Steven Sandberg-Lewis, ND:
Bronchitis usually occurs after a cold or other upper-respiratory infection. Antibiotics may be helpful-but many people don’t need them because bronchitis is often due to a viral infection rather than a bacterial infection.
Simple home remedy: An inhalation of liquid allicin, an active compound in garlic with antibacterial and antiviral effects.
To use liquid allicin, add about 10 drops (my favorite allicin extract is called Allimax Liquid) to the reservoir of a portable nebulizer, which is available at most drugstores. Breathe the mist until all of the extract is gone-about 10 minutes. Repeat the treatment one to three times daily until you’re feeling better.
Also helpful: Fresh garlic cloves (two per day) or garlic supplements. I recommend Allimax capsules with 180 mg of allicin per capsule. I advise all patients with bronchitis to take two capsules three to four times daily for five to seven days.
Steven Sandberg-Lewis, ND, is a naturopathic physician and a clinical professor of naturopathic medicine at the National College of Natural Medicine (NCNM) in Portland, Oregon. He is the author of Functional Gastroenterology (NCNM) and was awarded the NCNM’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.
