It may be surprising to know that pneumonia is the sixth leading cause of death in the world and the number one cause of death in children under five years old. (1)
It is an infection in the lung that can be caused by bacteria, viruses, or fungi.
With pneumonia, air sacs in the lung fill with fluid, making air intake very difficult.
Most often treated with antibiotics, bacterial strains of pneumonia are becoming resistant to conventional treatment, which includes the use of penicillin and its derivatives. (2)
Of course, those are only effective if the cause of the infection is bacteria; if caused by a virus or fungus, treatment becomes more difficult and it’s almost impossible to discover which it is.
If the infection enters the bloodstream, a pneumonia sufferer can develop sepsis (“blood poisoning”), which is sometimes lethal.
The onset of pneumonia is characterized by fever, chills, and rust-colored or bloody sputum.
Due to the difficulty in breathing, pneumonia is the second most common reason for hospital admission, after childbirth. If the immune system is healthy, the body is able to combat the infection.
The complications occur in the very young, the elderly, and the immunocompromised.
Potent Alternatives
With such a common disease and ever-challenging methods of treatment, we need to find potent alternatives. Oregano oil is antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral and contains many essential vitamins and minerals, as well as powerful phytonutrients.
A Pakistani study of oregano found it “…interesting to note that aqueous infusion of oregano inhibited all type of tested bacterial strains”, including Klebsiella pneumoniae, one of the bacterial strains known to cause pneumonia. (3)
Carvacrol is the phytochemical in oregano that provides the healing effects. (4)
An Iraqi study found the carvacrol in oregano potent against eight strains of bacteria, including the most common cause of pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumonia:
“The inhibition effect of Carvacrol in different concentration of bacterial growth were studied, the results showed that there is a great inhibition growth on all studied bacterial isolates.” (5)
Mix three drops of oregano oil in water, a carrier oil (e.g., olive or coconut), or juice and drink once a day for up to five days—symptoms will dissipate and may disappear entirely.
What’s in the little box?
In the treatment of pneumonia, baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) is also very effective. Yes, the powder in the little gold box can be used for so many wonderful things—from whitening your teeth to calming an upset stomach to cleaning your bathtub to curing pneumonia.
The pH scale measures chemical acidity and ranges from zero to fourteen, zero being the most acidic and fourteen the most base; “p” stands for “potential” and “H” for hydrogen.
The pH of water—what we’re mostly made of—is around seven, which is exactly in the middle of the scale. There are two atoms of hydrogen in water (H2O).
Acid substances donate hydrogen atoms and base substances accept them. Keeping a balance between the two is essential for health, as Sonja Benjamin, CCH, RSHom (NA), DIHom, M.Ed. explains:
“The billions of cells in our bodies must maintain alkalinity, in order to function and stay alive. The first line of defense against disease is a proper pH balance. Disease can only grow in an acidic body, which makes a condition favorable for the growth of bacteria, yeast, fungus, mold, viruses, and any other unwanted organisms…An acidic state causes a lack of oxygenation at the cellular level. When the pH level falls below 7.4, there is less than the maximum oxygen in the blood. Blood carries the maximum oxygen at pH 7.4 (alkaline). Without proper oxygenation, unfriendly bacteria, mold, and viruses will prosper.” (6)
Sodium bicarbonate is an alkaline (base) substance found in all living things. It serves to neutralize acid levels in the body. By slightly raising the alkalinity of the environment of the body, potentially harmful micro-organisms are starved and die. The optimal range for pH in our body is narrow: 7.3-7.4.
Taking a portion of one half teaspoon of baking soda mixed with four ounces of water (at room temperature) once a day will slightly raise alkalinity, inhibiting the growth and proliferation of those pneumonia bugs.
Begin treatment of oregano oil and baking soda when you start to feel congested to keep pneumonia from fully developing.