Pneumonia
Pneumonia refers to the acute inflammation of the
lungs. It is one of the most serious infectious diseases. There are basically
two types of pneumonia, called lobar pneumonia and bronchopneumonia. They,
however, run into each other and are treated in the same way. The disease becomes
more serious if both the lungs are affected. It is called double pneumonia in
common parlance.
Symptoms
Most cases of pneumonia begin with a cold in the head
or throat. The patient generally feels chill, shivering, difficulty breathing
and sharp pain in the chest. This may be followed by a cough with pinkish
sputum which may later become brownish. The patient usually suffers from fever
and headache. In more serious cases of pneumonia, the sputum may be of rusty
colour. In your children, the disease may cause delirium and convulsions. Most
patients feel very miserable and sweat profusely. The temperature may rise to
105°F and pulse may go up to 150 beats per minute. A common complication of all
kinds of pneumonia is pleurisy.
Causes
Pneumonia is caused by various types of germs such as
streptococcus, staphylococcus and pneumococcus variety. At times, certain
viruses are also responsible for the disease. Other causes of diseases are
fungal infection, irritation by worms, inhaling foreign matter, irritant dust or
noxious gases and vapours such as ammonia, nitrogen dioxide or cadmium.
The real cause
of pneumonia, however, is the toxic condition of the body, especially of
the lungs and air passages, resulting from wrong feeding and faulty life style.
Persons with healthy tissues and strong vital force are unlikely to catch
pneumonia. It is only when the system is clogged with the toxic matter and the
vitality is low that the germs of pneumonia invade a person.
Treatment
To begin with, the patient should be kept on a diet
of raw juices for five to ten days, depending on the severity of the disease.
In this regimen he should take a glass of fruit or vegetable juice diluted with
warm water every two or three hours. Fruits such as orange, mosambi, apple, pineapple
and grapes and vegetables like carrots, tomatoes may be used for juices.
After a diet of raw juices, when the fever subsides,
the patient should three or four further days on an exclusive fresh fruit diet,
taking three meals a day of juicy fruits such as apple, grapes, pineapple,
mangoes, orange, lemon and papaya. Thereafter, he may gradually adopt a well-balanced
diet of natural foods consisting of foods, seeds, and grains, vegetables and
fruits with emphasis on fresh fruits and raw vegetables. The patients should be
given warm enema daily to cleanse the bowel during the period of raw juice
therapy and all fruit diet and
there after, when necessary.
The patient should avoid strong tea, coffee, refined
foods, fried foods, white sugar, white flour and all products made from them,
condiments and pickles. He should also avoid all meats as well as alcoholic
beverages and smoking. To reduce temperature naturally, during the course of
the fever, the procedure outlined in the chapter on malaria may be followed.
Sipping of cold water has also been found beneficial in the treatment of
pneumonia. The patient should sip cold water at short intervals so long as the
fever continues. The cold water is cooling to the feverish blood.
Home Remedies
Certain home remedies have been found beneficial in
the treatment of pneumonia. During the early acute stage of this disease, a
herbal tea made from fenugreek seeds will help the body to produce
perspiration, dispel toxicity and shorten the period of fever. In can be taken
up to four cups daily. The quantity should be reduced as condition improves. To
improve flavour, a few drops of lemon juice can be used. During this treatment,
no other food or nourishment should be taken as fasting and fenugreek will
allow the body to correct these respiratory problems in a few days.
According to Dr. F.W. Crosman, an eminent physician,
garlic is a marvellous remedy for pneumonia, if given in sufficient quantities.
This physician used garlic for many years in pneumonia, and said that in no
instance did it fail to bring down the temperature as well as the pulse and
respiration within 48 hours. Garlic juice can also be applied externally to the
chest with beneficial results as it is an irritant and rubefacient. Sesame
seeds (til) are valuable in pneumonia. An infusion of the seeds, mixed with a tablespoon
of lin seed, a pinch of common salt and a desert spoon of honey, should be
given in the treatment of this disease. This will help remove catarrhal matter
and phlegm from the bronchial-tubes. The pain of pneumonia can be relieved by rubbing
oil of turpentine over the rib cage and wrapping warmed cotton wool over it.
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