A persistent cough can be the most annoying and irritating thing for the sufferer or even the people around him. A cough can be either dry or a productive cough that lets out the mucus from the throat. A dry cough is however ticking and difficult to cure.
A cough cannot be suppressed neither can you prolong it. Ignoring a persistent cough may result in a chronic condition which becomes difficult to treat even with medicines.
A cough treatment depends on the cause and the type of cough you are suffering with. There can be numerous causes of cough. It could be a result of an allergy, a prolonged illness, a viral or bacterial infection, bronchial or pneumococcal infection or even a result of constant smoking.
Whatever may be the reasons of cough, it needs to be treated soon. Prolonging a cough can be hazardous to overall health and it may result in asthma or chronic bronchitis.
Difficulty Level
Moderate
Instructions
Cough Medications: There are plenty of cough medicines available these days, depending on the type of cough you have. There are anti allergic medicines or antihistamines for an allergic cough. Also you can go for expectorant cough syrups and tablets that cure cough in a few days. Decongestant syrups also help in curing productive cough by melting down the mucus and letting it out of the body. For dry cough an antitussive cough syrup is more effective.
Natural Decongestants: Cough syrups may not be suitable for every one as they cause a lot of drowsiness and lethargy to the body. There are a lot of natural decongestants available which may treat the cough by dissolving the mucus. Honey is a very good natural decongestant. Having honey or a honey based syrup in the night before sleeping is very helpful in providing relief from persistent cough. Also having honey with lukewarm water in the morning provides excellent relief to the bad throat conditions.
Green tea and Warm Fluids: Sipping plenty of green tea will surely help in providing relief to a coughing throat. Green tea benefits are plenty when it comes to cough and cold. It is rich in antioxidants and helps build immunity against frequent bouts of cold. Apart from green tea, sipping ginger tea, honey and lime in Luke warm water, vegetable soups, and chicken soup with lots of pepper will immensely help in giving relief from cough episodes.
Cough Lozenges: If you are suffering from cough every now and then, it is advisable to keep antitussive cough lozenges handy in your bag. These lozenges when sucked in provide instant relief from the irritating cough and sooth the itchy throat too. Another very good home remedy to cure cough is to suck a small square piece of ginger for a long time. Ginger has excellent healing qualities to treat cough and throat problems.
Diet: What you eat during cough bouts matters a lot. Maintain a healthy diet rich in vitamins and antioxidants. Go for plenty of green vegetables and fruits, whole grains, sprouts, lentils, salads and colored fruits that are rich in antioxidants. Avoid food items that further help in producing mucus like dairy products, starchy preparations, sugary foods etc.
Lifestyle Changes: Some serious lifestyle changes are necessary to avoid the frequency of cold and cough. Make exercise a part of your daily routine. At least 20 minutes of an aerobic activity is must for a healthy and well developed immune system. Another most important step is to completely avoid smoking if you are in the habit of doing so. It will further irritate and harm your internal system and might take time to cure the condition completely. Avoid the company of smokers too. Passive smoking is equally harmful in this condition.
Nutritional Supplements: It is important to take a nutritional or a multivitamin supplement to ward off the frequent episodes of cold and cough. Zinc, Vitamin B complex and Vitamin C are particularly helpful in treating cough rather effectively. Also folic acid, Iron and antioxidants are excellent supplements that help in treating cough. A lot of natural herbs like dried thyme and basil are excellent natural healers and help you get rid of cough and build long term immunity.
Steam and Hot water: Taking steam vapors particularly helps in providing relief in cough. It would be beneficial if you add a few drops Eucalyptus Oil to the hot water. It has plenty of medicinal properties and helps in providing soothing relief to a cough struck throat and a blocked nose. Taking steam is effective if you do it 4-5 times a day, especially before going to bed. Eucalyptus oil can also be applied directly around the nasal are while sleeping.
Onion Juice: Another very helpful kitchen remedy that can cure a cough is onion juice. Just chop and squeeze a few drops of onion juice from good quality onions and have it after mixing some honey in it. Since ages, it is known to have medicinal qualities to cure cough and a bad throat.
Learn to clear throat: Coughing is actually a very good natural process followed by the body to clear mucus out of you system orally. When the cough bout strikes learn and practice how to clear it and you might get a sooner relief than you can think of. Spitting out mucus every now and then can be cumbersome, but it certainly helps in clearing the throat passage. Young children should also be taught to let out the mucus from the system.
When to see a doctor: Simple cough can be treated by over the counter medicines and natural home remedies. But if the cough stays persistent for more than 3 weeks, or if you notice streaks of blood along with the mucus, then it becomes necessary to consult a doctor or a physician. Untreated cough may result in chronic tubercular conditions which may take months to cure completely. After the check up and throat examination your GP may administer some blood tests or a chest x-Ray to rule out any serious ailment. Later he might put you on an antibiotic course.
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How To Treat A Cough
A persistent cough can be the most annoying and irritating thing for the sufferer or even the people around him. A cough can be either dry or a productive coug
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