The clinical conclusion about the place of treatment of the patient with pneumonia is taken by the doctor. The rule of compulsory hospitalization, which existed for a long time among doctors, has lost its relevance. The belief that it is safer to undergo treatment in a hospital is a myth, says I.V. Leshchenko, a professor at the Ural Medical University. The tightness in the wards causes the spread of infection, and there is also a risk of developing nosocomial pneumonia. International studies have also identified an additional factor in the preference for home therapy. According to scientists, the cost of treating pneumonia at home is 20 times less than in a hospital.
Can pneumonia be cured at home
The inflammatory process in the lungs is a manifestation of a group of diseases caused by bacteria, viral infections, fungi, and toxic substances. The development of the disease is associated with a weakening of the immune system. In most cases, pneumonia caused by bacteria and viruses predominates.
The question of the appointment of home therapy is associated with the degree of complexity of the course of the disease, the spread of pathology. The inflammation can affect one lung or be bilateral. The presence of symptoms, a mild course of the disease without accompanying pathology are the basis for prescribing treatment for pneumonia at home. The disease of moderate severity is treated on an outpatient basis. In the absence of therapy results, patients are hospitalized.
Pneumonia is not always recognized with a stethoscope and x-ray. A complex disease is characterized by different causes of occurrence, a variety of symptoms and the degree of damage to the lung tissue. Therefore, if you suspect pneumonia, you should immediately consult a doctor.
The decision to treat at home cannot be made on your own for the following reasons:
- 12% of patients die from pneumonia. Professor of the Russian National Research Medical University named after Pirogova A. Karabinenko states: 65% of deaths from ARVI (including pneumonia) happen at home.
- The misconception that it is possible to buy antibiotics at the pharmacy and be treated at home leads to a worsening of the condition and persistent drug resistance. Further treatment becomes problematic.
- By order of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, home treatment for children under three years of age with lobar pneumonia is prohibited. In infants up to three months, the disease is considered severe, regardless of the degree and prevalence of the inflammatory process. Children are subject to compulsory hospitalization.
- Elderly people suffer from pneumonia more severely than other patients. A weakened body, recognized pathology (renal failure, diabetes mellitus, heart disease) are considered risk factors for a negative prognosis in pneumonia.
Pneumonia is successfully treated at home if the pulmonologist has given recommendations and prescribed a course of therapy. With timely and correct treatment, the recovery of the patient’s body occurs in one to two weeks.
Home treatments for pneumonia
After the diagnosis is established, therapies are considered. The basis for starting treatment is the following signs:
- acute onset, the presence of temperature (38 ° C);
- unproductive cough with phlegm;
- wheezing, hard bronchial breathing;
- chest pain that occurs with a deep breath.
Symptomatic treatment is aimed at alleviating the patient’s condition. Home therapy should solve a number of problems:
- Stop the symptoms of the disease.
- Destroy the pathogen.
- Normalize laboratory values.
- Restore lung tissue.
- Prevent complications of the disease.
- Use non-drug treatment.
For left-sided and right-sided pneumonia, medication and non-medication home therapy regimens are used. Antibiotic therapy remains the only scientifically proven treatment. Medical prescriptions are based on drugs with proven antibiotic activity. Antipyretic drugs are used in case of individual temperature intolerance, since the use of such tablets makes it difficult to assess the effectiveness of treatment.
It has been found that bacteria have an internal clock that affects the human body. The author of the study, D. McFadden, found that the effectiveness of the treatment of pneumonia increases several times if this feature of bacteria is taken into account. Scientists in Chicago have confirmed the opinion of a colleague in clinical trials. The following is installed:
- During sleep, the sick person’s body is more susceptible to therapy, especially to the action of antibiotics.
- The effectiveness of treatment increases at night, when bacteria hibernate, and decreases during the day when microscopic organisms grow.
A universal technique in the fight against pneumonia is home procedures. After the temperature drops, mustard plasters, cans, mustard wraps are used. The disease reduces the body’s resistance. After a quick recovery, focal pneumonia can recur, affect new parts of the organ, and cause complications. Therefore, with home treatment, antibacterial drugs alone will not be enough.
Non-drug measures will help to cure pneumonia:
- bed rest;
- plentiful drink (at least three liters per day);
- airing and humidifying the air;
- inhalation;
- warming compresses;
- hardening;
- strengthening the immune system;
- vitamin therapy.
The effectiveness of home therapy allows you to switch from bed to a general regimen for 6-10 days of illness. After two weeks, hardening can be resumed. Physical education and sports are permissible after two months after pneumonia. This time is required to restore blood flow and appetite. The lung tissue function is fully restored within one year. The rehabilitation period depends on the stage of the disease.
Features of traditional medicine
The use of folk remedies is permissible only under one condition – as an addition to traditional medical methods. When the lungs become inflamed, self-medication becomes life-threatening for the patient. Following folk traditions, in the treatment of pneumonia at home, they use herbal tea, inhalation of herbal products in vapors, natural ointments for a warming effect, and cough infusions. Milk with honey, teas and infusions with ginger, sage, black radish juice have anti-inflammatory, expectorant, immunomodulatory effects.
GI Lushanova, candidate of biological sciences, a specialist in the field of phytotherapy, studied the behavior of natural medicines in the human body. Research into the methods of healers from different countries has helped to identify the most valuable products and plants for the treatment of pneumonia.
The results of the scientist’s work are shown in the table.
| Action taken | Vitamin B1 | Vitamin C | ||
| Oxidative and regenerative processes in the lungs | sunflower seeds | peas | lemon | broccoli |
| peanut | soy | currant | spinach | |
| beans | asparagus | Orange | parsley | |
| almond | millet | Red pepper | cabbage | |
| Vitamins A, B2, necessary for the restoration of the epithelium of the respiratory tract | Vitamin B2 | Vitamin A | ||
| salmon | mushrooms | Red pepper | turnip | |
| perch | almond | carrot | cabbage | |
| cod | peas | parsley | apricot | |
| trout | asparagus | broccoli | spinach | |
Long-term use of antibiotics can harm the body. Folic acid will help to cope with the problem. A special effect in the treatment of pneumonia at home is achieved when it is combined with vitamin B. Acid is found in the following products:
- liver;
- cabbage;
- beans;
- corn;
- asparagus;
- leaf beet;
- spinach;
- nuts.
Several recommendations for the treatment of pneumonia:
- Remove sweets, chocolate, cakes, buns from the diet.
- Do not eat fatty foods.
- There are only natural products.
Ordinary yeast – an analogue of medicines containing B vitamins, you can take it with congestive forms of pneumonia. Leafy vegetables contain magnesium, which prevents lung tissue from agitating. You can destroy pathogenic microbes, quickly restore the body’s defenses with the help of garlic, onions, rose hips, citrus fruits. Hawthorn and seaweed saturated with valuable organic acids and iodine will help get rid of cough and accumulated mucus. Honey and olive oil tone up the lungs. Doctors recommend keeping on hand a list of foods that contain essential vitamins and minerals for home remedies for pneumonia.