Natural Treatment Options for a Respiratory Infection

There aren’t many maladies more uncomfortable than a respiratory infection. The coughing, the shortness of breath and the pain and pressure on your lungs all add up to a tiresome and often downright scary experience. There are medical treatments that will take care of the infection, but the symptoms will still be there to plague you. Here are a couple of natural treatment options you can turn to in order to lessen the aggravation of your respiratory infection.

First off, get yourself in a humid environment. That coughing that can be so painful is actually very good for you. It helps you to get rid of the infected material that’s troubling your system. So skip the cough suppressant and turn up the humidifier. Resting in a humid environment will aid in clearing your lungs by loosening up that nastiness and bringing it up and out. You can also rest in a hot shower with the door closed or boil a kettle to get some hot steam into the air.

One of the simplest and most effective natural treatments you can turn to is increasing your intake of liquids. This is another measure geared to loosen the phlegm caught in your lungs and get it out. You can go with cold, fresh water, but warm teas and soups may help alleviate your sore throat and other symptoms. Just make sure that in any case the fluids are light, and avoid lots of sugar or caffeine.

Another natural treatment for your infection that’s quite simple is to make sure you get a ton of rest. Chances are once you know you have an infection you’ve already been sitting around for quite some time, so the idea of more rest is probably infuriating at this point. But even as you begin to feel better you’ve got to keep the rest going. It will help your body fight off the infection while lessening the chances of occurrence. So try to get eight or more hours of sleep a night and don’t do anything strenuous until you get the thumbs up from your doctor.

Here’s one natural treatment that you wouldn’t necessarily expect: almonds. Almonds have long been considered a superfood, because of the vast amount of vitamins they contain. They’re offered up as supportive for any number of ailments, so eat several handfuls of these little magic pills each day you’re laid up with a respiratory infection. If you don’t like the taste you could try grinding them up and adding them to fruit, or coating them with a drop of honey for sweetness. However you get them down, rest assured they are swiftly going to work to improve your respiratory situation.

Ask the experts from UC’s respiratory therapy program and you’ll discover that almonds aren’t the only food that can help you out. Onions will also decrease your mucus situation, regardless of how you eat them. If you’re having trouble getting them down, slice a full onion into a bowl and then soak it with honey. After it sits for twenty-four hours you can eat the honey a teaspoon at a time to get the same effect. Lemons clear your system of bacteria when sipped in tea form or when you gargle the juice mixed with warm water. And tea made with bay leaves or thyme will do great things for you as well.