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Natural relief for chest infection/bronchitis

Tweetypie

Tweetypie

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Hi there,

I have had a cold and it has developed into a chest infection. Can anyone suggest a safe, reasonably low carb natural remedy to help relieve it please? At present I am drinking ginger tea with lemon.

Thank you!
 
Tweetypie said:
Hi there,

I have had a cold and it has developed into a chest infection. Can anyone suggest a safe, reasonably low carb natural remedy to help relieve it please? At present I am drinking ginger tea with lemon.

Thank you!
Click to expand...

Tweetypie - We aren't able to give you medical advice for a plethora of reasons. If you believe your cold has developed into a full blown chest infection, the I would however suggest you see your doctor.

In terms of your cold, and achieving some relief from that, then it's a case of analgesics to ease headaches, or whatever, and plenty of fluids to ensure you remain hydrated. Colds are a virus, so will run their course.

Clearly anyone with a complex medical history should exercise additional caution.

I hope things ease for you, but if in doubt, a call to your surgery is probably wise.
 
Hi @AndBreathe , thanks for your reply -

Sorry, I should say, chest congestion, its not really an infection as such. Just hoping for some natural remedies for congestion, cough and sore dry throat really - in the past i would have had hot lemon and manuka/honey. Obviously that's not really possible these days. Although maybe a little honey would be ok, I'm not sure. What do others do who are sticking to low carb?

Thanks again.
 
Tweetypie said:
Hi @AndBreathe , thanks for your reply -

Sorry, I should say, chest congestion, its not really an infection as such. Just hoping for some natural remedies for congestion, cough and sore dry throat really - in the past i would have had hot lemon and manuka/honey. Obviously that's not really possible these days. Although maybe a little honey would be ok, I'm not sure. What do others do who are sticking to low carb?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

If you usually recover well from a cold, then you have to decide for yourself if the added honey for a day or two is any sort of game changer.

Personally, I now find some of those things so sickly sweet that I'd just not bother, but sometimes it's just about finding a balance that suits you.

You may be able to find a fruit or herbal tea you like the flavour of, as, in my personal view, a significant proportion of the relief we feel from the old styleee remedies are about the warming comfort, the effect of some steam on the tubes and lubricating the throat.

Could could also try some Karvol in water, to create a vapour and inhale that a couple of times a day. Do be careful not to have the water too hot or the steam can scald your face and/or neck. This areas tend to be more sensitive than our hands, for example.
 
AndBreathe said:
If you usually recover well from a cold, then you have to decide for yourself if the added honey for a day or two is any sort of game changer.

Personally, I now find some of those things so sickly sweet that I'd just not bother, but sometimes it's just about finding a balance that suits you.

You may be able to find a fruit or herbal tea you like the flavour of, as, in my personal view, a significant proportion of the relief we feel from the old styleee remedies are about the warming comfort, the effect of some steam on the tubes and lubricating the throat.

Could could also try some Karvol in water, to create a vapour and inhale that a couple of times a day. Do be careful not to have the water too hot or the steam can scald your face and/or neck. This areas tend to be more sensitive than our hands, for example.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I do normally recover ok, just get a bit paranoid that the coughing stage turns to chest infection. I didn't know about Karvol, but since you mentioned it, I found a plug in thing on Amazon, so I might try that. Am having plenty of chicken soup too.
 
Tweetypie said:
Thanks, I do normally recover ok, just get a bit paranoid that the coughing stage turns to chest infection. I didn't know about Karvol, but since you mentioned it, I found a plug in thing on Amazon, so I might try that. Am having plenty of chicken soup too.
Click to expand...

Tweetypie - Coughing isn't always a bad sign. It's one of the ways our bodies clear our chests of any congestion. That said, coughing with multi-coloured results (particularly where green and red might be involved) is a sign to seek prompt medical guidance.

I do hope you feel better soon.

(I'm not posting this from an HCP perspective, but from someone who, in their childhood and teens, had probably every cold and virus known to man. I'm pleased to say my immune system is usually excellent these days.)
 
How are you sleeping? I always find that this kind of thing stops me sleeping, which makes the whole next day an endurance test!

My fallback options include
Vitamin C (I go for the naturally derived ones in relatively small doses, rather than the synthetically produced mega doses)
Zinc
Echinacea herb tea. Some of them actually taste OK! :woot:
Lots of hot drinks
Chicken Soup (the universal panacea)
and when I just need DRUGS!!! I go for the capsule version of Night Nurse. They knock me out for a good 8 hours of restful sleep. I don't touch the Day Nurse stuff because they shove caffeine in it, and I don't touch any of the other Night Nurse products because they either have sugar or sweeteners or other rubbish, but those Night Capsules are magical.

But check with your pharmacist when you buy to see if they are OK for Ds. They were the last time I bought some, but you never know if they have sneakily changed the recipe, do you?

Re the Lemon and Honey, I would be tempted to say Go For It.
I mean, how many grams of carbs does a teaspoonful of honey have? 5g? (thats a guess). Can't see 5 g doing much harm, especially when sipped slowly... just don't go overboard.

Hope that helps. :)
 
Menthol & Eucalyptus (or Vicks)from pharmacy & add a few drops to a bowl of hot water & cover head with a towel while breathing in (best done with bowl on a table so you don't risk spilling it on yourself). Rub Vicks ointment into soles of feet at night (put socks on or sheets will be really smelly) . Don't know how it works but it does.
 
Thank you everyone for your replies.

There have been no "alarming colours" yet and I think it's clearing. My very kind doctor has offered to listen to my chest just in case and with the weekend looming it will put my mind at rest.

My partner got me some Robitussin last night, but as @AndBreathe says, sometimes best not to suppress the cough.

I rubbed some olbas on my chest last night and held a hot wheat bean bag on my chest in bed last night to help me sleep. Will def rub some on my feet too though!

Ever since @Brunneria suggested chicken soup a while back, I have cooked one up in my slow cooker - amazing stuff! But I will try night nurse too I think - the doctor has suggested paracetemol, which it probably contains.

Will be sipping lemon and manuka verrrry slowly and might try the echinacea tea - didn't know you could get it in tea.

Loads of great suggestions, thank you. I haven't posted on here in ages one thing and another, but when I do, I always feel there are people here who care, listen and offer helpful advice. It helps to not feel alone, especially when under the weather. Thank you everyone and take good care :happy:
 
Also and slightly off topic, I like to stir an egg yolk into my chicken soup, to make it creamy. This week, and I kid you not, I have had no less than 4, yes, 4 double yolked eggs!! Apparently there is a one in a thousand chance of getting just one. I have had four on the trot now! Must be a world record and one very busy little hen with a strong twin gene!
 
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