How to treat pulmonary fibrosis

Pulmonary fibrosis is relatively serious and requires patients to receive timely and regular treatment. The main means of treatment are Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. No matter which treatment method is used, the therapeutic effect cannot be achieved immediately. Patients should maintain long-term treatment because it is a chronic disease. In addition to regular treatment, daily life adjustments are also relatively important.

Western medicine treatment:

(1) Hormone therapy: Generally, methylprednisolone or prednisone is given at a dose of 30 to 40 mg per day, which is gradually reduced to a maintenance dose of 5 to 10 mg per day. The total course of treatment is six months to one year. Pay attention to supplementing calcium and potassium, observe blood pressure and blood sugar, and prevent side effects of hormones. (2) Treatment of complications: Anti-infection treatment, select antibiotics based on the pathogen. (3) Bronchodilators: aminophylline, salbutamol, etc. (4) Oxygen therapy: suitable for advanced patients.

Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment:

You need to go to a regular hospital for treatment based on syndrome differentiation. There are mainly the following syndrome types:

(1) Deficiency of Lung Qi: Low-pitched cough and wheezing, easy fatigue, spontaneous sweating, fear of wind, easy cold, pale tongue with white coating, and weak pulse. Treatment method: Nourish the lung qi, relieve cough and asthma. Prescriptions: raw astragalus, raw white atractylodes, apricot kernel, aster, coltsfoot flower, earthworm, siler, pseudostellaria, roasted ephedra, raw licorice, etc. with additions and subtractions. Chinese patent medicine: Yupingfeng Granules.

(2) Deficiency of both Qi and Yin, with phlegm and blood stasis blocking the lungs: dry cough with little or no phlegm, wheezing and shortness of breath, which worsens with movement, fatigue, dry mouth and throat, fever in the five parts of the body, sore waist and weak knees, pale red tongue with thin white fur or little coating, and a thin and slippery or weak pulse. Treatment method: Nourish the lungs and kidneys, resolve phlegm and promote blood circulation. Prescriptions: Radix Pseudostellariae, Rehmannia glutinosa, Fructus Corni, Dioscorea batatas, Poria cocos, Ophiopogon japonicus, Schisandra chinensis, Cortex Moutan, Alisma orientalis, Raw Astragalus, Lilium, Walnut meat, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Aster tataricus, Fritillaria cirrhosa powder (taken with water), etc. with additions and subtractions. Chinese patent medicine: Shengmai Yin oral liquid, Liuwei Dihuang Pills.

(3) Spleen and kidney yang deficiency, blood stasis and internal obstruction: weak cough and asthma, aggravated by movement, more exhalation than inhalation, edema of lower limbs, cold body and limbs, gray face and purple lips, pale and fat tongue with thin white coating, deep, thready and weak pulse. Treatment: Strengthen the spleen and warm the kidney, resolve phlegm and activate blood circulation. Prescriptions: cooked aconite, cinnamon bark, cooked rehmannia, cornus fruit, yam, poria, moutan bark, oriental water plantain, raw astragalus, salvia miltiorrhiza, aster, apricot kernel, earthworm, and epimedium with additions and subtractions.