Medical treatment
Doctors may recommend over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, such as ibuprofen or a cough and cold medication, to ease symptoms. If a doctor identifies a particular bacterial or viral source of the infection, they may recommend certain medications. Antibiotics can help clear out bacterial infections.
Pneumonia has four distinct stages of infection: Congestion, red hepatization, gray hepatization, and resolution. Keep in mind that everyone who gets pneumonia will have a different experience. You may not follow the same timeline or have the same symptoms in each stage.
Using steam
Inhaling steam helps to loosen the mucus in your system so you can get rid of it easier. The easiest way to inhale steam is to turn on your shower to fill your bathroom with steam, but you can alternatively breathe in the steam emitting from a boiling pot of water.
The symptoms of viral and bacterial chest infections are similar but the colour of any mucus coughed up may indicate the cause; white or clear mucus usually indicates a viral infection whereas green or yellow mucus suggests that the infection is bacterial.
If you have a bacterial chest infection, you should start to feel better 24 to 48 hours after starting on antibiotics. You may have a cough for days or weeks. For other types of chest infections, the recovery is more gradual. You may feel weak for some time and need a longer period of bed rest.
These symptoms can be unpleasant, but they usually get better on their own in about 7 to 10 days. The cough and mucus can last up to 3 weeks.
Avoid cough medicines, as there's little evidence they work. Coughing actually helps you clear the infection more quickly by getting rid of the phlegm from your lungs. Antibiotics aren't recommended for many chest infections, because they only work if the infection is caused by bacteria, rather than a virus.
Many chest infections aren't serious and get better within a few days or weeks. You won't usually need to see your GP, unless your symptoms suggest you have a more serious infection (see below). While you recover at home, you can improve your symptoms by: getting plenty of rest.
Green tea
Green tea like other caffeinated drinks helps boost energy levels. It also has anti-inflammatory properties that may help reduce the severity of your symptoms if you are suffering from a chest infection. It can also be consumed with honey to further increase its impact on lowering your symptoms.
A systematic review on the use of honey for upper respiratory infections found improvement in symptoms, reduction in cough frequency, and improvement in cough severity compared with usual care.
Mucus: The Warrior
Coughing and blowing your nose are the best ways to help mucus fight the good fight. “Coughing is good,” Dr. Boucher says. “When you cough up mucus when you are sick, you are essentially clearing the bad guys—viruses or bacteria—from your body.”
With rest, sleep and plenty of water, you should start feeling better within 10 days without needing antibiotics. However, symptoms of the common cold, flu and more severe chest infections can overlap making it difficult to self-assess your condition.
So here's the big question: Should you spit or swallow your phlegm? Even though it might taste nasty, “there's nothing wrong with swallowing it,” Dr. Comer says. In fact, that's probably what your body expects you to do, which is why phlegm naturally drains down into the back of your throat.
Bronchitis can also, however, bring on chest discomfort and wheezing. While symptoms for either bronchitis or pneumonia can range from mild to serious enough to require hospitalization, symptoms such as fever, breathing problems, and chest pain tend to be more severe with pneumonia.
Fruit and vegetables have vitamins and minerals that support your immune system to help you fight off chest infections. Carbohydrates give your body energy for breathing and everyday tasks. Choose high fibre or wholegrain versions, such as brown pasta and rice or wholemeal bread.
Vicks products cannot cure the cold or flu, but they can help relieve chest congestion symptoms so you can feel better while your body heals from the cold or flu virus. When you have chest congestion symptoms, the mucus build-up in your lungs can become very thick and dense.
Mucus at Work
Bacteria land on the mucus-lined surface of the lungs and get trapped. Then little hairs called cilia go to work. They push the mucus up and out of the lungs with all the trapped bacteria, viruses, and dust.
Guaifenesin is an expectorant. It works by thinning and loosening mucus in the airways, clearing congestion, and making breathing easier. If you are self-treating with this medication, it is important to read the package instructions carefully before you start using this product to be sure it is right for you.