Pleurisy is caused by inflammation of pleura, the layer that surrounds your lungs. As there are a number of layers in your lungs what happens in pleurisy is that whenever you take a breath the pleural layers of lungs rub against each other. This causes severe and sharp pain.
This is a classic symptom of pleurisy. You may also have fevers and chills accompanied with some dry cough, shortness of breath, shallow breathing etc. Pleurisy results from an infection of the pleural layer of lungs. The infection can spread from the lungs or it can come from outside. The space between two pleural layers can be taken over by fluid or air from other organs of your body.
This vitiates the diagnosis and makes it even hard to treat it. When you are diagnosed with pleurisy you should do as your physician says. However, you can aid the efforts of medicines with some alternative remedies. There are some home remedies for pleurisy which are quite effective as well. Let us explore some of these.
Home Remedies For Pleurisy
Lie On The Painful Side
One side of your chest may be continuously in pain. Rather than avoiding that side lie on that side. This may actually reduce the pain sensation. So practice lying on the painful side.
Capsicum
Capsicum is anti-inflammatory and antioxidant in nature. It has been seen in scientific studies that both these properties of capsicum are of great use in treating pleuritic conditions. It also helps to flush out toxins from the body that have accumulated due to the infection.
It helps to protect the lung tissue from damage by increasing the production of antioxidant enzymes. It is also rich in vitamin C which boosts up the immune system. Moreover, the vitamin E present in capsicum is high in nutrition. It is also useful for relieving fatigue that may result from pleurisy.
Selenium
It has been seen that people suffering from pleurisy have a deficit of selenium in the body. Selenium is an antioxidant which can save the lung tissue from damage by the free radicals produced due to pleurisy. You can get a lot of selenium in nuts, oysters, sunflower seeds etc.
Eucalyptus And Peppermint
Eucalyptus oil is antibiotic and anti-inflammatory in nature, and traditionally it is used to treat cough and cold and relieve congestion. It has been seen that eucalyptus can evacuate the infection.
Similarly peppermint has anti-inflammatory properties. Smelling the eucalyptus oil and peppermint can give you some relief from the pain and discomfort of pleurisy.
Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper has anti-inflammatory properties, and it is a great detoxifier of the body. It is also useful in breaking up hard mucus mass and help you to expel it. It is also a great antibacterial agent. So having cayenne pepper on a regular basis can be helpful for your pleurisy.
Hot And Cold Compress
Hot and cold compress on the chest can be quite beneficial for the chest pain and congestion arising out of pleurisy. Hot and cold packs on the rib cage several times a day will help to improve circulation and drainage.
Photo Credit: http://www.health-reply.com/free-layering-pleural-effusion/
Caution: Please use Home Remedies after Proper Research and Guidance. You accept that you are following any advice at your own risk and will properly research or consult healthcare professional.