Have you caught a cold and started coughing? Do not let the disease drift, because serious complications can begin - bronchitis or pneumonia.
Most of us suffer a cold on our feet - they say, it will pass. Meanwhile, the infection, if not treated properly, gradually descends into the bronchi, causes their edema and disrupts the normal process of self-cleaning. In chronic bronchitis, this situation is even more complicated, which leads to a kind of restructuring of the entire pulmonary system and a violation of its protective functions. And then the slightest hypothermia immediately leads to an exacerbation.
AT HOSPITAL!
In order not to bring the situation to critical, for a start, just change your attitude to colds. If you feel unwell - use your right to sick leave. Do not go to work until you finally cope with the disease.
In case of a protracted or severe cold, do not self-medicate: take those medications that are recommended by the doctor, not the neighbor on the landing or the pharmacist in the pharmacy. After all, many drugs have contraindications, can cause an allergic reaction. With ARVI, antibiotics are prescribed only in extreme cases, when complications begin, and against the viruses themselves they are powerless.
In addition to the main treatment, traditional medicine can be used. With bronchitis, plant extracts with an expectorant effect are useful: coltsfoot, marshmallow, licorice, plantain. They help cleanse the bronchial tubes of mucus and sputum, in which pathogenic bacteria accumulate. Preparing the infusion is simple: 1 table. a spoonful of plant material should be poured a glass of boiling water, let it brew for half an hour, strain. Take 1/3 cup 3 times a day. Contraindication: individual intolerance.
Tip
Stop smoking! Cigarette smoke destroys the protective mechanisms of the respiratory system, making it easier for viruses to enter the body. In a house where at least one of the family members smokes constantly, non-smokers are 5 times more likely to suffer from bronchitis and pneumonia.
THREAT FOR LUNGS
Not completely cured ARVI can cause pneumonia. At risk are primarily children under 7 years of age, the elderly, smokers, as well as those who suffer from asthma, heart and other chronic diseases. However, relatively healthy people run the risk of catching pneumonia if they are not careful about their health.
However, pneumonia is not a diagnosis yet. This term refers to the presence in the lungs of the focus of inflammation. The most severe form of pneumonia is considered croupous, which has been known since the time of Hippocrates. Its causative agents are pneumococci. This type of pneumonia got its name from the word "croup", which means "edema." As a result of edema, the walls of the alveoli, in which the gas exchange process takes place, are filled with intercellular fluid. Fibrin molecules and red blood cells get into it from the blood, due to which sputum with croupous pneumonia becomes viscous and has a rusty brown color.
Croupous, or, as it is also called, pleuropneumonia, is accompanied by fever, shortness of breath, chest pain. The entire lobe of the lung, as well as the pleura adjacent to it, the membrane covering the lung, is usually involved in the process. Fortunately, croupous pneumonia is currently very rare. In most cases, we are talking about focal pneumonia, when a significantly smaller part of the lung tissue is involved in the inflammatory process.
A doctor can suspect an ailment already during ordinary tapping and listening to the chest.
Tip
To clarify the diagnosis, it is better to do a general blood test and chest x-ray.
CRAFTS BACTERIA
Thanks to modern antibiotics, even severe pneumonia is no longer so scary, and milder forms are generally treated at home.Nevertheless, the health hazard cannot be underestimated: any pneumonia is a serious disease that must be treated very responsibly!
By the way, the causative agents of focal pneumonia can be a variety of microorganisms: streptococci, staphylococci, influenza bacillus, etc. Moreover, it has been noted: in people who have the flu or have diabetes, staphylococci are most often activated. For those who abuse alcohol, the development of pneumonia is usually the fault of Friedlander’s wand. In young people and heavy smokers, the disease process is often triggered by chlamydia, mycoplasmas, legionella.
Therefore, in order to choose the right antibiotic, the doctor prescribes a microbiological culture of sputum. It helps determine the sensitivity of pathogens to antibiotics.
Tip
Pneumonia is treated with antibiotics on average 10-14 days, usually up to 3-5 days of normal temperature. In no case can you interrupt the prescribed course, otherwise the disease will return, and with a new force.
WHAT WILL HELP HEALTH
● While the temperature is high, bed rest must be observed. As soon as the temperature returns to normal, you can switch to your usual daily routine. Staying in bed is not worth it - it can lead to stagnation in the lungs and delay the healing process.
-● Eating with pneumonia is better 4-6 times a day in small portions, preferring vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins. In this case, salt is desirable to sharply limit. It is very important to drink as much as possible: if everything is in order with the heart, you need to drink at least 2−2.5 liters of liquid - tea with lemon, alkaline mineral water, rosehip infusion, fruit juices. Liquid improves liquefaction of sputum.
-● Treatment can be supplemented with folk remedies: for example, in the second stage of the disease, rub the chest with fat, adding 2-3 ml of fir oil to it. After 2-3 weeks from the onset of the disease, you can take an infusion of licorice root, calendula and thyme (half a glass 4-5 times a day).
-● Going out with pneumonia is undesirable, if necessary, you need to get a doctor’s permission. But it’s useful to ventilate the room several times a day to ensure the flow of fresh air.
-● Water procedures for the duration of the disease should not be abandoned. If the temperature is normal, you can take a warm shower. If elevated, just wipe with a damp cloth. But the bathhouse and sauna are categorically contraindicated until complete recovery.
-● After suffering pneumonia, it is necessary to reduce the usual physical activity. Within 2-3 months, hard physical work and sports should be avoided. But daily walks are useful: fresh air is exactly what you need!
BREATHING EXERCISES
If a cold is complicated by bronchitis, you can do special gymnastics. It improves sputum discharge and increases respiratory system functionality. It is recommended to perform it once a day. You can do the whole complex or choose several exercises.
-● Breathe in as much as you can while pulling in your stomach. As you exhale, imagine a balloon inflating in your stomach. Repeat 2-3 times.
-● Now try to cough, quickly contracting your abdominal muscles. This exercise improves the discharge of mucus from the bronchi and helps to cough.
-● Inhale through the nose. And then take 3 short exhalations through the mouth, lips folded with a tube (as if blowing out a candle). Repeat 2-3 times.
-● Inhale slowly through the nose. Slightly open your mouth and slowly exhale with the sound "F". Repeat 2-3 times.
-● Inhale slowly through your nose, raising your hands up. Hold your breath. Take a partial exhalation through the mouth. Lean forward and exhale through your mouth, uttering the sound “ha”. Repeat 2-3 times.
-● For this exercise you will need a straw for cocktails and a glass, a quarter filled with water. Take a deep breath, then exhale slowly through a straw dipped in water. Repeat the exercise 2-3 times.
-● It is also useful to inflate balloons.
TEXT: ELENA SHVEDOVA.PHOTO: LEGION-MEDIA (2); BSIP / DIOMEDIA (1); ANDRES RODRIGUEZ /
JPC-PROD / POL 'KOKO / PHOTOCREW / MARGO555 / ANNA LIEBIEDIEVA FOTOLIA.COM (6).
