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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you have pneumonia, the following measures can help you recover more quickly and decrease your risk of complications:
- Get plenty of rest. Even when you start to feel better, be careful not to overdo it.
- Stay home from school or work until after your temperature returns to normal and you stop coughing up mucus. This advice depends partially on how sick you were. If you're uncertain, ask your doctor. Because pneumonia can recur within a week or so, it may be better not to return to a full workload until you're sure you're well.
- Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Liquids keep you from becoming dehydrated and help loosen mucus in your lungs.
- Take the entire course of any prescribed medications. If you stop medication too soon, your lungs may continue to harbor bacteria capable of multiplying and causing a relapse of your pneumonia. Also, bacteria begin to develop drug resistance when they survive inadequate treatment and continue to multiply and spread.
- Keep all of your follow-up appointments. Even though you feel better, your lungs may still be infected. It's important to have your doctor monitor your progress.
References
- Pneumonia. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec05/ch052/ch052a.html. Accessed April 8, 2011.
- Pneumonia. American Lung Association. http://www.lungusa.org/lung-disease/pneumonia/. Accessed March 17, 2011.
- Durrington H, et al. Recent changes in the management of community-acquired pneumonia in adults. British Medical Journal. 2008;336:1429.
- Menendez R, et al. Treatment failure in community-acquired pneumonia. Chest. 2007;132:1348.
- Singh S, et al. Long-term use of inhaled corticosteroids and the risk of pneumonia in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A meta-analysis. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2009;169:219.
- Chong C, et al. Pneumonia in the elderly: A review of the epidemiology, pathogenesis, microbiology and clinical features. Southern Medical Journal. 2008;101:1141.
- Chong C, et al. Pneumonia in the elderly: A review of severity assessment, prognosis, mortality, prevention and treatment. Southern Medical Journal. 2008;101:1134.
- Pneumococcal disease in-short. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/pneumo/in-short-both.htm. Accessed March 23, 2011.
- File TM. Treatment of hospital-acquired, ventilator-associated, and healthcare-associated pneumonia in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 23, 2011.
- Mandell LA, et al. Pneumonia. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Online. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aid=2899132. Accessed April 5, 2011.
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