What Is Bronchitis?

Bronchitis is a disease that causes the mucus membrane in the lung’s bronchial passages to become inflamed, resulting in coughing spells. Sometimes, these coughing spells can be accompanied by breathlessness or phlegm. If the disease lasts from 1-3 weeks it is classed as acute. If it lasts at least 3 months for 2 years in a row, it is classed as chronic.

Symptoms include a frequent cough that produces mucus, a wheezing sound when breathing, a lack of energy and sometimes a fever. You should consult a doctor in particular if you have a fever, a cough that lasts more than 2-3 weeks, if your mucus includes blood or is thick or colored, or if you have chest pain, wheezing or any difficulty breathing. These could be signs of other diseases, so it is worth getting a proper diagnosis.

What Causes Bronchitis?

In most cases, the upper respiratory infection is caused by a virus, like the common cold, and results in acute bronchitis, but sometimes it is caused by bacteria. Chronic bronchitis is normally caused by smoking or other industrial pollutants, and smoking can also make acute bronchitis worse. Smoking and chronic bronchitis can develop into COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease).

What Are Conventional Medical Treatments For Bronchitis?

Generally, doctors will tell you to take fluids regularly, to get lots of rest and to stop smoking. They prescribe aspirin or acetaminophen for adults for body aches, but as with all medications, there are side effects. They can suggest ways to clear mucus and they also ask you to note how often you cough and how much mucus you cough up and what color it was.

For dry coughs with little to no mucus, they prescribe a cough medicine and sometimes an expectorant to help loosen mucus, so it can be coughed up.

Because generally bronchitis is caused by a virus, antibiotics are not normally prescribed unless it is caused by a bacterial infection or if the person suffering from it has impaired lung function.

What Are Alternative Treatments For Bronchitis?

Herbs such as ginger, cloves, turmeric and garlic are thought to help boost the body’s immunity. According to Ayurveda, it is best to avoid dairy products and sugar as these only help to increase Kapha. Eating spicier food (not necessarily with chili in it) can help.

Doing an inhalation with turmeric power (or a few drops of Turmeric essential oil) may help.

Of course, essential oils traditionally have also been used to help the body maintain good health and prevent bronchitis. See the Useful Essential Oils tab for details.