Some Ways To Bop Bronchitis

It's a terrible feeling to have phlegm in your lungs, making it difficult to breathe. Your goal should be to make the phlegm thin enough to allow you to cough it up and get it out of your body. During this cold and flu season, your risk of having a "stuffed" chest will go up substantially.

Keep these tips from All Trails Lead Home in mind to help you breathe better when the time comes....

Steam is the thing....

This is the direct approach to your problem. Attach the virus where it is causing the most problems - directly in the lungs. You do this by introducing a good steam-cleaning.

There are several ways to do this....

Take a pan of boiling water and lean over it, draping a towel over your head to direct the steam. Be careful not to get close enough to burn yourself. Take deep breaths of the steam to loosen up your lungs.

Adding 2 or 3 drops of pine oil or eucalyptus oil to the steaming water will make the treatment even more helpful. Pine oil is an expectorant - it brings up the phlegm. Eucalyptus has some antibacterial tendencies and softens mucus to make it easier to expel.

Take a really hot, steamy shower. Breathe the steam in deeply.

Drink as much water as you can stand - it thins mucus and allows it to be coughed up easier. But stay away from milk and dairy products. Cow's milk encourages mucus, and you don't need that!

Humidifier - good! It's especially helpful when operated in the bedroom while you sleep. But watch out - the problem with humidifiers is that they must be cleaned regularly and carefully, because the moist environment encourages bacterial growth within the humidifier.

Some people swear by eating hot chile peppers, and spicy foods do thin mucus and make your nose run.

If you have a wet, productive cough, you should not normally attempt to suppress it with over the counter drugs. This type of cough is helpful to bring up phlegm and you should not discourage it unless you are having muscle and rib soreness from the coughing.

Since there will be frequent flu tips during the next several months, you might want to subscribe to this blog for quick reference when needed.

And for more flu preparation and treatment information, please check out the new book How To Wage War Against A Flu Pandemic, on sale now at Amazon....http://www.amazon.com/How-Wage-War-Against-Pandemic/dp/144868448X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253376503&sr=8-1