on your diet can aid you on your journey to recovery. Notably, the most important part of this diet is drinking a lot of water, like at least 64 ounces a day (the equivalent of 2 liters). Spicy foods are also a major advocate in the fight against bronchitis symptoms, Eating foods prepared with chili sauce or cayenne pepper can really open up your airways. Spicy foods don’t just make nose-breathing more comfortable, they also make your lungs’ mucus thinner, resulting in more effective coughs.
Physical Endurance Is Key
In parallel with a healthy diet, bronchitis patients’ weight should be regulated by exercise. It’s incremental for their treatment, since the greater the weight, the more challenging it will be to breathe.
Also, exercise has an incremental benefit on your breathing. With acute bronchitis (bronchitis lasting for only a week or two), it would be wise to hold off on exercise until you’ve recovered. But with chronic bronchitis, exercise can ultimately help. Learning breathing techniques such as pursed-lips breathing, can make life easier for you. Often, as you work out, the diaphragm and other muscles involved in breathing strengthen, which supports your respiration and helps make breathing a lot easier over time.
Respiratory Sensitivity Can Be Handled
Bronchitis is an illness mainly affecting a person’s respiratory functions. It can make patients’ lives really inconvenient with lengthy episodes of intense coughing, difficulty breathing, and hypersensitivity to lung irritants found in the air. People suffering from chronic bronchitis are forced to continuously get steam treatments to clear up their lungs. Fortunately, there are also ways to do this in the comfort of your own home. These include having a hot shower, or putting boiling water into a bowl and standing over the rising steam, while putting a towel over their heads. Inhaling this steam helps clear the lungs ‘ secretions. Of course, a humidifier is always your best friend.
In the end, there is no denying the fact that our generation is definitely living better lives due to the availability of first-grade health care for everyone. That being said, health ailments like bronchitis still takes a substantial toll on the quality of patients’ lives. However, people with the chronic version of the disease have found ways to manage their ailment successfully so that it does not affect their everyday lives.
