Top 10 Diseases & Conditions Part 8b of 10: It’s Gone Viral – The Winter Fever (part two)

TOP 10 Diseases & Conditions Part 1 of 10: Heart Matters. 1 in 3 (633,842)
TOP 10 Diseases & Conditions Part 2 of 10: Cancer Wars. 1 in 3 (595,930)
TOP 10 Diseases & Conditions Part 3 of 10: You Take My Breath Away (155,041)
TOP 10 Diseases & Conditions Part 4 of 10: Accidents Happen unintentional injuries; 5.2% (146,571)
TOP 10 Diseases & Conditions Part 5 of 10: Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases) 1 in 6 (140,323)
TOP 10 Diseases & Conditions Part 6 of 10: Alzheimer’s disease 1 in 10 (110,561)
TOP 10 Diseases & Conditions Part 7 of 10: Diabetes 1 in 4 (79,535)
TOP 10 Diseases & Condition Part 8a of 10: Influenza (part one) 1 in 10 (57,062)

Part 8b of 10: Pneumonia: 1 in 10 (57,062)

Topic Lineup:

WHAT IS PNEUMONIA?
CONNECTION BETWEEN INFLUENZA AND PNEUMONIA?
WALKING PNEUMONIA
TYPES OF PNEUMONIA
DIFFERENTIATING BRONCHITIS FROM PNEUMONIA
IS PNEUMONIA CONTAGIOUS?
PNEUMONIA RECOVERY TIME
PNEUMONIA RISK FACTORS
PREVENT PNEUMONIA
RECIPES
SIMPLE INEXPENSIVE REMEDIES FROM HOME

…Pneumonia accounts for 16% of the 5.6 million under-five deaths, killing around 880,000 children in 2016. Most of its victims were less than 2 years old.

…Number of deaths: 51,811

…Deaths per 100,000 population: 16.1

…Pneumonia is easily prevented and managed illnesses with simple and effective interventions that are rarely life threatening.

WHAT IS PNEUMONIA?

The Winter Fever, symptoms of pneumonia were first described by the Greek physician Hippocrates around 460 BC. Although it carried many names and was often identified as a sickness, it wasn’t until the 19th century that scholars were able to identify pneumonia as its own infection.

Pneumonia is an acute chest infection or inflammation of the lungs is one of the most serious infectious diseases. You should know that there is not just one primary cause of pneumonia. This illness can actually be brought on by different types of germs, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi, that you inhale and that enter the lung. Knowing the cause of pneumonia is extremely important, as it is crucial in determining the course of treatment for this illness. The air sacs fill with pus and other liquid and may become solid. Inflammation may affect both lungs (double pneumonia), one lung (single pneumonia), or only certain lobes (lobar pneumonia). Pus and liquid block oxygen from reaching the bloodstream. If there is too little oxygen in the blood, the body’s cells cannot work properly, which can lead to death.

WHAT IS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN INFLUENZA AND PNEUMONIA?

Dr. Raphael Dolin in “Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine,” patients with flu are often able to recount the exact time when they became sick. Pneumonia usually falls somewhere in between. Most patients with viral pneumonia notice a deterioration over the course of 12 to 36 hours, advises the American Lung Association.

In most cases, cold symptoms subside within four (4) to nine (9) days. The flu usually resolves somewhat faster–two to five days–although respiratory symptoms such as dry cough and sore throat can persist for up to two weeks.

WALKING PNEUMONIA?

Walking pneumonia is a non-medical term for a mild case of pneumonia. Technically, it’s called atypical pneumonia and is caused by bacteria or viruses. People who have this condition do not know they have it since their daily activities are not affected and does not require you to be hospitalized compared to the other forms of pneumonia. Walking pneumonia is a form of pneumonia that involves the lower and upper respiratory system. Walking pneumonia can take on several forms:

LET’S DIVE INTO THE TYPES OF PNEUMONIA BY THE TYPE OF GERM:

1. Bacterial Pneumonia ~ caused by—you guessed it—bacteria. The most common strain is Streptococcus pneumonia; however, it can also be caused by Chlamydophila pneumonia and Legionella pneumophila. It can occur on its own or after you’ve had a cold or the flu. Symptoms of bacterial pneumonia can include fever, chest pain, and an increased heart rate. This type of pneumonia generally occurs “when the body is weakened in some way, such as by illness, poor nutrition, old age, or impaired immunity.

The 3-types of atypical pneumonia:

a. Mycoplasma Pneumonia~occurs in crowded areas like the workplace or schools

Legionella Pneumonia ~ Bacteria is spread through water vapors flourishing in air conditioning and central heating systems. This type of pneumonia cannot be spread from one person to another unlike other forms of pneumonia. It is more severe since it can lead to your respiratory system failing and eventually causing death.

Chlamydophila Pneumonia ~ Bacteria is most common among school-aged children. Chlamydophila (anaerobic bacteria) pneumonia: Anaerobic means “living, active, occurring, or existing in the absence of free oxygen”

b. Viral Pneumonia is among the most common types of pneumonia, as Dr. Joseph Mercola says it accounts for approximately one-third (1/3) of all cases. It is contagious via coughing, sneezing or touching an object that was contaminated by an infected person, and it is characterized by swollen lungs and blocked oxygen flow.

c. Mycoplasma (small typically, parasitic bacteria) Pneumonia is not a virus or a bacteria and is referred to as atypical or walking pneumonia. People with this type of pneumonia have flu and cold as signs and symptoms and patients are rarely hospitalized with this condition. It is often quite mild but can be passed from person to person through respiratory fluids. And while symptoms of this condition can differ greatly among each individual who is infected, a dry cough is common.

Tuberculosis is a slowly progressive pneumonia caused by the bacteria.

2. Aspiration Pneumonia results from the inhalation of food, fluids, gases or dust lead into the lungs, resulting in inflammation and infection. Symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, shortness of breath, chest pain, and fever.

3. Fungal Pneumonia occurs due to exposure to certain fungi, such as those from soil or bird excrement. It is fairly rare but most often affects those with an impaired immune system, such as those with HIV or AIDS. Symptoms including a cough, troubles breathing, fever, fatigue, and weight loss.

4. Bronchopneumonia is when bronchitis and pneumonia may occur at the same time and means both your bronchial tubes and alveoli sacs are infected. Bronchopneumonia may be caused by either a virus or bacteria. If you are mistakenly diagnosed with pneumonia when you actually have bronchitis, and your physician recommends taking antibiotics, this will not treat the disease. Antibiotics only work on bacterial infections, and not viruses, and may only lead to antibiotic resistance – spelling more danger for your health.

DIFFERENTIATING BRONCHITIS FROM PNEUMONIA

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchi or the bronchial tubes, that carry air to the lungs. It can be caused by bacterial infection or a viral infection, and by exposure to irritants such as smoke. Bronchitis is caused by infection, usually viral infections, although it is known to be bacterial at times. The viral or bacterial infections cause inflammation in the mucus membranes in the bronchial passages. These irritated membranes swell and cause coughing.

Viruses causing bronchitis are influenza A, influenza B, coronacirus, Parainfluenza, Rhinovirus and RSV.

Bacterial infections are caused by; Bordetella pertussi, Chlamydia, H influenza, Katarrhalis, Mycoplasma, Moraxella, S. aureus or S. pneumoniae. Bronchitis is usually a viral infection, meaning antibiotics may not be helpful in treating it.

Pneumonia is also caused by an infection; however, it is more often the bacterial infection than viral. It can be caused either by viruses, bacteria, parasites and other microorganisms. The infection causes inflammation of the lungs and because of this inflammation, the lung leaks fluids and shed dead cells, clogging up air sacks. As there is a fluid build up, the body does not get enough of the Oxygen.

The organisms that are responsible for pneumonia infections include, S. pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pnemoniae.

Generally, people with pneumonia feel much worse than those with bronchitis; and, it is also more dangerous than bronchitis, as it affects your oxygen supply, meaning all the organs and tissues in your body can be severely compromised. While bronchitis is usually viral in nature, pneumonia may be viral, fungal, or bacterial in nature, or may occur because of other harmful organisms.

Pneumonia caused by viral and bacterial pneumonia are usually contagious. Pneumonia caused by fungi or chemicals is not contagious. Chemical pneumonia, which is caused by inhalation of toxic fumes or gases, often manifests either because of chemical injury to the lung tissue or aspiration of gastric contents (such as gastric acid) in people with altered levels of consciousness, coma patients or drunk people.

WHY DOES IT TAKE SO LONG TO RECOVER FROM PNEUMONIA?

One reason is that the waste from an infection of the lung is hard to clear. Antibiotics kill the bacteria, but all the weaponry your body produced to fight the bacteria — mucus, essentially, or sputum, as it’s called once you cough it up — is left behind.

“Your clearance mechanisms have to take all that stuff out,” says Steven Simpson, acting director of the division of pulmonary disease and critical care medicine at the University of Kansas. Your airways are lined with hairlike cilia that consolidate microbes and mucus and help move it toward the exit. “It literally takes a lot of energy to keep yourself going with all that stuff in your lungs,” Simpson says. Cough is a primary way to get that stuff out.

The infection sets off a cascade of events that ramps up inflammatory and immune response. Your body goes into a mode where it’s diverting energy to the immune system. You have the bug, and you have the host response to the bug. The best thing you can do for your host body is to really rest. There’s no reason to confine yourself to your bed, but don’t push it like most people do. Don’t make yourself exhausted. Listen to your body. Pneumonia can trigger a syndrome that is asthma-like. It’s not asthma. It’s a hyper-responsiveness of the airways.

FACTORS THAT INCREASE YOUR PNEUMONIA RISK

Your community or environment. Also known as community-acquired pneumonia, this refers to pneumonia cases that come from sources other than hospitals or health care facilities.

Hospital-acquired pneumonia. This refers to pneumonia that develops during a hospital stay, and may be more serious, as the bacteria may be more resistant to antibiotics. Patients who use ventilators and other breathing machines are at a high risk of this type.

Healthcare acquired pneumonia. People who live in long-term care facilities (such as nursing homes) or treated in outpatient clinics and kidney dialysis centers, are at high risk of healthcare acquired pneumonia.

1. Having a weakened immune system due to medications

2. Having a pre-existing medical condition, such as heart or lung disease, asthma, AIDS/HIV, cancer, or damaged or removed spleens

3. Smoking (Emphysema and Chronic bronchitis are usually caused by smoking.)

Conventional medicine, in all its years of ‘wisdom’, advise people to get a flu shot for ‘prevention’. There’s only one problem – it doesn’t work! Flu shots only weaken the immune system – especially when you consider that flu vaccines are loaded with unwanted (toxic) ingredients like, mercury, aluminum, and formaldehyde. Adding insult to injury, the most deadly cases of ‘viral pneumonia’ are treated with antibiotics – which are completely ineffective against viruses. But, if antibiotics are extremely necessary, make sure to take a high-quality probiotic supplement a few hours before or after taking the antibiotic.

For over 70 years, forward-thinking physicians have noted the association between vitamin C deficiency and pneumonia – a serious health condition that claims over 50,000 lives a year.

According to Dr. Hemila, of the University of Helsinki, 148 animal studies show that vitamin C may alleviate or prevent infections caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi – including tuberculosis, strep infections, diphtheria and Candida albicans.

For this reason, integrative healthcare providers have long insisted that intake of vitamin C should be drastically raised when illness is present. In addition, the nutrient’s antioxidant properties can help curtail the oxidative stress that is created by the immune system in response to pathogens.

Ask any (honest) physician and they’ll tell you that antibiotics will not help you – if you suffer from a viral infection. But, even if your health troubles stem from an ‘unfriendly’ bacterial overload – vitamin C can do wonders without damaging your intestinal flora, which (eventually) compromises your immune system.

Andrew Saul, Ph.D. with DoctorYourself, says you can reverse Pneumonia in three (3) hours. Taking 2,000 milligrams of vitamin C every six minutes you are awake. If you should decide to take vitamin C orally in powder, capsule, or liquid form – just remember that you may experience bowel intolerance (loose stool) – once you reach your threshold. Everyone is different – depending on health history and current state of health.

Vitamin D also acts as a natural antibiotic working against all types of microbes (bacteria, fungi, parasites and viruses). It has shown, in scientific studies, to be more affective at preventing influenza than vaccines and anti-viral medications. During the winter months the body can only store up to 60 days so extra vitamin D rich foods should be consumed.

Here are some other preventive measures that you can and should take.

PNEUMONIA PREVENTION:

Contagious pneumonia cases can spread quickly, so if someone you know has bacterial or viral pneumonia, make sure to take extra precautions to avoid becoming infected. Traditional treatment for pneumonia includes antibiotics, pain relievers, and fever reducers. Here are some alternative natural remedies and strategies to remember and consider:

Improve Immune Function – Probiotics help populate the GI tract with healthy bacteria that actually keep bad bacteria in check. They are your soldiers fighting the enemy. Different strains of probiotic bacteria have slightly different functions and are concentrated in various places along the digestive tract, probiotic supplements that contain multiple strains tend to be more effective overall than products containing an extremely high concentration of just one or two strains. This is because many strains work synergistically to influence our health. Be sure to take a good probiotic with a “delivery system” that works and remains alive and healthy while on store shelves, and to reach the areas in your gut where they’ll be most effective. A probiotic supplement full of dead bacteria—or bacteria that die in a sea of stomach acid—is a waste of money.

Two types of probiotic strains that target problem areas for pneumonia are:

B. longum BB-536, has been shown to boost immune function in older adults for as long as 20 weeks.
B. infantis, which helps ease inflammation.

You can also get probiotics from your diet naturally by eating probiotic foods like cultured veggies and homemade yogurt. (See recipes below)

TOP KILLERS OF PROBIOTICS

1) Overuse of prescription antibiotics 2) Sugar 3) GMO foods 4) Inflammatory gluten 5) Emotional stress 6) Medications 7) Alcohol (except for red wine) 8) Lack of exercise 9) Over-sanitation 10) Smoking 11) Poor sleep habits

Wash your hands frequently with water and a non-antibacterial soap.
Do not share eating utensils and glasses with people infected with pneumonia.
Avoid smoking, as tobacco can weaken your lungs and hinder its ability to fight infections.5
Strengthen your immune system by consuming a healthy diet composed of fresh, organic whole foods. Avoid processed foods at all costs.
Get enough exercise, which will not only help reduce inflammation but strengthen your immune system.
Avoid stress. Stress and anxiety can impair your immune system and make your body more susceptible to infections.
Get plenty of rest and high-quality sleep. Aim for seven to nine hours per night.
Should drink a lot of fluids
Manage fever suck on ice cubes or make homemade ice pops. Take cooling baths or showers, or wrap a damp, chilled towel around your neck.
Control Coughing Naturally – Breath in moist, warm air as much as possible

RECIPES:

Homemade Yogurt

6 cups of young coconut meat,
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
3 drops probiotic liquid (Ascended Health ProAlive)
ferment in a dark cupboard overnight

Watch how to make it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=4&v=iGZpH_FJVG0

OR Choose a Coconut Milk or Cream:

Organic full fat coconut milk without any additives (thickeners like guar gum are OK) Thai Kitchen and Native Forest Thai Coconut Milk – thinner consistency

Thai Coconut Cream – thicker consistency

Choose a Sweet:

1. Markus Sweet Natural Sugar, Zero calories, zero glycemic! Does not raise blood sugar or insulin! Great for diabetics. Does not feed Candida or yeast! Does not cause digestive distress like xylitol, sorbitol, etc.

2. Add unsweetened fruit of choice

Homemade Sauerkraut

Shredded Cabbage (any other ingredients like onions, carrots)
Himalayan Sea Salt
Mason Jars
Mason Jar Lids

Instructions:

Take one cabbage leaf off and put to the side. You will use this to cover all your ingredients later.
Next, shred the cabbage and pack the shredded cabbage and other chosen ingredients into a mason jar.
Dissolve 1-2 tbsp. sea salt in 2 cups of pure water and pour this over the cabbage. Keep the cabbage under the water level of the brine, which protects the fermentation environment. The beneficial bacteria need an anaerobic environment to ferment correctly.
A correct fitting mason jar lid is important. and a the minimum time is about three days, although the sauerkraut will continue to ferment and become tastier for many days after that. Sauerkraut is best when fermented at around 64-67 degrees, though anything in the 60-70 degree range works well.
Once you’ve achieved the desired level of fermentation, it is important to move it to the refrigerator to stop the fermentation. At this point, it will store for up to 6 months if kept cool and with the sauerkraut below the brine.

Watch a sauerkraut demonstration here: CHEF MAMA ROSA

Other Simple Inexpensive Remedies from home:

1. Garlic – a natural antibiotic

Garlic is well-known for the magic power to combat against bacteria, fungi as well as viruses thanks to its allicin. That is the reason why garlic is listed one of the best home remedies for pneumonia. It helps to treat fever as well as facilitate expectorating phlegm from your lungs, contributing to helping you to recover from pneumonia quickly.

Try this method:

Firstly, pour a cup of nut milk in a pot. (Regular milk may contain pesticides.)
Then, add about 4 cups of fresh water to the pot.
Also, take ½ teaspoon of garlic which is crushed to the pot.
Boil the pot.
Remove the heat when there is ¼ of the mixture left.
Let the mixture cool down.
Consume the mixture three times every day.

2. Sesame Seeds

Sesame seed can be your next choice to combat against pneumonia because the seeds are so effective in expectorating phlegm from your lungs and chest, easing annoying symptoms of pneumonia

Take a tablespoon of sesame seeds.
Put them in a pot.
Add some water to the pot.
Then, boil the mixture.
When the mixture boils, pour a tablespoon of flax seeds in the pot.
Boil for some few minutes.
Remove the heat.
Strain the mixture.
Add some raw honey and salt in the mixture.
Stir them well.
Consume the tea once every day.

3. Cayenne Pepper

Containing a high content of capsaicin, cayenne pepper works well to expel the mucus from your respiratory air passages. Plus, it can help to encourage the healthy membranes to develop because of its beta-carotene.

Home remedies for pneumonia using cayenne pepper and lemon juice

Take a small amount of cayenne pepper.
Put it in a bowl.
Add a little fresh lemon juice.
Add some water to the bowl.
Stir them well.
Consume the mixture several times every day.

4. Turmeric

As we all know, turmeric has wonderful antiviral as well as antibacterial powers. It can work so well to expectorate the mucus from the lungs and air passages. It also helps to ease infected areas, helping to facilitate the recovery process. As a result, it restores the lungs to their normal function, thereby bringing a long-term relief.

Put a teaspoon of turmeric powder in a glass.
Pour some warm milk in the glass.
Stir them well.
Consume the mixture three times every day.

5. Steam Inhalation

You can inhale steam to ease coughing, blocking or difficulty in breathing due to pneumonia. Steam is so effective in clearing up the mucus and congestion due to pneumonia. You can make use of eucalyptus oil to relieve symptoms of pneumonia because it is very valuable in dealing with respiratory disorders thanks to anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and antibiotic as well as analgesic properties

Add some water to the pot.
Pour several drops of eucalyptus essential oil in the pot.
Take a large towel to cover your head and the pot.
Inhale the steam coming from the pot.
Take a little oil to apply to your nose.
Do this process three times every day.

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