General measures
- Learning special coughing techniques
- Unproductive cough (irritable cough) is experienced as a dry and agonizing cough. What to look for:
- Unproductive cough, that is, the irritation of the cough is treated with an antitussive (cough suppressant).
- Do not give free rein to the cough, but meet it with a tender cough. It works like this: The patient forms a fist with his left hand, into which he coughs gently. If he coughs uncontrollably (not gently), the mucous membranes collide and it comes to mucous membrane tears, in which viruses and bacteria can easily penetrate.
- Avoiding cold air and / or smoke, this increases the irritation of cough.
- Helpful may be:
- Inhalations with saline solution
- Steam inhalation (20 minutes at 43 °C water temperature).
- Productive coughing loosens secretions/mucus (this is desirable). One feels relieved afterwards. What to look for:
- Productive cough must not be treated by an antitussive (cough suppressant)!
- Supply of abundant fluids helps liquefaction, facilitating the expectoration of secretions.
- Helpful can be inhalations with saline or herbal extracts.Caution! Caution is advised when inhaling with essential oils in young children. These can further irritate the sensitive airways.
- To dissolve the mucus is recommended gentle tapping of the back in the prone position (from the buttocks in the direction of the head; four times from bottom to top, once on the right, once on the left).
- Lip brake (also dosed lip brake) – breathing technique that helps to relax the respiratory muscles. This allows increased mucus removal and can also be used as an emergency measure in case of shortness of breath, in addition to medication.Procedure: The lips are pursed as if whistling, and the upper lip should be slightly protruded. It should be exhaled as long as possible against the only a gap wide open lips or loose on each other, lips. This causes the cheeks to inflate slightly. The air should escape slowly and evenly. The air should not be squeezed out. When performed correctly, the exhale lasts longer than the inhale.
- Avoid dry room air (low humidity) due tooverheated rooms, underfloor heating, air conditioning.
- Physical rest in case of severe discomfort or fatigue.
- Observance of the general hygiene measures!
- For infection prophylaxis should be coughed into the crook of the arm, instead of the palm!
- Nicotine restriction (refrain from tobacco use) including passive smoking – A smoker’s cough improves under nicotine waiver already after four to six weeks (but does not disappear completely in advanced cases).
- Avoidance of environmental pollution:
- General air pollution
- Inhalation of chemical noxae (poisons) such as sulfur dioxide or ozone.
- Dust
Vaccinations
The following vaccinations are advised, as infection can often lead to worsening of the present disease:
- Flu vaccination
- Pneumococcal vaccination
Nutritional medicine
- Nutritional counseling based on nutritional analysis
- Nutritional recommendations according to a mixed diet taking into account the disease at hand. This means, among other things:
- Daily total of 5 servings of fresh vegetables and fruits (≥ 400 g; 3 servings of vegetables and 2 servings of fruits).
- Once or twice a week fresh sea fish, i.e. fatty marine fish (omega-3 fatty acids) such as salmon, herring, mackerel.
- High-fiber diet (whole grain products).
- Ensure adequate hydration; excessive fluid intake is not recommended (risk of hyponatremia / sodium deficiency, if necessary).
- Selection of suitable food based on the nutritional analysis
- See also under “Therapy with micronutrients (vital substances)” – if necessary, taking a suitable dietary supplement.
- Detailed information on nutritional medicine you will receive from us.
Physical therapy (including physiotherapy)
- Application of special physiotherapy equipment to improve lung function.
- Positional drainage – to improve the outflow of mucus.
- Inhalation therapy with saline – in patients with acute viral bronchiolitis (virus-related inflammation of the small branches of the bronchial tree, the so-called bronchioles) aged 2 years or less, inhalation with 0.9% saline (“nebulized normal saline”, NNS) resulted in a small but significant improvement.
Training
- Smoking cessation
