Chest And Lung Pain

This section deals with treatments for the respiratory (breathing) system, then describes treatments for the circulatory system (the heart and blood supply).

Coughs

Coughing is a natural way of getting rid of anything that interferes with breathing dust, smoke, etc. Unless caused by an infection (flu, for example) or inflmmation in the respiratory tract (such as bronchitis), it is usually uncomfortable more than painful. It will normally clear itself when the problem is resolved, but see a doctor if it lasts more than two weeks, or is accompained by pains in the chest, fever or blood in the mouth.

Herbal Medicine

A hot drink of lemon juice, honey, and glycerin is a good throat soother, and a hot apple cider vinegar compress on the throat and upper chest can help loosen phlegm. White horehound is the best of a wide range of herbs that help alleviate coughs. Others are mullein, wild lettuce, yarrow, angelica, elecampane, licorice, and elderflower. For children, wild cherry bark is good. Make a tea and drink a spoonful three times a day. There are also a number of herbal cough mixtures available, mainly through health food stores.

Nutritional and dietary therapy

Garlic capsules (two, three tiems a day) and a good multivitamin compelx with beta carotene (vitamin A), B complex, C, and zinc are recommended for the relief and prevention of coughs.

Aromatherapy

Steam inhaling with various essential oils (Choose from eucalyptus, cypress, hyssop, bergamot, and chamomile is beneficial, especially in the early stages. Inhale for about 10 minutes using three or four drops of the chosen oil in boiling water. Massaging chest and back with the diluted oils of eucalyptus, thyme, sandalwood, frank incense, or myrrh can also help.

Bronchitis

Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchii, the tubes that connect the windpipe to the lungs, and is caused by either viral or bacterial infection. It is more serious than infection of the throat (trachea), known as tracheitis. Symptoms include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, phlegm, tightness in the chest, headache, and fever. The condition will normally clear, with treatment, in about 10 days, but chronic bronchitis is harder to clear and extremely serious, needing special medical attention. Antibiotics may be advisable in severe cases of bacterial (but not viral) infection.

Hydrotherapy and aromatherapy

Bed rest in a warm room is advisable in the early stages. Avoid irritants, such as smoke and dust. Steam inhalations provide the best immediate relief, especially using the essential oils of eucalyptus, hyssop, cedarwood, and sandalwood. Five or six drops of one of these in a bowl of hot water will do. Around a dozen essential oils can help various symptoms of bronchitis, and individual advice from a qualified clinical aromatherapist is recommended for maximum benefit. A preparation available from health food stores and some drugstores, (it contains oils of eucalpytus, mint, cajuput, menthol, wintergreen, junjer berry and cloves is an alternative). A warming compress as a "cold compress" can also be effective at removing tightness and soreness in the chest.

Nutritional and Dietary therepy

An all-juice diet for the first two to three days is recommended. Taking plenty of liquids is more important than eating in the first 48 hours. Good juice diets are carrot and radish; carrot, beet and cucumber; or carrot and spinach. Avoid dairy products, sugar and eggs, which are believed to promote mucus, and eat hot, spicy foods that free up mucus. Examples are garlic, onions, horseradish, mustard, and chilis. Supplement with vitamins A, B-complex, C with bioflavonoids, E, zinc, and selenium.

Herbal Medicine

Garlic (fresh or capsules) and echinacea can both prevent and fight infection. Teas of elecampane, licorice root, and ginger can help clear mucus and are warming. Take three times daily, hot or cold, as preferred. There are more than a dozen herbs effective for bronchial infection, and advice is best sought from a qualified medical herbalist for a prescription based on individual symptoms.

Asthma

Asthma is a chronic breathing problem from severe inflammation of the bronchioles tubes in the lungs that deliver oxygen to the bloodstream and return carbon dioxide from it as a result of allergic reaction. The allergic causes of asthma are similar to those for eczema and hayfever. Asthma that starts in childhood often clears spontaneously during adolescence but adult asthma is usually long-lasting. There is no known cure while the allergy lasts, but a number of natural therapies have a good record of alleviating symptoms and helping promote recovery.

Caution : Severe asthmatic attacks are potentially life-threatening, and immediate medical help must be sought, especially if the person affected starts to develop blue lips and a cold and clammy skin.

Yoga

Improving posture can help asthma by helping the chest expandfully. Helpful postures include the Fish, the Shoulder Stand the pelvic tilt , and the Cobra.

Herbal Medicine

Ephedra, ginseng, euphorbia, chamomile, elecampane, and thyme are said to ease breathing. Mullein, marshmallow, butterbur, slippery elm, and passionflower can soothe and help clear the mucus membranes. Take any of these herbs as either tinctures or teas 3-4 times a day, as needed. For teas, always use the dried herb (leaf, flower, or root) not the fresh plant.

Nutritional and dietary therapy

For prevention, identify food allergens by keeping a daily diary of exactly what you eat, and when, and follow your findings with an exclusion diet. Eating a healthy diet and avoiding known allergens, such as dairy products, food additives, and colorings is a priority. For treatment during an attack, try raw juice diets, such as carrot, celery, spinach, and grape fruit or radish, lemon, garlic, comfrey, horseradish, carrot, and beet. Cider vinegar with honey in a glass of warm water, three times a day, can also help. Supplementing with propolis (bee pollen), omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids (EFA), cold pressed olive oil, vitamins A (or beta carotene), C, E and B-complex, and minerals magnesium, calcium, selenium and manganese is also recommended.

Naturopathy

The main aim of the naturopathic approach is to identify the cause(s) of the allergic reaction, support the immune system in dealing with them, and remove them from the sufferer. The dust of the house mite is suspected of being the most common allergen, but identifying other allergens is difficult. Possible food allergens can be identified by an exclusion diet but environmental allergens are harder to isolate. There are several forms of allergy test available but none, as yet, is considered reliable.
Regular use of ionizers and humidifiers can help with breathing affected by air conditions. Alternating hot and cold foot baths, dry skin-brushing, and mustard compresses and hot mud packs on the chest are also said to be beneficial.

Aromatherapy

The essential oils of bergamot, camphor, eucalyptus, lavender, hyssop and marjoram are recommended for an asthmatic attack. Mix two drops of each oil into a carrier oil and massage gently over the back and chest. To help mucus drain, lie with the head slightly lower than the lungs. An alternative combination is eucalyptus, juniper, wintergreen, pepperming and rosemary. For asthma brought on by stress, lavender or frankincense are said to be calming.

Relaxation and flower remedies

Stress and anxiety are important features in asthma. Visualization, meditation, and biofeedback can be effective in preventing and managing attacks. Back Rescue Remedy can help at the start of an attack.

Pleurisy

Pleurisy is inflammation of the pleura, the delicate membrane between the lungs and the walls of the chest. The most usual cause is viral infection, but it can also result from pneumonia and injuiry of adjoining organs. Breathing produces sharp, stabbing pains in the chest and shoulders from the fluid buildup in the membranes, and there is usually also a high fever.

Hydrotherapy

Bed rest and taking plenty of fluids is recommended. Hot compresses applied to the back and chest will bring relief and promote recovery.

Nutritional and dietary therapy

Hot soups and broths, especially containing the spice turmeric, garlic, and cloves and chewing the rind on the inside of citrus fruits are all beneficial and so are drinks of juiced carrot, celery and parsley (or carrot and pineapple or carrot, beet, and cucumber). "Toast water," a traditional remedy of powdered wholewheat toast boiled in water with butter and salt, and drunk while warm, is said to relieve pleurisy pain. The supplements vitamin C, EFAs (fish oils, evening primrose and starflower/borage oils), and bromelain (pineapple enzyme) also help to promote recovery.

Herbal medicine

Mix equal of the tinctures of pleurisy root, echinacea, and elecampane, and take a spoonful a day. Drinking a tea of half-and-half dried mullein and pleurisy root as often as needed can also help.

Massage and aromatherapy

Massaging the back and chest with the oils of black pepper, pine, myrrh, rosemary, angelica, sage, or tea tree can bring effective relief.

Pneumonia

Pneumonia is an infection of one or both of the lungs, caused by a virus or bacterium. Symptoms are chest pains, breathlessness, a cough with colored phlegm, fever and chills. Bacterial pneumonia is more serious than viral, and can be life threatening for the very young and the very old. Bronchopneumonia is often the final stage in people dying of old age and cancer, and is sometimes a feature of AIDS.

Caution : Immediate antibiotics are advisable in severe cases of bacterial pneumonia.

Hydrotherapy and massage

Rest and various hydrotherapeutic methods are recommended in cases of pneumonia, including a warming compress, covering both the back and chest (also known as a "pneumonia jacket"). This should be combined with a cold compress on the forehead, and the feet in a bowl or basin of hot water. The treatment should be followed by having someone "drum" on the back with cupped hands to loosen mucus in the lungs, and (in normally strong people only) a cold friction rub.

Nutritional and dietary therapy

Eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegtables (including raw garlic, chilli, and cayenne peppers) and avoid dairy produce and sweet foods. Fresh diluted pear juice is claimed to have decongestant qualities, and regular drinks of fresh juiced carrot, spinach, parsley, garlic, and cumin are said to help. Supplement with large daily doses of vitamins A (preferably as beta carotene), C with bioflavonoids (6-10 g), and zinc. Other useful supplements are propolis (bee pollen) and acidophilus/bifidophilus (probiotics).

Herbal medicine

Lobelia and thyme loosen phlegm, echinacea and garlic fight infection, and elderflower and yarrow reduce fever. They should be taken as teas made from the dried herb. Other useful herbs are ipecacuanha, hypericum, and juniper. It is best to get a prescription from a qualified herbalist for something as serious as pneumonia.

Massage and aromatherapy

Massage the back and chest with equal drops of essential oils of camphor, eucalyptus, pine, lavender, lemon, and tea tree, diluted in a neutral carrier oil.

About the Author

drizharnium@gmail.com, Bangalore India

Hi Friends, I am Izhar, love all of you, and  I'd like to write about my interest, and here i am sharing about my opinion, prevention regarding to many diseases, maintaining  views for Health, Beauty & Younger looking Secrets at article base...

 

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