Bronchitis - Bothell,WA

Lemon and honey. Basically warm lemon juice with honey. Works everytime! If you can't stand the taste, try adding a little fresh mint, it works absolute wonders!

My husband and my 13 year old daughter has had bronchitis issues their whole life and the cough will hold on for about 1 - 3 months. I have a humidifier in the rooms at night and it really does help. I also use my Scentsy warmers and put vicks inside them for humidifiers if you don't have one. Hot tea also helps a bit.

Hope it help
M.

I have dealt with Bronchiti's my whole life!
Vick's Vapor machine w/mentholatim gue but add salt to the water
2/3 hot steam shower's a day-steam really bring's that yucky stuff out of the lung's!
an last but not least-rest

You and I are in the same boat. I coughed so hard last week I threw up! My doc prescribed me cough syrup with coedine and an expectorant, and it really helped. I'm not sure if it's safe to take while bf'ing, though. Honey is always a good option, and cough drops help. Good luck!

I used to get Bronchitis 2-4 times a YEAR! The last time I got it (about 8 years ago), I went to Dr. Cheryl Wood, who is in Lynnwood (a naturopath) and she gave me the worst tasting cough medicine I ever had, along with some homeopathic remedies.

I got over it and haven't had it since.

When you get the urge to cough, I try not to, as much as possible. The reason bronchitis happens is irritation to the bronchial tubes and linings of the lungs. The more you cough, the worse it gets. Yes, non-smokers get it too - I was a non-smoker when I got it the last few years that I used to get it. Personally, I don't think there is a connection between smoking and bronchitis. The connection is between SADNESS and bronchitis, according to one naturopath I talked to.

My other "remedy" is take 1-2 shots of rum in 1 gulp - if you can stand it, then go to bed. For me, the rum burns a lot of the mucus out, lets me sleep, and in the morning I'm usually a lot better.

Hope this helps. I HATED this illness. It is MISERABLE. God bless you and help you to recover.

i have bronchitis and I take a cough syrup with an expectorant this helps move the gunk from your chest and lungs so you can start getting better. Rest really is the best cure for this but as a Mom is also one of the most difficult for us to do. The recommendations for eucalyptus and the chest rubs are great however one work of caution with the Vicks is that is a petroleum based product. you'd do better buying the eucalyptus oil and mixing it with olive oil and putting that directly on your chest. You can also do the same thing with Rosemary essential oil both of these are easily available in Whole Foods or New Seasons or any that carry organics. Hang in there, it does go away..eventually.

S.

My 4yr old gets bronchitis alot and she does not smoke...neither do we...so I don't know why she gets it so often. She has it right now and is on an antibiotic...but the pediatrician suggested Robitussin CF to help with the cough/phlegm. They make it in adult dosage. It's an expectorant and cough suppressant and seems to work wonders with her right now. Of course you'd need to check with your dr to make sure you can take it while nursing. Hope you get well soon.

When I'm ill, I either do tea or straight hot water with a good heaping full of honey in it. The honey has properties that help boost the immunity in your system. If you do tea, you could try chamomile, which is good for your stomach as well as the rest of your body and it helps to calm and soothe your aching body. Since you are nursing, you could try going to a health food store and finding a mother's tea. This kind of tea will help with milk production and has what you need in it to help your body feel better. :D

I am so sorry that you have caught this and I do understand how badly you can cough even if you don't smoke.

Warm water- not hot warm water. Sip warm water constantly.
Gargle w/warm salt water.
Sip warm lemon water.
Drink warm chamomile tea.
There is a Yogi Tea for clear lungs - check w/an herbalist or nutritionist since you are nursing.
Warm baths w/sea salt will sooth you and help draw the toxins/mucus out through your skin to lighten the load on you other systems.

Also, there is raw honey - this is the nectar of the gods!
A little bit of raw honey directly from the tip of a spoon. Gives you a bit of energy, tastes good and helps to coat the throat.

Probiotics and Vitamin C are a must when you are fighting something off...lot's of Probiotic, more than you get in yogurt, get a good refrigerated brand and take lot's you can't take too much, but it helps you heal more quickly. Vit C - take a little often, it is water soluble so it flushes quickly. The only side effect of too much is loose bowels. Oh and most people don't realize but we should be "going" 2-4 times a day, some say 3-5 times. Think about it, got get the trash out to feel good and clear inside. Many people, including children are dehydrated, which can also effect the bodies oxygen level.

Watch out for heating vents that dry the air out.

The body is working to clear the mucus. Help the body do this with the above suggestions.
Avoid mucus producing foods for most people that includes diary and for many wheat can work against you.

Eat rice, blueberries, tuna or lot's of protein and greens etc. High nutrition and High water content foods that are as simple as possible to digest.

Be patient with yourself. Let chores and other things go right now - rest. We often get impatient when our bodies need time to heal, but that is a waste of energy.

Sleep as much as you can and if someone offers to help- say yes.

Best of Luck to you.

have you tried eliminating all milk products?

Go to a shop that sells homeopathics and get Bryonia 30 c take it four times a day for five days. You will improve.

Some things that cause bronchitis are wall to wall carpet and kitty cats. If you have a cat train it to live outside. If you have wall to wall carpeting rip it out.

i am going through this with my son and have done tons of research. there are herbal teas that you can buy at most grocery stores that sell organic foods. I discovered that there is a tea that you can buy that has eucalyptus in it and that is supposed to be very good for relief of cough. Plus putting honey and lemon juice in it. i cant use this on my son but i actually found out about it today while at the store. If you can get ahold of some eucalyptus oil too and put it into a bath for yourself and breathe in the vapors. hope this helps.

greetings,
I suffered with Bronchitis on my wedding and honey moon. The antibiotics didn't help much... a sweet little old lady found us in the pharmacy in Ireland.... sent us to an herbal store.... we found Echinacea liquid (drops we put into our tea) also Golden Seal (capsules).... Worked great!!! We were better in 2 days.
(this was back in 2000)
Best wishes!

I've had bronchitis a lot (and I don't smoke). If you have been taking the meds and you are not better withing 5 days give your doc a call. Tell him/her you are still coughing painfully.

Good soar throat or cough suppressants are cepacol. They have a variety of choices. Some are cough suppressants, some sore throats. None taste great, but boy do they work.

Bronchitis is not an illness limited to smokers. I used to catch it instead of head colds, and I've never smoked nor lived with smokers. It's a bacterial infection that causes inflammation in your airways.

Take your antibiotics as prescribed. Assuming you told your doctor that you're nursing, they shouldn't be a problem. Finish them, even if you start to feel better, to prevent a relapse. Eating yogurt with "active cultures" will help keep your system balanced to avoid a yeast infection.

For the cough...

A spoonful of honey can help soothe it temporarily, as can sitting in a steamy room.

If you haven't tried already, prop yourself up when you sleep. The cough will be worse when you lie flat.

For the last three ideas, I have no idea about breast milk safety. My last round of bronchitis was before I was a mom. If you have a breastfeeding book, they usually have lists of types of medications that are safe and types that aren't.

Try Halls mentholated cough drops. I used to prefer the honey-lemon flavor. Breathe slowly through your mouth while you suck on one to make sure you're breathing the fumes.

My doctor used to prescribe two medications to help with the cough. One was a prescription cough suppressant. The other was an inhaler to soothe the inflammation in my airways. The inhaler helped the most, but it gave me a weird buzz that I didn't like. I eventually figured out that half dose (one puff instead of two) helped the cough, but didn't make me feel as odd.

Look for an over-the-counter cough syrup that includes an expectorant. The expectorant will help break up mucus in your chest and your coughs more productive (help you cough up that green goo that's causing the trouble in the first place).

Have you talked to your doctor again? It sounds like you have an infection which the antibiotics should help, but if you don't start feeling better in a few days you need to contact him/her again. Antibiotic resistant infections are serious and you can't "wait and see".

Here is a link I found for home remedies for coughing. Maybe one of these can help relieve your symptoms http://www.natural-homeremedies.com/homeremedies_cough.htm

Hope you feel better soon!

Talk with your doctor about what cough suppressants would be permissable as a nursing mom. The cough is nature's way of clearing your lungs of the mucus and crud in your bronchi. I hot toddy works as well, it's like having a glass of wine or beer, not extremely harmful for your baby, but check with your dr. Get well soon.

When my bronchitis is really bad I use apple cider vinegar, ginger, and honey...tastes horrible but naturally quiets the cough. It was recommended to me from a worker at the local convinence (sp) store. I use 2 tbsp vinegar, 1tsp ginger, 2 tbsp honey and 4 tbsp water (helps make it go down better).

I am a pastor here in Oregon where it rains all the time, I take care of the sheep in the streets, so I'm outside quite a bit. I have chronic bronchitis, and I smoke 3 cigarettes a day. I don't take antibiotics because they wear down the immune system. This is the only remedy that works for me and it works in 2-3 days. With a fork, crush a clove of garlic 2-3 times a day and swallow it with a little milk. Not sure how it will effect your breast milk, but I'm sure it can't hurt the child, God Bless,

Pastor K.

I have the best cure, one teaspoon apple cider vineager with one tablespoon honey and one cup water. Mix together well. drink first thing in the morning everyday before you eat anything. As well, cod liver oil pills. Both work wonders within a few days to a week. Always works.

Talk to the doc about prescribing you antibiotics that aren't too bad in the breastmilk, and be ready to treat your baby for a yeast infection, as it happens often after antibiotics. My brother has bronchitis, and he has never smoked. Bronchitis is a chronic condition which is essentially telling you that everytime you may get sick, you will also get this horrible cough. Lots of rest, hot steam, vapo-rub on your neck (not your chest since you are breastfeeding), cough drops, hot tea with lemon and honey. You might want to ask your doctor for a prescription for Albuterol, which is an emergency inhaler commonly used for Asthmatics. It is fine with breastfeeding, and It will help you to open up your passagways if it gets really bad. I hope you feel better soon!

Ask your doctor to prescribe some coedine cough syrup. It's safe for use during pregnancy and will at least help you sleep.

I am hopeing that I remember this recipe right. I used it years ago for my kids and myself but unfortunately I forgot to write it down. It is one that you can use as many times as you need to as it is completely natural. Unfortunately I can't use it any more as i have developed diabetes so...unless my sugars are low I can't have it.

Honey about 1 cup if I remember right.
Lemon Juice about 1/3 cup
Water (hot to start) about 1/4 cup

Mix it all together and store it in a jar or other handy container. Take a few spoonfuls whenever you need it. It will soothe your throat and help prevent the coughing.

This sounded crazy to me when it was suggested - someone told me to put Vic's vaporub on my daughter's feet (when she was sick) and it seemed to work... so I tried it on myself. I would put it on before going to bed and before going to work and it really helped, both with coughing and sore throat. I was surprised. I was also nursing at the time.
Good Luck, I hope some of the remedies work for you.
R.