How to Ease Bronchitis Symptoms With Alternative Remedies

Bronchitis is an upper respiratory illness that involves the lung's airways becoming inflamed and the bronchial tubes being obstructed. Causes include bacteria or viral infections, smoking, pollutants or allergies. Symptoms you may experience when you have bronchitis are a hacking cough, chills, chest pain, congestion, wheezing, sore throat, fever and difficulty breathing. Your doctor may want to treat you with prescription drugs, like antibiotics or inhaled beta2-agonists. If you want to try alternative remedies instead, there are some available.

Instructions

1

Eat lots of garlic and onions when you come down with a case of bronchitis. Garlic has natural antibiotic properties and both garlic and onions have quercetin, an antioxidant that aids in reducing inflammation in your lungs. Use caution when consuming large amounts of garlic if you are on blood thinners, protease inhibitors, diabetes drugs or anti-platelet medications.

2

Break up congestion in your lungs with cayenne pepper. Cayenne comes from a plant grown in South America and is popular for both culinary and medicinal use. You can get it in capsule or extract form and take as directed by the manufacturer. Consult your doctor before taking cayenne if you take blood thinners or are on ACE inhibitors. You should avoid cayenne if you are pregnant, breastfeeding or on theophylline, an asthma drug.

3

Ask a homeopathic practitioner which remedies can help ease your bronchitis symptoms. Several homeopathic remedies are available, including Pulsatilla, Dulcamara, Byonia, Silica, Calcarea calbonica, Antimonium tartaricum, Sulphur, Hepar sulphuris calcareum and Causticum. A practitioner can determine the best remedy for you as an individual. Homeopathic remedies are safe to use.

4

Suck on slippery elm bark lozenges to bring relief to your respiratory tract and stop coughing in its tracks. Slippery elm contains a soluble fiber called mucilage, that helps to ease your discomfort during an attack of bronchitis. This is a safe herb to take, even if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. You should take it apart from any prescription medications you already take to avoid the risk of any interactions.

5

Take fenugreek to help reduce the buildup of mucus. Fenugreek comes from the seeds of a plant that originally grew in Asia and Europe. You can find it in capsule or tea form and should take the dosage suggested by the individual product. You should avoid this herb if you are pregnant or on prescription drugs, such as Heparin, Warfarin, Glipizide or Ticlopidine. If you are unsure about whether fenugreek is safe to take, talk to your doctor.

6

Blow up some balloons several times each day for a period of two months. Doing so can actually help to improve your lung function and help you to breathe better. This is especially helpful if you have chronic bronchitis.

Colon Cleanser Home Remedies for Nursing Mothers

Many people have seen the benefits of engaging in a colon cleansing program to improve health and well-being. Nursing mothers need to take extra care in choosing a colon cleansing program. Restrictive diets and strict fasts are not safe while your body is working to make milk for your baby, and when it comes to herbs and medications, risk to the baby must be a primary consideration.

What to Avoid

New mothers sometimes experience constipation. If you are already taking care of yourself by getting plenty of rest, eating healthy food and drinking clear water, you may want to try a colon cleansing kit or program to help your bowels along and to possibly lose some impacted waste weight.

While not every substance you ingest winds up in your milk, many do, so you should use caution. Many cleansing products contain the harsh stimulant laxatives senna and cascara sagrada. While the American Academy of Pediatrics states these seem to have no effect on the nursing baby, according to kellymom.com other breastfeeding specialists advise against these herbs because they might cause diarrhea in the breastfeeding child. It is also best to err on the side of caution with herbs like horsetail and milk thistle, which are used in some colon cleansing products and actively work on the liver and kidneys.

What to Try

The safest and most effective means of cleansing and detoxifying your system is to change your diet. Avoid white sugar, highly processed foods, and drinks and foods with artificial sweeteners. To cleanse your colon, build your diet around vegetables and fruits--at least 75 percent of the foods you eat should be plant-based--lean animal protein, dairy foods and high-fiber whole grains. Drink at least 64 oz. of filtered or distilled water every day. While you are breastfeeding you should not fast; however, you can drink vegetable soups or juices as one meal each day to give your digestive tract a rest. Do not go hungry.

The soluble and insoluble fiber in fruits, vegetables and grains absorb the water you drink and bulk up in your intestine. Bulk prompts your digestive system to get to work on elimination. Insoluble fiber scours your intestinal walls to clean out any mucous buildup. These actions combine to help your body absorb more nutrients from the food you eat.

If you are really having a hard time eliminating and have gone a few days without having a bowel movement, you can use a magnesium-based laxative. A study published June 1, 2002 in the "Lancet" by D. Altman et al. concluded that intravenous use of magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) to treat pre-eclampsia is effective and does no harm to the mother or baby. This being the case, ingestion of magnesium at recommended dosages for laxative purposes should pose little risk. The American Academy of Pediatrics lists magnesium sulfate as a low-risk laxative for nursing mothers. Magnesium oxide and magnesium hydroxide (milk of magnesia) have not been reviewed by the AAP.

How to Treat Hypertension While Breastfeeding

Hypertension is defined as an elevated level of blood pressure in a person. A woman's blood pressure is slightly elevated for three to five days after the delivery of a child but typically goes back to normal levels shortly thereafter. Women who are breastfeeding and have hypertension may have more difficulty producing enough milk for their baby. However, if you are nursing, there are several prescription drugs that are safe for you to take to treat your hypertension. In addition, you can take some stress-reducing steps to help lower your blood pressure.

Instructions

1

Start an exercise routine. A postpartum mother can do simple things like taking a walk with the baby in the stroller or taking 5 to 10 minutes a day to do stretching and yoga exercises. Eventually adding increased cardio and weight training can also help reduce stress and can help a mother lose some "baby weight" and reduce her elevated blood pressure.

2

Continue taking prenatal vitamins. In addition to the benefits your baby will receive from them as you nurse, the additional vitamin C and E will help reduce high blood pressure as well.

3

Stick to a healthy diet. Avoid very fatty and salty foods and eat a well-balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, grains and proteins. However, stay clear of some vegetables that may cause your baby to be gassy (cauliflower, cabbage, dishes heavy in onions or garlic) because they pass through the breast milk.

4

Consult with your doctor about safe hypertension medications to take while breastfeeding. Adalat, Procardia, Lopressor, Inderal or Aldomet is often prescribed by physicians to treat high blood pressure after childbirth. The drug will be prescribed in a regular dosage (typically one to two times a day in a pill form), and continued until the blood pressure can be more readily controlled without the use of medication.

5

Take time each day to sit and relax alone. Even if it's only five minutes, take time to take a break to sit down, take a bath or read a book or magazine. Giving your body and mind enough rest regularly will help reduce your stress levels and ultimately help reduce your blood pressure.

How Long Does it Take to Lose Pregnancy Weight?

Aside from wondering what their baby will look like and what type of mom the will be, many expectant mothers spend a lot of time during their pregnancy wondering: How long does it take to lose pregnancy weight? Doctors recommend that most women gain between 25 and 35 pounds during their pregnancy, but the rate at which women lose this weight after pregnancy varies greatly.

Misconceptions

Many first-time moms labor under the misconception that after they deliver their baby they will be right back to their pre-pregnancy weight. Unfortunately, this rarely happens. The baby, placenta and other fluids expelled during delivery usually only add up to around 10 to 15 pounds or less, leaving several more pounds of weight to lose.

Considerations

How long it takes to lose pregnancy weight depends a lot on whether a woman chooses to breastfeed her newborn. While women who opt to breastfeed often burn a lot of calories and lose weight by breastfeeding, it also prohibits them from doing much dieting. Women who do not breastfeed are often approved for exercise and reasonable dieting just a few weeks after a normal delivery.

Time Frame

Depending on how much weight was gained during the pregnancy, most women can expect to lose their pregnancy weight within a few months to one year after delivery.

Prevention/Solution

No matter how long it takes to lose pregnancy weight, women should have realistic expectations about weight loss. Extreme dieting and rapid weight loss are never recommended for post-pregnancy weight loss, often resulting in weakness, fatigue and a greater likelihood for the weight to return. Instead, women should expect to lose a healthy one to two pounds a week until they return to their pre-pregnancy weight. Regular moderate exercise and a sensible diet should make this goal highly attainable.

Potential

Most doctors recommend that instead of agonizing over how long it takes to lose pregnancy weight, expectant and new moms should focus on keeping themselves healthy and energetic and enjoying their new babies. Dwelling on excess pregnancy weight is not healthy and accomplishes little.

How to Treat Nipple Problems

Congratulations! You've decided to commit to breastfeeding your new baby, because you know it's the best thing for both her and you. But does it have to hurt so much? Dry, cracked, and bleeding nipples are common when breastfeeding. This article will tell you how to treat nipple problems common to breastfeeding.

Instructions

How to treat nipple problems

1

Soothe your nipples! After nursing, gently cover each nipple with a cool, used tea bag or even a cabbage leaf. Both are recommended solutions by breastfeeding experts.

2

Treat your nipples. After each nursing, let your nipples air dry and then gently rub some lanolin cream on each one to prevent drying and cracking.

3

Prevent nipple bleeding: Use proper nursing positions. If you are struggling with this, contact your local Le Leche League to get some breastfeeding help.

4

Hang in there! With consistent nursing, most nipple problems diminish and even disappear by the time your baby is 3 months old.

5

Take comfort in the fact that you are doing what experts agree is best for your baby!

Home Remedies for Sore Breasts from Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is a wonderful time between a mother and baby and the health benefits of breast milk for the baby are well documented. It's not uncommon for most mothers to experience some form of soreness in the breasts or nipples, especially during the first few weeks of breastfeeding. There are some home remedies mothers can try to ease the discomfort.

Position

Much nipple soreness is due to incorrect position for nursing. Make sure the baby's mouth is completely opened-as in a yawn-and center the nipple in the baby's mouth making sure that most of the areola is in the baby's mouth and not just the nipple. Correct nursing positions generally eases any discomfort within a few days.

Benefits of Air and Light

Air drying nipples reduces chapping of the nipples due to constant exposure to moisture. Rather than drying the nipples with a cloth, leave the flaps of the nursing bra open until the nipples are dry. In "The Doctors Book of Home Remedies for Children" Dr. Fleiss recommends using a hair dryer set on low heat to dry breasts. Dr. Fleiss also suggests exposing the breasts to sunlight for a few minutes.

Natural Ointment

Nipple dermatitis--when the nipple is red, feels hot and is slightly swollen--could be a reaction to something that was applied to the nipple, such as lanolin or Vitamin E ointments. "Breastfeeding Basics" recommends rubbing the breast milk into the nipple as an ointment and allowing it to air dry, as breast milk has antibacterial properties.

Compresses

Warmth eases the discomfort many mothers experience due to engorgement. Lay a heating pad set on low on top of the breasts. If you don't have a heating pad, apply a towel warmed in the microwave to the breasts. Sitting in a warm tub oftentimes will cause the mother's milk to let down and ease the pain. When cold feels better than heat, mothers can try a chilled towel or Soothies, which are gel pads that are stored in the refrigerator and worn between feedings.

Warning

If the soreness in the breasts or nipples persists, contact your doctor, as there could be a medical problem. Sometimes the mother's nipple may crack and the baby may ingest some blood, which might show up in the baby's stool or spit up. Although this is not harmful, anytime you see blood in the baby's stool or spit up, contact your pediatrician.

What Are the Treatments for a Nursing Cat's Sore Nipples?

There's no picture quite as motherly in nature's world than a mother cat whose body is curled around her nursing kittens. In most cases, this scene remains picture-perfect, as the kittens gain nourishment from their mother. But in some instances, the mother cat can develop ailments reducing her milk flow or causing intolerable pain in her nipples. As most kittens tend to select one teat as their favorite and won't nurse elsewhere, it is a cause for alarm when one of mama kitty's nipples become incapacitated.

Mastitis

Any lactating mammal, a cat included, can develop the painful ailment called mastitis. Its cause is a retention of milk in the breast, making it turn to a cottage-cheeselike substance instead of free-flowing milk. This occurs either because the mother cat is producing more milk than the kitten is drinking or because of a deformity in the teat itself that does not allow the milk to escape. Signs of mastitis include red and swollen teats that can appear to be bruised. The teats are overly hot to the touch. It is possible to manually "milk" the mastitis infection out of the cat's teat. However, unless you have prior experience or have been taught by a veterinarian, it is best to seek professional advice for a first encounter with mastitis. Placing hot compresses on the teat can alleviate symptoms. In many cases, however, antibiotics are necessary to clear the infection.

Nail Scratches

The nails of kittens develop very quickly and become razor sharp within the first week of life. They are getting ready to scratch just like their mother. They naturally dig their claws into their mother as they nurse; in most cases they miss the teat but hit her belly instead. In some cases, though, a kitten can scratch his or her mother's teat, causing tearing and bleeding of this sensitive tissue. Apply standard feline first aid methods of cleaning the wound with hydrogen peroxide and a nontoxic antibiotic cream. Trim kittens' nails once a week to reduce the chances of nail scratches.

Bites

Kittens get their baby teeth between the third and fourth week of life. By this time, they are efficient nursers, grasping firmly on to their mother's teat and sucking with all their strength. Teeth become problematic for the nursing mother cat, as kitten teeth are tiny but needlelike; they easily pierce the tender flesh of the teat. It is important that the cat's owner inspect the mother cat's teats several times a day to look for any damage done by her kittens. Again, basic feline first aid techniques apply. When the kittens have developed teeth, it is time to introduce soft foods to the kittens in an effort to wean them and give the mother cat a break.

Abrasions

All felines have rough tongues. The tongues of young kittens are no exception. Having a cat lick your human hand is similar to rubbing medium-grit sandpaper on your skin. As kittens use their tongues in nursing, the nipples of the mother cat can get roughened up. Your veterinarian can recommend a soothing ointment to relieve the mother's discomfort that is not toxic to the cat and will also not repel the kitten from nursing.