Hydration Health - Pneumonia
There are more than 50 kinds of Pneumonia and its effects can range from mild to deadly. It is an inflammation of the lung caused by viruses, bacteria, and other organisms.
Elderly people with weak immune systems are at the most risk and the disease is usually triggered by the flu or upper respiratory infection.
Alarmingly, over 60,000 Americans die each year from the disease and it's the leading cause of death in children in the world. Pneumonia can often be difficult to diagnose because it mimics the cold or flu.
Major symptoms include chest pain, chills, fever, cough, aches and pains, and shortness of breath. Antibiotics can treat the most common forms of the disease, but the problem is antibiotic-resistant strains are increasing.
Preventive medicine may be the best way to fight the disease. If you drink heavily, or smoke, step back and take a look at what you are doing to yourself. Flu shots are important, and a healthy, well hydrated body has a better chance at getting better than one that is not.
Although a sick person with a compromised immune system is much more at risk, a healthy person is not immune to the disease. Why not give yourself an advantage by staying properly hydrated?