Pneumonia is a respiratory condition that can leave lungs damaged or weak for life. That is why if you suffer or have suffered from this disease, it is best to try to strengthen the lungs again as soon as possible. Pneumonia occurs when one or both lungs become inflamed from a viral, bacterial, or fungal infection.
There are several ways to strengthen the lungs after pneumonia, such as breathing exercises, food or even directly with vitamins. If you've recently gone through pneumonia, we recommend this article on how to strengthen your lungs after pneumonia. You will be surprised!
What is the recovery time from pneumonia
Usually, the recovery time from pneumonia ranges from 2 weeks to 2 months, depending on the severity and type of infection, as well as how strong or weak the immune system of the person suffering from it is.
Pneumonia can take so long to heal precisely because it is not a disease like the others. Due to microbiotic infection, the lungs fill with fluid and pus, resulting in lung inflammation. This is extremely dangerous in people over 65 and under 2 years of age, who can even die if the disease is not treated well.
Foods to strengthen the lungs
When you have pneumonia, especially mild pneumonia (also called “wandering pneumonia”), it is usually treated with antibiotics. However, once passed, it is recommended, in addition to strengthening the lungs, to clean lungs and bronchi. The best way to do this is through food.
- Water: Water is an excellent cleanser as it helps expel mucus anchored in the lungs, nose and mouth, therefore your lungs will be much healthier and cleaner. He says that, despite treating you with antibiotics, there can always be some small trace. If you are an adult, try to drink 8 glasses of water a day, that is, about 2 liters.
- Ginger: this highly anti-inflammatory and detoxifying. In addition, ginger promotes the removal of pollutants from the lungs, which is very good for asthma as well.
- Cabbage or cabbage: These vegetables have great detoxifying properties. In addition, they contain essential antioxidants that reduce cellular oxidation, which also helps fight cancer.
- Garlic: garlic is a great anti-cancer food, but it also helps eliminate toxins from our body.
- Blueberries: Blueberries are powerful natural anti-inflammatories, which is perfect to help eliminate all traces of pneumonia.
- Flaxseeds or flaxseeds: A study showed that flax seeds are able to repair damage to the lungs, in addition to protecting them from radiation.
In addition to these foods mentioned, fruits and vegetables in general are also very important, since they contain large amounts of vitamins necessary to strengthen, not only our lungs, but also our immune system in general.
Vitamins for the lungs and bronchi
Below, we show you a list of the most necessary vitamins to regenerate and repair the lungs and bronchi after pneumonia:
- Vitamin A: Vitamin A is able to repair the mucous membranes and tissues of the lungs, as well as other parts of the body. In addition, it helps strengthen the immune system, which improves protection against possible infections and diseases.
- Vitamin B: there are 8 variants of vitamin B. Specifically vitamin B6 is able to help the immune system produce antibodies, as well as form red blood cells and maintain neurological function at normal levels. The lack of this vitamin can cause many diseases in the short and long run. If you are interested, here you can find out about Foods rich in vitamin B.
- Vitamin C: This vitamin, very present in fruits such as grapefruits, mandarins, oranges and lemons, has great anti-inflammatory properties, in addition to helping to eliminate free radicals and other toxins.
- Vitamin E: Vitamin E is rich in antioxidant properties, which helps our immune system stay strong against infections.
Keep in mind how important it is, not only to work the lungs, but also our immune system, because it is he who is also weakened after a severe or mild pneumonia. Hence the importance of taking foods and vitamins that only repair the tissues of the lungs, but also favor the repair and strength of our defenses.
Bad foods for the lungs
Just as there are foods that strengthen the lungs, there are also others that can damage them after pneumonia. Next, we will see what they are:
- Salt: Salt is one of the foods that can cause fluid retention, which could produce, in addition to lung inflammation, asthma attacks due to narrowing’s in the airways. Therefore, if you have just looked like pneumonia, we advise you to temporarily reduce your salt intake, yes, always having previously consulted with your doctor or specialist.
- Dairy products: These contain large amounts of saturated fats. Cheeses and whole milks can generate mucus in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe. However, yogurts can be good for our intestinal flora.
Bad habits
Of course, bad habits and other products are also highly harmful to the lungs, such as the following:
- Alcohol consumption.
- Tachymism.
- Urban pollution.
- The dust.
- The smoke from the wood.
Ideally, we should avoid as much as possible all these problematic products for our delicate lungs.
When to resume physical activity after pneumonia
If you are or were an athlete, do not worry, as soon as you recover from your pneumonia, you can resume physical activity, yes, not with the same intensity.
Ideally, you should do it moderately and progressively. If before, for example, you ran for an hour, now do not spend 15 or 20 minutes and with gentle jogging. If, on the other hand, you see that it is difficult for you to breathe, for a few days, before starting to run, walk about 30 minutes.
Little by little, you yourself will be able to notice that you can increase the pace. When you feel that you are 80-90% physically recovered, you can return to exercise as before. Now that you know how to strengthen your lungs after pneumonia, you may be interested in this other article about which infusions are good for your lungs.
