Acute bronchitis usually develops on the heels of a cold or the flu. Your body's battle to defeat these infections leaves your bronchial tubes sensitive, irritated, and inflamed, explains Alan P. Brauer, M.D. This impairs the ability of the tiny hairs that line the bronchial tubes, called the cilia, to sweep mucus and other debris out of your respiratory tract. With your bronchial tubes inflamed and your cilia impaired, your body resorts to its coughing mechanism to keep those bronchi clear.

Sometimes acute bronchitis causes a dry, hacking cough, says Anne Simons, M.D. Other times the cough is productive, meaning that it brings up mucus.

A case of acute bronchitis usually lasts for a week or two. To make the coughing and hacking disappear more quickly, try these blended-medicine solutions.

Best Choices

Supplements

"C" your way to relief. Vitamin C has been proven effective as a treatment for allergies and asthma as well as for the Common cold. Naturopath Joseph Pizzorno Jr., N.D., believes that C can help clear up bronchitis, too. He recommends taking 500 milligrams of the vitamin every 2 waking hours until your symptoms subside.

Resort to zinc. Several studies have shown that zinc gluconate lozenges help treat the common cold. Dr. Pizzorno also recommends them for bronchitis. His prescription: Suck on one lozenge containing 23 milligrams of zinc every 2 waking hours for 1 week. Don't use the lozenges any longer than that, he cautions. Over time, zinc can suppress the immune system.

Bank on an immune booster. An amino acid called N-acetylcysteine not only helps thin mucus but also fortifies your body's defenses, Dr. Brauer explains. You can buy N-acetylcysteine in most health food stores. Take the supplement according to the directions on the label.

Herbal Medicine

Enlist the dynamic duo. Two immuneenhancing herbs, echinacea and goldenseal, can help your body fight off the virus that's causing your symptoms. Dr. Pizzorno recommends taking either herb in tincture form-1 teaspoon three times a day, mixed into juice or tea. Continue taking this tincture formulation for up to 8 weeks. The tinctures are sold in most health food stores.

Give symptoms the slip. Slippery elm bark can work wonders for a dry, hacking cough, says Varro E. Tyler, Ph.D., Sc.D., distinguished professor emeritus of pharmacognosy (natural pharmacy) at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The herb is rich in mucilage, a soluble fiber that soothes the respiratory tract and suppresses coughing. Look for slippery elm bark lozenges in health food stores. Use the lozenges as directed on the package.

Loosen the mucus. If you have a productive cough, you don't want to suppress it. Instead, you want to loosen the bronchial mucus so that it's easier to eliminate. The herbal expectorants licorice, horehound, and wild cherry bark can help. Dr. Pizzorno recommends taking anyone of these herbs as a tea or tincture. To make a tea, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of dried herb to 1 cup of boiling water. Steep for 10 minutes, then strain. Drink up to three cupfuls a day. To use the tincture, take 1 teaspoon up to three times a day, mixed into juice or tea.