When an individual possesses a strong immune system, his chances for getting pneumonia are quite nil. The healthy defense mechanisms of the body are strong enough to repel (or at the least, weaken) diseases and pathogenic infections such as pneumonia. Therefore a healthy diet reinforced with mineral and vitamin supplements can easily shield the body from this disease.
Mineral like zinc and vitamins such as Vitamins C and A are supplements that are especially capable of warding off pneumonia:
Zinc – Deficiency in zinc is often related to immune system weakness and thus to susceptibility to many kinds of infectious diseases. Different studies have consistently revealed that children in developing countries given about 20 to 30 mg of zinc a day will cut pneumonia rates by 50%.
Children in the developed world are not immune to pneumonia and many like in the developing nations have low zinc levels in their body. Factors such as food processing and refining and unhealthy agriculture practices have led to the lowering of the average intake of zinc in developed countries, approximately by a third beneath the minimum recommended daily intake.
Zinc helps treat pneumonia by minimizing the blockages in the respiratory tract and the inflammation of the lungs. A person deficient in zinc would manifest signs such as impaired smell and taste, night blindness, skin rashes, hair loss and poor healing of wounds.
Vitamin C – This powerful fighter of pneumonia when ingested daily in more than 1000 mg dosages/day have shown to reduce pneumonia rates by almost 50% even in severe cases that entail the need for hospitalization and ones that involve the elderly.
Vitamin A – A person with lung disease will find Vit A a potent weapon against lung infection; however many studies show that it is not as effective as it should be in addressing pneumonia. Even so, intake of vitamin A in high dosages has shown to prevent measles complications such as pneumonia among others.
In the search for the best treatment course for pneumonia, diagnostic tests such as swab and blood lab tests are first done to know the specific pathogenic cause of the disease. Bacterial infection is the most common infection that causes pneumonia and is usually resolved with antibiotics – antibiotics that specifically address a specific type of organism. The problem with antibiotics is that the bacteria eventually develop resistance to it rendering their use ineffective for various kinds of infectious diseases, including pneumonia. Old and very young people who develop a severe form of pneumonia may require hospitalization and treatment of fluids and antibiotics perhaps by intravenous injection as well as oxygen. Pneumonias caused by fungal infection are resolved using antifungal drugs and for viral infections, no type of treatment exists for it – it is up to the person’s immune system to battle viral pneumonia.
Alternative treatments for pneumonia include:
Traditional Chinese Medicine in the forms of acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulas are potent remedies for fighting pneumonia infection. Acupuncturists often combine Chinese herbal medicine with acupuncture to enhance the potency of the treatment. Chinese herbal formulas such as banxia houpo tang and xie bai san are usually utilized for pneumonia infection.
Pleurisy root – This specific herb was used by Native American tribes to great effect in resolving many types of lung infection. It was classified as a medicine until 1905 by the US Pharmacopoeia.
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http://www.harmonywellnesscenter.com/