I’ve been diagnosed with viral pneumonia. I’ve been sick for 8 days now and my cough is so dry and I literally cannot sleep at night due to the coughing. Drs said that there are no meds for viral pneumonia but they could give me antibiotics “just in case” it turns bacterial. Yeah, no. That’s not how this works buddy. What to do now? How to treat it naturally at home?
Answers ( 9 )
Raw pineapple can ease the cough. Garlic and/or oregano oil and Olive leaf turmeric help too. Elderberry or echinacea – traditional medicinals has a throat coat, and echinacea elderberry tea – that I find shortens the course of whatever I've got going on. Also, apply Peppermint oil on the chest. I buy loose organic horehound tea for my occasional cough. It tastes horrible, but works. Honey helps a little for flavor.
To explain further – I crush an organic garlic clove, wait 15 min then take on empty stomach first thing every AM. If I was sick, I might take five cloves. Yesterday I read that you can slice them, cover with gauze then put on soles of feet inside socks while sleeping. Feet will absorb & it will help your illness.
So far this is what I've been doing — eating several raw cloves of garlic a day for five days now — drinking hot water with lemon and honey — drinking turmeric, ginger, and oil of oregano.
I've been drinking elderberry syrup since I first noticed being sick. I cannot take echinacea as I have adverse effects. Outside of that, I've been surviving of bone broth and fresh squeezed orange juice, and pineapple.
So it's viral. Vitamin A is a known antiviral. Also, could you do some sort of saline inhalation therapy similar to a nebulizer without steroids? Maybe make a tea with oregano & inhale steam, so it gets into lungs.
I have been taking steam showers with peppermint, and I also hover over the hot teas as they cool.
We do boiled water with oregano leaves; then we put our face over the pot with a towel. Works for us.
I had a post viral flu thing! Left me with a cough for four weeks couldn't shake it, went to Dr, a locum suggested inhaler (not asthma), because everything was irritated and inflamed. It went within a day and a half! Highly recommend doing that (I was an ICU nurse for years, and initially questioned it, but amazing).
You can nebulize magnesium. You can buy a nebulizer which creates vapor. I think you could also boil water and create steam and just breath it in. What I'm not sure about is how much magnesium to add to it. It works by removing the inflammation.
Salbutamol/Ventolin same thing just different names, water is soothing but you need the bronchodilator effect of relaxing smooth muscles to stop the spasm.
The cough last because some respiratory viruses attack the cilia (fine hairs) lining the respiratory tract. They take a while to work again they way they are supposed to, so everything irritates the airway. Also, inflammation is still going on as our body reacts to the assault. Short term use of inhaled bronchodilators and steroids by inhaler or nebulizer help calm & open the airway until the cilia is back working properly. No antibiotics are necessary!
I have used strong Thyme tea, made in a teapot with a tablespoon of honey and a teaspoon of dried (preferably organic) Thyme. I have read that Thyme is anti-viral and anti-bacterial, and that, if you drink it, you exude Thymol through your alveoli, killing any viruses and bacteria in the lungs. I don't know if that's right, but that's what I've read. I've used it myself for a serious chest infection.
Using fresh thyme is even better. You might need a bit more of it to have the same effect, though. Lemon Thyme is especially nice. With fresh Thyme, you'll need to really shred it with a sharp knife before you put it in the teapot, to get the maximum benefit. And I would breathe in the steam from the pot too. 🙂
I had good luck with steam. Boil water in a clean basin – put a towel over the basin with you inside taking the steam. Make sure you are far enough away when it is very hot. Steam every 2 hours. Also warm honey will coat your throat.
There is a little steamer made by Vicks. You pour in distilled water, and it heats up in less than a minute. You put your nose and mouth over it. It was wonderful.
Have you gargled with warm water and cayenne pepper powder? That was the only thing that cured my sore throat several times. It seems to work only if warmed. I did it several times every 10-20 min.
So far "what you have been doing" should see you with no candida problems :). We know the importance of exogenous A.C.E antioxidants in similar stress situations but overlook our endogenous 1st & 2nd phase antioxidants.
As a smoker [with other serious issues] I find the leading 2nd phase AO, Glutathione (GSH), having high activity in the lungs, relieves my cough or wheeze.
The direct precursor of GSH is cysteine [as N-Acetyl Cysteine] with glycine in the transsulfuration pathway. I'm taking a few steps back to see if methionine on the transmethylation end will decrease my need for melatonin as well. I hope NAC helps in your present condition.
Mullen tea is good for coughs and getting rid of chest congestion. Mullein works like Mucinex. It thins the mucus. If you can stand Mucinex DM, then take that, or plain Mucinex with cough syrup.
Also, an inhaler and nebulizer are super important. Make sure you are using the inhaler properly. Sometimes all you are doing is hitting the back of the throat.
There is a mask that can be used with it if necessary. Ask the pharmacist for it. Stay off antibiotics! They are more detrimental than any possible help at this point.
Drink lots of water and take it easy. There is not a quick cure for viral pneumonia.
Mucinex burned my whole stomach lining; I will never take it again.
A hot air old fashion Vicks vaporizer might help you be able to breathe at night. I take a tsp of local raw honey and use the vaporizer for relief. Nothing else even the prescription cough meds work for me.
Freshly juiced ginger roots – make a tea with it, add a bit of honey. Ginger is a very strong antiviral. Glad you didn't buy into the antibiotic lie, good for you!
I do drink ginger tea several times a day.