Many chest infections aren't serious and get better within a few days or weeks.
Lemon and honey- Mix a tablespoon of lemon juice, a tablespoon of honey and a glass of hot water and drink this as a tea. This will help in reducing coughs and loosening the thickness of the mucus. Lemons are an excellent source of vitamin C and are essential in getting rid of mucus-forming bacteria.
If you have a bacterial chest infection, you should start to feel better 24 to 48 hours after starting on antibiotics. You may have a cough for days or weeks. For other types of chest infections, the recovery is more gradual. You may feel weak for some time and need a longer period of bed rest.
Guaifenesin is used to help clear chest congestion from a cold or flu by thinning out the mucus or phlegm in the lungs. You can take guaifenesin in the form of a solution, syrup, liquid, tablet, or packet.
Stage four: Resolution
The final stage of pneumonia occurs between days eight to ten. This is the recovery phase of pneumonia, where the immune cells and enzymes fight the infection, allowing the alveoli to work better. The macrophages clear pus from the infected area.
If your symptoms get worse, you should look out for these warning signs. They include: If a fever, wheezing or headache becomes worse or severe. If you develop fast breathing, shortness of breath, or chest pains.
Although most common chest infections will clear up without treatment, if the infection is particularly severe or symptoms do not begin to ease within 2–3 weeks, it may be time to see a doctor. Other symptoms that also indicate it is time to see a doctor include: coughing up blood or bloody mucus.
Take a breath that is slightly deeper than normal. Use your stomach muscles to make a series of three rapid exhalations with the airway open, making a "ha, ha, ha" sound. Follow this by controlled diaphragmatic breathing and a deep cough if you feel mucus moving.
It could be a sign of something more serious, such as bronchitis or pneumonia, so stay at home and call your doctor right away.
Drinking tea or warm lemon water mixed with honey is a time-honored way to soothe a sore throat. But honey alone may be an effective cough suppressant, too. In one study, children ages 1 to 5 with upper respiratory tract infections were given up to 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) of honey at bedtime.
If your mucus is dry and you are having trouble coughing it up, you can do things like take a steamy shower or use a humidifier to wet and loosen the mucus. When you do cough up phlegm (another word for mucus) from your chest, Dr. Boucher says it really doesn't matter if you spit it out or swallow it.
Mucus in the lungs is known as phlegm or sputum. It is a common symptom in chronic lung diseases such as COPD (including chronic bronchitis and emphysema), cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis, NTM lung disease or asthma.
your symptoms are not improving. you feel confused, disorientated or drowsy. you have chest pain or difficulty breathing. you cough up blood or blood-stained phlegm.
Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics if the symptoms are severe and include high fever along with nasal drainage and a productive cough. Antibiotics may also be necessary if you feel better after a few days and then your symptoms return or if the infection lasts more than a week.
Drinking enough fluids, hot ones, can help mucus flow. Water and other liquids can help relieve a stuffy nose. Drink fluids like juice, clear broth, and soup. Other good beverages include decaffeinated tea, warm fruit juice, and lemon water.
Grate ginger (a medium-sized piece), add a tsp (or more) of honey and a few drops of lemon juice in water and put it to a boil. Reduce the mixture to half and strain in a cup. Sip it warm to detoxify your lungs naturally.
Warm water on its own is very effective in detoxifying your body. When clubbed with a natural sweetener like honey (how to use honey for cold & cough), the drink becomes far more powerful to tackle attacks from free radicals. The honey warm water drink is especially great to help your lungs to fight pollutants.