Pneumonia Symptoms, Causes and Lifestyle

Pneumonia is inflammation of the lungs, which may be mild if a person is generally healthy, but life-threatening in those who are very young, elderly, immobilized or inactive, alcoholic, or already suffering from respiratory, heart, or kidney disease. Lobar pneumonia is when one lung only is affected; bronchopneumonia affects both lungs.

Symptoms 
• Breathlessness even when resting.
• Fever with alternate sweats and chills.
• Cough that produces yellow or green sputum. When the chest is listened to, there may be an absence of breathing sounds, or there may be wheezing or crackling sounds.

Causes 
Pneumonia occurs when an infection of the upper airway spreads deep into the lung tissue and invades the alveoli. It may develop from a cold virus, but it is usually caused by bacteria, especially pneumococcal bacteria. Other, more obscure sources of infection are carried by mycoplasma and rickettsia (microorganisms). Pneumonia may be associated with immunodeficiency disorders, in which case unusual fungi or protozoa may be responsible. Pneumocystis pneumonia— common among AIDS sufferers—is an example of this. People taking inflammatory or immunosuppressive drugs long-term, or who smoke, are more likely to develop pneumonia than those who do not. The disease may also be caused by inhaling liquids or poisonous gases such as chlorine.

Conventional care
Diagnosis is by examination, chest X-ray, blood test, and sputum test, whereby a culture is grown in a laboratory. Patients with lobar pneumonia were once said to heal “by lysis or crisis” within five days. That is to say, the disease came to a head and then abated, or death followed from respiratory failure. Modern drugs enable recovery from pneumonia within about two weeks unless the patient is debilitated or old. In severe cases, oxygen therapy or artificial ventilation may be necessary.

Homeopathic medicine
In the initial stages of mild, viral pneumonia, treatment by an experienced homeopathic physician may be beneficial. With recurrent pneumonia, constitutional homeopathic treatment is certainly advisable in addition to conventional treatment. A person’s specific symptoms will largely determine constitutional prescription, but certain remedies have an affinity with the lungs. Arsen. alb. is prescribed for bronchial constriction; while Bacillinum may be used for those with respiratory problems in whom chronic catarrh may easily give rise to infection, such as the elderly. Calc. carb. is effective for complications arising out of restrictions in the movement of the rib cage; and either Pulsatilla or Phosphorus may be used to treat irritation of the mucous membranes lining the respiratory tract. In acute cases of pneumonia, Aconite may be prescribed if the onset is sudden, particularly in cold, dry weather, and there is chest pain, fever, anxiety, and a fear of dying. Phosphorus is given for a cough producing rust-colored sputum, with weakness, trembling, nervousness, and numb extremities, and symptoms that are worse for lying on the left side. Bryonia is prescribed for chest pain that is worse for the slightest movement but better for lying on the affected side.

Lifestyle 
Plenty of vitamin C, which can also be taken as a preventative measure, and a good deal of rest, preferably sitting up in bed, are beneficial. Since dry air tends to make pneumonia worse, rooms should be humidified. Inhalations of steam or herbs such as echinacea may help. The diet should ideally be low in refined carbohydrates and include plenty of fluids. It is advisable not to smoke. Manipulation by an osteopath or a physiotherapist may help to clear the lungs of sputum.

C A U T I O N 
• If symptoms do not respond to treatment within 24 hours, see a doctor.
• If there is blood in the sputum or chest pain, or if the lips turn blue, consult a doctor immediately.