What is pneumonia?
Pneumonia is a lung infection experienced by over three million people a year. A significant number of these are repeat cases. The 5% mortality rate for pneumonia puts it at number six in leading causes of death for Americans. Bacterial pneumonia is most common and usually caused by beneficial mouth bacteria breathed into the lungs by someone with a compromised immune system. Other causes of pneumonia are viral and fungal agents once again typically taking advantage of a weakened immune system or damaged lungs.

Types and Symptoms of Pneumonia
The different types of pneumonia often exhibit different symptoms, but most symptoms are shared. Infection begins in most cases with headaches, tiredness, sinus congestion, wheezing and sore throat with cough. The infection may get worse quickly exhibiting flu-like symptoms of high fevers, abnormal phlegm, and a nasty cough.

These are all signs of the body fighting hard to stop the infection. Infections may take a while to worsen, and there is no hard and fast rule. Additionally, immunologically weaker populations like infants and the elderly may show few symptoms, limited to fevers and weakness, putting them at extra risk due to difficulty of diagnosis.

Chest pain indicates an infection of the outer lung. It can also be a sign of advanced pneumonia, the pain being caused by fluid build-up around the lungs. In such out of the way locations, pneumonia can also cause loss of blood oxygen and a purpling of the skin with the above symptoms.

Walking pneumonia is a mild version that may last longer than three weeks. This is often called bronchial pneumonia when affecting the young or the old and can be very dangerous for these groups. Healthy adults with walking pneumonia symptoms of the cold, like early stage pneumonia symptoms listed above, may never become severe and go away over time.

Is Pneumonia Contagious?
Bacterial and viral pneumonia can be contagious, but only after prolonged exposure for healthy adults. Infants, young children, and the elderly should not be in poorly ventilated rooms, breathing the air of a pneumonia sufferer. These weaker groups can be protected from illness by staying out of the wind, especially cold winds that can damage the lungs. Ultimately the best way to protect yourself and your loved ones from pneumonia is to eat right, get exercise, and supplement with vitamins and immune-stimulating herbs like tincture of echinacea and astragalus.

Pneumonia Treatment
Pneumonia treatment is becoming less and less a case of one size fits all. Physicians have sophisticated tools to help determine the origin. Antibiotics for pneumonia, such as penicillin and newer ones to treat drug-resistant strains, should only be taken for bacterial infections, which includes walking pneumonia. Antibacterial herbs for the lungs like garlic and turmeric (an ingredient of curry) can also be very useful.

Viral infection may in rare cases warrant the use of anti-viral medications. There are no anti-virals to treat influenza-induced pneumonia. For patients suffering heart disease, alcoholism, diabetes, and other weakening sicknesses, early diagnosis and treatment with the appropriate anti-viral may mean the difference between life and death. For the rest of us, treat the symptoms to lessen body stress, take your vitamins, and try to keep moving around to prevent phlegm build-up.

Learn more about this author, Micah Myers.
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