This is a disease which is caused by bacteria that is found in water and soil. It can affect the skin, brain and lungs. The nocardiosis is most common in people who have weakened immune system because they have difficulties to fight off infection, such as people who are taking certain medications like steroids and people who have cancer.
There are different diseases which can cause the immune system to weak, such as taking high doses of corticosteroids; having a bone marrow or solid organ transplantation; alcoholism; connective tissue disorder; pulmonary alveolar proteinosis; HIV/AIDS; cancer and diabetes. The symptoms of this disease depend on which part of your body is affected. This disease is most commonly happening in the lungs. If the lungs are affected, then you can have pneumonia; chest pain; cough; night sweats; weight loss and fever. When the lung infection has happened, then it can spread to your brain. [1]
If the central nervous system is infected, then you can have seizures; confusion; weakness and headache. If the skin is infected, then you can have nodules, sometimes draining, with the infection spreading along lymph nodes; skin ulcers. It is not thought that nocardiosis this infection can be spread from one person to another so this is a reason why doctors are not recommending to stay away from the family members who already have this. Talk with your doctor if you suffer from nocardiosis before you start using some of the below mentioned home remedies so in this way you can avoid complications.
Home remedies for nocardiosis
Vitamin C: We know that the Vitamin C is antioxidant. It is one of the most used home remedies for many different diseases due to its powerful benefits [2]. This natural cure can help in the natural treatment of the nocardiosis infection. It can help to eliminate toxins and free radicals from your body because it is rich in antioxidants.
It is known fact that the Vitamin C will support the general immune system health. If you suffer from this and you have decided to use Vitamin C supplements for your natural treatment, then talk with your doctor about the correct dosage. Also, you can get this vitamin from natural sources. Citrus fruits are rich in Vitamin C.
Wear shoes and clothing: It is known fact that those people who have weakened immune system are having the highest chances of getting nocardiosis. This is a reason why they should wear shoes and clothes to cover their skin, open wounds and cuts if they work in the soil. In this way, they can prevent skin infections. You should never walk barefoot in high – risk areas. You should always be sure that your grazes and cuts are appropriately covered so you can avoid the infection.
Rest: You should give yourself time to rest so in this way you can help to shorten the duration of this disease.
Iodine: This is naturally occurring mineral which is very important for the thyroid function. It is known fact that this home remedy has the ability to kill infections and pathogens so this is a reason why it can be used as a home remedy for nocardiosis [3]. When this home remedy is taken into the body, then the diseased cells soak up iodine while healthy cells do not and this serves to eliminate the infected cells and to maintain the health of other cells. You need to talk with your doctor about the best way to use the iodine as your home remedy for nocardiosis.
Fluids: You should drink enough fluids for your body to stay hydrated. In this way, you will help your body to eliminate the infection and you will shorten the duration of the nocardiosis. [4]
Betadine: This home remedy can be used in the topical way as a natural treatment for nocardiosis. It is effective home remedy for nocardiosis which has affected the skin. It is known that this home remedy can help in the fight against microbes and also it reduces the bacteria in the skin. Betadine has active ingredient, known as providone – iodine, which can help in the fight against different pathogens so this is a reason why it can be used as home remedy for nocardiosis. [5,6]
References:
[1] Wilson JW. Nocardiosis: Updates and clinical overview. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2012; 87(4):403–7.
[2] Chambial S, Dwivedi S, Shukla KK, et al. Vitamin C in disease prevention and cure: An overview. Indian Journal of Clinical Biochemistry. 2013;28(4):314–28.
[3] Chung HR. Iodine and thyroid function. Annals of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism. 2014;19(1):8–12.
[4] Guppy MPB, Mickan SM, Del Mar CB, et al. Advising patients to increase fluid intake for treating acute respiratory infections. Cochrane. 2011.
[5] Eggers M. Infectious disease management and control with povidone iodine. Infectious Diseases and Therapy. 2019;8(4):581–93.
[6] Eggers M, Koburger-Janssen T, Eickmann M, Zorn J. In vitro bactericidal and virucidal efficacy of povidone-iodine gargle/mouthwash against respiratory and oral tract pathogens. Infectious Diseases and Therapy. 2018;7(2):249–59.
