Understanding the Facts about Acute Bronchitis
Some people may mistake a terrible cold with the beginnings of acute bronchitis; therefore it is important to be able to distinguish between the two to get the proper treatment. Understanding the facts about acute bronchitis also helps you to distinguish the illness from asthma and chronic bronchitis, a recurring condition.
Beginning Facts about Acute Bronchitis
Acute bronchitis often starts off with a dry type of cough that lingers on from a cold or the flu and progresses to a moist, wet cough. The bronchial tubes leading from the trachea to the lungs become inflamed and swollen which leads to increased mucus and phlegm production. Most often, viruses are the cause of acute bronchitis and that means antibiotics are not a viable option for treatment.
With these facts about acute bronchitis, you can determine that there is no drug treatment available for the viral forms so you must look to home remedies and over the counter treatments to alleviate some pain and symptoms while the illness runs its course
Each person is different, but most will exhibit other symptoms of acute bronchitis such as mild fever and general fatigue. Other symptom facts about acute bronchitis include the presence of wheezing and chest pain due to excessive coughing.
Treatment Facts about Acute Bronchitis
As mentioned above, antibiotics can only be used when acute bronchitis is caused by bacteria. Typically, a doctor would have to run a test on your expelled phlegm to see if there is any bacteria present in it. The antibiotic treatment will depend on the type of bacteria found in the phlegm as well as the age of the patient.
There are some home remedies that may help you once you have gathered all the facts about acute bronchitis. For instance, eating spicy foods can help loosen mucus so that you have an easier time of expelling the disgusting substance. In addition, liquids will help thin the mucus secretions and will also help soothe your throat that is likely irritated from coughing.
Steam and aromatherapy has also been known to treat the symptoms of acute bronchitis. Menthol with eucalyptus can be rubbed on the chest and back and even under the nose. The vapors of this menthol mixture helps soothe the bronchial tubes as well as ease the swelling of the tissues. Lavender essential oil or even orange oil can be put in vaporizers to help soothe irritated air passageways as well.
Facts about acute bronchitis are many but the bottom line is this: if you wash your hands, avoid sick people and live a health lifestyle with a good diet and exercise, you can prevent most cases of bronchitis. Clean living works!