pneumonia

Ayurvedic Name: Shwasanat Jwara

What is a Pneumonia?

Pneumonia is a general term that refers to an infection of one or both of the lungs, usually caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. Pneumonia may also be a cause from some chemicals breathed into the stomach, or indirectly due to any other medical illness, such as lung cancer or alcohol abuse.

Pneumonia is often a complication of already existing infections and is triggered as soon as the patient's defense system is weakened, most often by a simple viral upper respiratory tract infection (nose or throat infection) or a case of influenza, especially in the elder people. It is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States.

There are main three types of pneumonia, classified according to the organism which causes them. They are:

• bacterial.
• viral.
• mycoplasma.

Less common form of pneumonia caused by a fungus is called pneumocystis carinii, which mostly strikes people with AIDS. Tuberculosis can also cause pneumonia.

Pneumonia Symptoms

The first symptom that you will spot in pneumonia the pulse is rapid, and breathing becomes shallow and painful. On a longer duration of pneumonia, you may complain of shortness of breath and chest pain. This happens because the oxygen is not able to reach the blood properly due to inflamed lungs.

Pneumonia is usually difficult to spot. Many people mimic a cold or the flu with pneumonia, so get panic very soon that they are suffering from a serious condition. The signs and symptoms of pneumonia varies largely depending on the age of child and the cause of his infection. Only your doctor can provide you complete information about the signs and symptoms with adequate diagnosis.

The person suffering from pneumonia may experience:

• a cough that produces greenish or yellow sputum.
• a very high fever, which may be accompanied by shaking chills.
• rapid breathing.
• chest pain.
• a sharp or stabbing pain.
• experience headaches.
• exhaustion.
• vomiting.
• develop sweaty and clammy skin.
• wheezing.
• loss of appetite (in older children) or poor feeding (in infants).

Other symptoms may include:

• Loss of appetite.
• Excessive Fatigue.
• Blueness of the skin.
• Nausea.
• Person may experience joint pains and muscle aches.

Infants with pneumonia may have many of the symptoms above, but in many cases, they are simply sleepy or have decreased appetite. In serious cases, children may develop bluish or gray color of the lips and fingernails.

Pneumonia Causes

The main cause of pneumonia is the infection of the lung tissue by one of many different microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi and some parasites. These may be present in the body for some time before causing illness.

You may get pneumonia from the germs present in food, liquids and chemicals. In some cases, it is caused by breathing in small droplets containing the organisms that cause pneumonia. These organisms come into air from an infected person, when the person coughs or sneezes. In other cases, pneumonia is caused when bacteria or viruses that are usually present in the mouth, throat, or nose inadvertently enter the lung.

Though, pneumonia can be caused to anyone at any age, but very young and very old people are the most susceptible to pneumonia. Pneumonia very easily develops after an illness such as flu or cold.

Pneumonia is of two types according to the locations in the lung:

1) A lobar pneumonia- It affects a section of the lung.

2) A bronchial pneumonia -It affects the lungs in patches around the tubes, which bring the air into the lungs.

Some other causes of the pneumonia are:

• Excessive Smoking.
• Heavy Drinking.
• Heart Failure.
• Diabetes.
• Having a Lung Disease.

Ayurvedic Treatment, Herbal and Home Remedies for treatment of Pneumonia

Here are some of the recommended ayurvedic, herbal and home remedies for the treatment of pneumonia:

Ayurvedic Medicine I

Ingredients:

- Shringa bhasma

- Rasa Sindoor

- Shirngrabhra

- Narsar

Directions:

Take about 125 mg of each Shringa bhasma,
Rasa Sindoor,
Shirngrabhra,
Narsar and about 240mg of narsar. Mix all these items properly. Take this dose three times in a day with juice of ginger.

Ayurvedic Medicine II

Ashtadashang Quath - A good ayurvedic remedy for treating pneumonia. Take about 15ml of Ashtadashang quath daily in morning.

Ayurvedic Medicine III

Ingredients:

- Chintamani Ras

- Bhasma of Mayura Pichha

- Pippali Churna

- Rock Salt

- ApamargaKashra


- Churna of Kakarasinghi

Directions:

Take 125mg each of Chintamani Ras, Bhasma of Mayura Pichha, Pippali churna, Rock salt ApamargaKashra and 5 mg of Churna of Kakarasinghi. Mix all these medicines properly and make them into a single dose. This must be taken in the intervals of 3 hours, with honey.

Some Herbal and Home Remedies for Pneumonia

Turmeric - Take a thick cloth and make four folds of it. Between the third and fourth fold, spread a layer of turmeric. Now mix this turmeric in lukewarm water and sprinkle over the cloth to make it partially wet. Now put this cloth on the chest of the patient, heat a brick and put it over the chest of the patient to stimulate his chest, when the heat from the brick reaches the chest, it would nullify the pneumonia effect.

Also take 1 gm of black pepper, five cloves and 1 gm of edible soda. Boil it in 15 ml of water. When it is drinkable, make the patient drink it by sipping, for early relief.

Garlic - Another good herbal remedy for pneumonia. The main thing that it does is that it brings down the body temperature, thereby helping you to cure pneumonia. A paste of garlic can also be applied externally on the chest, which will do the same work as taking orally.

Sesame Seeds - Sesame seeds can also act as a good herbal treatment for pneumonia. Take out an extract of sesame seeds, by steeping 15 gm of seeds in 250 ml of water. A mixture of this extract, a tablespoon of linseed, a pinch of common salt and a dessertspoon of honey, can be given to the suffering patient everyday. This will help him in treating pneumonia fast.

Turpentine Oil - The pain of pneumonia can be relieved by applying turpentine oil over the rib cage and wrapping a warm cotton wool over it