8 Natural Treatments For Chest Infections CHEST INFECTION TREATMENTS
Do you have a persistent cough, yellow/green mucus or shortness of breath?
If so, it's likely that you are suffering with a chest infection.
You may also feel weak and fatigued, and may have a high temperature.
Chest infections are very common, especially in the winter or during the changing of seasons.
They are often caused by the common cold, a virus or a bacterial infection in your lungs.
These symptoms can be very unpleasant, and the extra mucus can keep you awake at night
as it irritates your throat.
In this video I'm going to share with you 8 natural methods, you can use to treat a
chest infection, to help clear up your lungs quickly and speed up the healing process.
Just my usual reminder this video is for educational purposes only, so do speak to your doctor
if you have any medical concerns.
1.
Lemon & Ginger Tea First of all you can try lemon and ginger tea.
Sipping on a cup of hot lemon and ginger tea is a traditional remedy used all over the
world for treating chest infections.
It helps to soothe a sore throat, reduce inflammation in the lungs and speeds up your immune system
to help you heal faster.
Simply add 1 inch of fresh ginger into a pan with 4 cups (1 litre) water, and boil for
20 minutes, then remove from the heat.
Slice 1 whole lemon thinly (peel on), and add to the water.
Allow this to steep for 5 minutes, strain and then drink throughout the day.
If you wish you can add raw honey or stevia to sweeten this drink.
The Vitamin C and natural occurring acids in lemon help to fight off infections quickly,
whilst the ginger helps to open the airways, improve breathing and thin out mucus.
2.
Wild Oregano Oil One of the most powerful herbs for healing the lungs is wild oregano
Oregano is a fresh herb often used in Italian cooking and is well known for its delicious
flavour.
The wild variety of this herb contains high amounts of thymol and carvacrol, two natural
chemicals that quickly ease congestion in the lungs and help to expel mucus and phlegm.
You can get this in small pearl capsules.
Taking 1-3 of these per day can be used to fight off infections in the lungs because
it works as a natural anti-biotic, anti-viral and anti-fungal agent.
3.
Stay Hydrated
It's very important to consume lots of fluids whilst you have a chest infection.
This will help to prevent the mucus and phlegm from becoming too thick and causing you to
cough more violently and painfully.
Drink at least 8 cups (2 litres) of water per day, and make sure that you also take
in some salt to keep your electrolyte levels high.
Adults need at least 3/4 of a teaspoon of salt per day to maintain normal energy levels.
Whilst on the topic of salt I also recommend gargling with salt water
to soothe a sore throat and kill any microbes in the mouth.
Simply mix 1 teaspoon sea salt in a glass of warm water and gargle once every hour.
4.
Steam Inhalation Use steam inhalation to help soothe your airways.
When you have a cold or an infection your nasal passages, and airways often become dry
sore and irritated.
By gently inhaling steam, you can help to soothe and moisturise these passages to ease
your breathing and prevent coughing.
Taking a hot shower is one of the most inexpensive ways to do this.
Alternatively Or you can simply place a towel over your
head and inhale steam from a bowl of hot water for 2 minutes at a time.
Taking care to not burn yourself on the hot water.
The water vapour helps to humidify the air that you breathe in which soothes your lungs
and respiratory system.
5.
Inhaling Essential Oils Treatment number 5 is essential oils
Naturally extracted essential oils such as peppermint, eucalyptus, oregano or rosemary
oils are very effective at soothing a cough and healing chest infections.
Natural occurring compounds like menthol, thymol and cineole help to unclog your sinuses
and open up the airways for better beathing.
They also help to cleanse the lungs and remove toxins and microorganisms that are making
you sick.
Hot water previously mentioned.
Simply add a few drops of your chosen oil to the bowl of hot water and inhale the aroma.
You can also add these to room humidifiers (diffusers),
or make a homemade vapour rub by mixing 1 tablespoon of coconut oil with 5 drops of
the essential oil of your choice.
Rub this on your chest 3 times per day to speed up the healing process.
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6.
Bay Leaf Tea Number 6 is a nice and simple remedy using a herb you may have laying around
the house.
Add 2 bay leaves to a pan with 2 cups (500ml) of water.
Bring to the boil and steep for 3 minutes, strain and then drink.
This drink is very bitter, so I recommend adding a little cinnamon or stevia to balance
out the flavour.
You can make and drink this remedy as often as you wish throughout the day to soothe irritation
in the lungs and quickly overcome a chest infection.
Bay leaves are loaded with natural occurring compounds, volatile oils and alkaloids that
have been scientifically shown to ease coughing, sore throat and blocked nose.
7.
Black Elderberry Next up we have black elderberry
Black elderberry is a traditional remedy used for thousands of years for treating and preventing
chest infections.
You can get this in the form of capsules or a syrup from most health food stores.
It’s loaded with Vitamin C and anthocyanidins, which have been scientifically shown to boost
the immune system to quickly overcome an infection.
Basically, taking this helps your immune cells to attack viruses and other pathogens before
they can take hold in your system.
If you already have an infection however, data shows that taking elderberry can speed
up the healing process and reduce all symptoms of cold and flu, by lowering inflammation.
Some people take a maintenance dose of elderberry daily through the winter to protect themselves
against infections.
8.
Zinc & Vitamin D Last but not least, the 2 vital nutrients for the lungs are called zinc
and Vitamin D.
Zinc is one of the most important minerals which activates white blood cells, to protect
the body from harmful viruses, bacteria, fungus, parasites, mould and other invaders.
Taking a daily supplement of 30-50mg of zinc bisglycinate,
not only supports your immune system but also actively reduces inflammation in the lungs.
This promotes better breathing helping to bring oxygen into your blood.
And then there is Vitamin D, the absolute #1 most important nutrient to protect your
lungs against damage and breathing problems.
You get Vitamin D by exposing your skin to the sunshine.
However if you are under the weather you may need to rest to recover indoors.
So, taking a daily supplement of 10,000iu of Vitamin D3 year round, can help to strengthen
your lungs,
Activate your immune cells to fight off infections
And keep your airways open and free of inflammation.
Final Tips
Try out a mixture of the remedies presented in this video and see which works best for
you.
Natural remedies can be an effective solution to a chest infection, however if the symptoms
are unbearable it's important to seek medical advice from your doctor or health care professional.
Treating the problem is important, however prevention is just as important
Eating sugar, processed foods and alcohol actually weakens your immune system and makes
you more likely to catch a cold or an infection.
So try to maintain a healthy diet, with lots of nutrient dense whole foods, healthy fats
and proteins to keep your immune system strong.
If you do have an infection, it's important to get adequate amounts of rest to help your
body recover.
Mental and physical stress can weaken your lungs because your body release too much cortisol
(stress hormone).
Which puts a strain on your breathing.
So getting lots of sleep, and moving slowly can aid in the recovery process.
Finally, if you aren't hungry don't feel like you must eat.
Fasting for at least 16 hours triggers autophagy, a process where your body cleans out viruses,
bacteria, old dead proteins and waste to make you heal faster.
That's why you may not feel hungry.
To learn about the top 10 herbs for healthy lungs in more detail, go ahead and tap on
this video on the screen now for more information.
Thank you so much for watching, and as always I wish you great health, wealth and happiness.