Monday, April 9, 2012

Bronchitis / Bedwetting - Health - Diseases and Conditions

Bronchitis is the step further that coughs and colds may well descend to if they have not been properly treated in the first place. The symptoms are an aching throat, tight chest, cough, headache and probably a temperature. Although it is an unpleasant ailment it should clear up within a few days but if it does not take professional advice. Most people suffering from bronchitis prefer to stay in bed, although in modern centrally heated houses this is no longer essential unless the illness is severe. Nevertheless it is sensible to ensure that the patient stays put in one heated room and does not wander into a cold kitchen or corridor. Make sure that children keep their chests well covered and their warm slippers on. Keeping a small pan of herbal water simmering in the room will act as a humidifier, keeping the air sweet and healthy. It is also important that the room is fresh and aired.

Fortunately most people will not suffer from bronchitis more than once in several years, if at all, and in most cases it is not a prolonged illness. Although it is rare today for bronchitis to linger over the years, in earlier times it was the rule rather than the exception and our forefathers took preventative steps at the beginning of each winter to ensure their continued good health. A piece of fat bacon a substantial portion of pig rather than a slice of supermarket streaky would be strapped to the chest beneath a permanent vest.

Alternatively that vest might have been a garment of brown paper well impregnated with goose grease. In either case it would have been a barrier against catching a chest cold and have been considered wearable until unbearable! Goose grease, presumable because of its availability (a good fat goose killed in the late autumn would have provided plenty of grease for several months) and the ease with which it is absorbed into the skin, was useful in medicinal rubs for the chest and the soles of the feet to protect them against rising damp. If one did succumb to illness a rigorous regime of hot mustard or kaolin poultices applied to the chest ensued or in extreme cases the wax from burning tallow candles was dripped on to brown paper and pressed on whilst still warm. The sight of all those candles burning must have given the victim cause for anxious thought.

Mustard foot baths were also used to comfort the sufferer. These had a double benefit of not only warming the body right through but also creating a warmly moist atmosphere in which to be cosseted. The ideal, of course, would be to have taken the foot bath whilst sitting before a roaring fire, a warm blanket around the shoulders, fortifying toddy close at hand and, to ward of further infection, a string of onions garlanding ones head.

Children, when suffer from wheezy colds, rub the chests with a proprietary brand of camphorated liniment and although it brought considerable relief it had its drawbacks because the film of wax left upon the skin quickly became cold. To prevent this occurring we were kept in bed clutching well covered hot-water bottles to chests and fortified with hot lemon and honey or in extreme cases an aspirin.

Home Remedies for Bronchitis

* Athenas oil To cup of olive or sunflower oil add one drop each of the following warming and antiseptic essential oils: eucalyptus, pine, cinnamon, clove. Mix together and bottle. Use to relieve congestion by massaging it into the afflicted area of nose, sinus (taking care to avoid the eyes), throat and chest. A few drops of oil on pillow or handkerchief will help children breathe more easily and if sprinkled on a handkerchief and taken to school or work will create an effective barrier against other peoples infections. The same oil can also be used as an inhalant in the quantities of 1 coffee spoon to 1 litre (1.75 pints0 of boiling water. One of the good home remedies for Bronchitis.

* Garlic It would be very hard to find any ailment that garlic does not come to find any ailment that garlic does not come to the aid of. Chop 6 cloves of garlic very finely and place them in a bowl over a pan of simmering water with the contents of one small jar of white petroleum jelly (Vaseline). Cover and leave to simmer gently for several hours. Repot and use warm to rub into the back and chest. To be doubly effective the old wives might well have advocated that burdock leaves should be placed, furry sides down, between the shoulder blades at the same time.

* Carrot juice Drunk hot this will ease bronchitis and improve upon the general state of health.

* Lemon in wine Take the grated zest of a well-washed lemon and macerate in a glass of hot wine with a spoonful of honey. Taken three times a day this not surprisingly promotes sweating and is quite relaxing!

* Slippery elm Mix the powdered bark to a palatable drinking consistency with warm water and honey and season with a good pinch of cayenne. Take morning and night. This is preferable to the ancient remedy of blackthorn bark peeled from the bush and boiled in water and sugar. One of the useful home remedies for bronchitis.

* Essential oil of juniper A few drops may be used in hot water as an inhalant. Do not use undiluted on the skin or on a handkerchief where it will be transferred to the nose.

Diet

Eat plenty of fresh, juicy fruit and fresh green vegetables. Pineapples and grapes were considered particularly beneficial to the health of invalids but as in times past the average family would have found them very difficult to obtain this may well have brought them into the realms of emotional blackmail. Take plenty of fluids but avoid milk if catarrh is present. Both onions and garlic, chewed raw, were thought to speed recovery but I suspect that this was one way to ensure that everybody gave the patient a wide berth thus reducing the risk of spreading the infection.

Most parents will have had a child wetting the bed and once the child is of an age to know better this becomes an infrequent occurrence, only happening when they are ill or unhappy. Occasionally it is caused by a child being a very heavy sleeper or as a result of pressure on the bladder. In the latter case, if it persists, professional advice should be taken for reassurance as there may be a long-standing and unnoticed problem. It is my opinion that the worst thing you can do when a child wets the bed is to make a fuss the blow up the whole thing out of proportion which will only exacerbate the problem. Many people believe that bedwetting has its cause in a lack of calcium and magnesium so ensure that plenty of good green stuff, milk and yoghurt are included in the diet. Avoid refined foods and additives, particularly junk foods.

Children need a lot of exercise, both physical and mental, but they do not need problems and if you think that a nasty niggling worry is at the bottom of this minor disaster try to get your child to tell you about it. Attention at night time, a story, a small game and plenty of kisses and cuddles to reassure may be tiring and time-consuming but they are far less so and far more rewarding than washing sheets. However as a last resort a rubber sheet under the bed linen to protect the mattress is a better alternative than the old fashioned, beastly devices of tying a bandage around the childs chest with a big knot in it to ensure a restless sleep or waking the child every hour or so to insist that they spend a penny which really can institute a major problem. One remedy which does appear to work very well on children is to massage the areas of the kidneys and lower abdomen with warm olive oil before bed. It is a very old fashioned and successful idea.

Exercise

Both adults and children should exercise a little before bedtime to relieve pressure on the bladder. Some yoga positions are designed specifically to achieve this.

Drinks

It is obviously foolhardy to give bedtime drinks to a child who wets the bed. Nevertheless soothing posses given half an hour beforehand will ensure dreamless sleep; it may be that nightmares, especially the ones which they cannot remember, are the problem. Make sure they spend a penny before tucking in .

* Hot milk A small cup of hot milk with honey and cinnamon is simple and soothing.

* Infusion of sweet corn and honey As in the case of asparagus and golden rod tea (both of which are recommended) this remedy should only be taken well in advance of bedtime. St Johns wort and plantain made into a small tea will also help. Adults should take ladys mantle tea.

* Cream of tartar Dissolve 1 teaspoon in 500ml (1pint0 of boiling water and sweeten with honey and lemon. Take by the small glass. This could possibly be preferable to Epsom salts but both may be especially effective when constipation is causing the problem. Good home remedy for bedwetting.

* A long-term remedy Take 15g (1/2oz0 of nettle seeds and 50g (2oz) of fresh rye flour, pound them to a paste with honey and form into small cakes. Bake them in a low oven until cooked. Eat one every evening until the problem stops which should be no longer than three weeks. One of the effective home remedies for bedwetting.


0