Question: My husband is always coughing and spitting phlegm, he has a hard time to breathe, he is overweight and is taking medication for blood pressure, what can he do for his chest congestion? He is a heavy smoker.
Answer:
- The above symptoms mentioned are of Bronchitis. In bronchitis there is inflammation of the bronchial tree and the mucous membrane lining the bronchus.
- The obvious reason of his suffering is due to his smoking habit. Excessive smoking irritates the bronchial tube and lowers its resistance to fight the germs breath in from the atmosphere.
- The other cause can be due to certain drugs taken for hypertension, working in congested atmosphere.
- Due to the inflammation in the bronchi, large quantity of mucus is secreted and expelled as phlegm. The other symptom is fever, difficulty in breathing, hoarseness of voice, Pain in the chest, and loss of appetite.
Treatment for Chest Congestion Caused by Smoking
- The most important is to stop smoking, as it is the root cause of his trouble. Besides it will be beneficial in controlling his hypertension.
- Reduce his weight by proper diet consumption of green leafy vegetables, fruits, and other essential nutrients.
- Check with the doctor for his hypertension medicine, because some hypertensive medicine can cause irritating cough.
- Turmeric powder is the most effective home remedy in bronchitis. The powder should be mixed with warm milk and consumed daily.
- Onions is also used as a remedy to treat bronchitis. It has the property to liquefy the expectoration, and prevent further formation.
- A hot Epsom salt bath is valuable in acute phase of bronchitis.
- Fresh air and outdoor exercise are essential.
- Yoga is beneficial to improve his lung breathing capacity.
As he is a chronic smoker investigate for following:
X-ray chest, blood ESR, complete blood count, blood sugar, lipid profile, serum creatine.