Abstract:
Bronchitis is defined as inflammation of lining of trachea and large airways (main, lobar and segmental bronchus) which are responsible for transport of air into lungs. Bronchitis is a benign condition most cases get better within several days but cough can remain for several weeks after infection is gone.
Homoeopathic medicines play a great role in treatment of acute bronchitis as well as cough remains after infection is gone or cough remains after other modes of medication.
Keyword: Bronchitis, Inflammation, Cough, Homeopathic medicine
Introduction:
Inflammation of lining of bronchial tube i.e. Bronchitis is mainly caused by infection, exposure to tobacco smoke, air pollution, dust, vapor and fumes. Bronchitis affects all age groups but is most frequently diagnosed in children under 5yr old. Incidence of bronchitis occurs mainly in winter.
Pathophysiology:
After exposure to etiological factors inflammatory mediators release and cause vasodilation followed by increased permeability, exudation leading to edema of mucus membrane of large air passage with excessive production of mucus.
Inflammatory mediators also cause irritation, dilation and increased production of mucus by goblet cells. Both hypersecretion and edema of mucus membrane in bronchial lining causes airway obstruction leading to frequent infection and dyspnea.
Types of Bronchitis:
- Acute Bronchitis: Acute bronchitis is a clinical diagnosis characterized by cough with or without production of mucus without evidence of pneumonia or bronchial asthma.
- Chronic Bronchitis: Chronic bronchitis diagnosed by cough and sputum for at least three consecutive months in each of two consecutive years. It is under chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). Chronic bronchitis occurs mainly in smokers. Prolonged exposure to smoke, dust, and air pollutants causes chronic bronchitis.
Here we mainly discussed acute bronchitis and its homeopathic medicine.
Etiology:
VIRUSES BACTERIA
1. Rhinovirus 1.Bordetella pertussis
2. Influenza A and B 2. Chlamydia pneumoniae
3. Parainfluenza 3.Mycoplasma pneumoniae
4. Corona virus
5. Enterovirus
Duration of acute bronchitis is about 2 to 3 weeks.
Clinical Features:
. Cough which may be dry or productive
. If cough is productive sputum is purulent in nature
. Difficulty in breathing (dyspnea) due to accumulation of mucus in air passages
. Nasal congestion
. Headache
. Fever: fever is not a typical finding after few days
. Patient may have substernal or chest wall pain when coughing.
. On auscultation wheeze as well as rhonchi heard which get improved with coughing
Differential Diagnosis:
For evaluation and treatment of acute bronchitis is to ruling out secondary causes for cough
. Bronchial asthma
. Exacerbation of COPD
. Heart failure
. Pneumonia
Homeopathic Management:
Most of the cases of acute bronchitis caused by viral infection so there is no need of antibiotic treatment .It must be treated symptomatically and in homeopathy system medicine prescribed on the basis of totality of symptoms; following law of similia , law of simplex,law of minimum dose . Hence Homeopathic medicine provides symptomatic relief without causing any side effects.
Indications of Homeopathic Medicine In Acute Bronchitis
- Antimonium Tartaricum:
Great rattling of mucus but very little is expectorated .Bronchial tubes overloaded with mucus leading to cough and dyspnea ; complaints ameliorated by lying on the right side.
- Arsenicum Album:
Cough with dirty, frothy expectoration; cough worse after midnight, lying on back. Respiration of wheezing type; Air passage constricted unable to lie down.
- Baryta Muraticum:
Bronchial affection of old people with cardiac dilation; facilitates expectoration in those cases having great accumulation with difficult expectoration.
- Bryonia Alba:
Dry hacking cough at night; Tough mucus in trachea loosened only with much hawking.
Dry, spasmodic cough with gagging and vomiting. Cough aggravated after eating or drinking, entering a warm room, a deep inspiration. Cough ameliorated by cold things. During cough stitching pain inside chest.
- Drosera Rotundifolia:
Cough with violent paroxysm follow each other very rapidly, and are scarcely able to breathe. Cough get aggravated by warmth, drinking, singing, laughing, weeping, lying down, after midnight.
- Ferrum Phos. :
Indicated in the first stage of all inflammatory affections; hard, dry cough with sore throat. Cough gets better at night.
- Hepar Sulphur:
Cough from exposure to dry cold wind. Dry, hoarse cough which get excited when any part of the body gets cold or uncovered or from eating or drinking anything cold. Rattling, croaking cough ; suffocative attack has to rise up and bend head backwards. Croup with loose rattling cough worse during morning time.
- Hippozaenium:
Indicated in bronchitis in aged where suffocation from excessive secretion is imminent.
- Ipecacuanha:
Indicated in fat children and adults who are feeble and catch cold in relaxing atmosphere, warm moist weather ; cough incessant and violent with every breath; chest seems full of phlegm but doesn’t yield to coughing. Cough with rattling of mucus in bronchi when inspiring; threatened suffocation from mucus in throat.
- Kali Bichromium:
Cough violent rattling with gagging from viscid mucus in throat; cough gets aggravated when undressing. The character of sputum is yellowish, stringy and viscid. Complaints occur in hot weather.
- Kali Carbonicum:
Sensitive to every atmospheric change and intolerance of cold weather causing bronchitis with sensitiveness of whole chest; Expectoration is scanty and tenacious but increasing in morning and after eating.
- Phosphorus:
Cough on going from warm room into cold air. Cough associated pain and heaviness of chest which get aggravated by cold air, reading, laughing, talking, drinking, lying on left side.
- Pulsatilla:
Dry cough aggravated in the evening and at night ; must sit up in bed to get relief and loose cough in the morning with copious mucus expectoration which is bland, thick, bitter and greenish color.
- Rumex Crispus:
Dry teasing cough preventing sleep ; cough get aggravated at inspiring or exposure to cold air, at night, on talking, pressure; also indicated in productive cough with thin, watery, frothy expectoration by the mouthful; later stringy and tough.
- Spongia Toasta:
Great dryness of all air passages; cough is dry, barking, wheezing, everything is perfectly dry, no mucus rale; cough ameliorated after eating or drinking warm things and get worse from exposure to cold air, reading , singing, talking. Cough associated with pain at bifurcation of trachea.
- Stannum Metallicum:
Cough with profuse expectoration like white of an egg, sweetish, salty, putrid, yellow green pus; associated with weakness of chest and hoarseness of voice.
- Squilla Maritima:
Indicated in sneezing, throat irritated, short, dry cough; must take deep breath. Also indicated in violent, furious, exhausting cough with profuse salty, slimy expectoration; associated with involuntary spurting of urine and sneezing. Cough get worse on taking deep breath, cold drink, from exertion, from warm to cold air.
Homeopathic Mother Tincture For Acute Bronchitis:
- Balsamum Peruvianum:
Bronchitis with muco-purulent thick creamy expectoration, loud rales in chest
- Grindelia:
An efficacious remedy in Wheezing and oppression in bronchitis patients; productive cough with tough whitish mucous expectoration
- Justicia Adhatoda:
Paroxysmal cough with suffocative obstruction of respiration; cough with sneezing and tightness across chest. Highly efficacious for acute condition of respiratory tract
- Blatta Orientalis:
A remedy for asthma especially when associated with bronchitis; productive cough with profuse pus like mucus. This remedy indicated after insufficient action of Arsenicum album
- Senega:
Asthenic bronchitis of old people with chronic interstitial nephritis or chronic emphysema; chest oppressed on ascending with rattling in chest; difficult raising of tough, white, profuse mucus in aged people
SUBMITTED BY:
Dr. Pratima Kalo – MD Scholar
Department of Practice of Medicine, Government Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Bhopal, M.P
Under the guidance of:
Dr. Praveen Jaiswal, Head of department, Government Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital, Bhopal, M.P
