Cough symptoms and treatments

Cough symptoms and treatments

Coughs can be irritating, painful and stop you sleeping. Coughs are linked to the lung energy in Chinese medicine. Here is a break down of different types of cough and what you can do to help treat them.

What is a cough?

A cough is defined as a forceful, reflex action designed to clear irritants like mucus, dust, or smoke from the airways, protecting the lungs and throat.

What causes coughs?

Acute coughs are most commonly caused by a cold or flu.

Other causes include:

• smoking
• heartburn (acid reflux)
• allergies – for example, hay fever
• infections like bronchitis
• mucus dripping down the throat from the back of the nose (post-nasal drip)

 

Chronic cough is most commonly caused by smoking, certain hypertension medications, asthma, and reflux disease.

Other causes of chronic cough include:

• Environmental or occupational causes.
• Foreign body aspiration.
• Heart failure.
• Interstitial lung disease.
• Lung cancer.
• Obstructive sleep apnoea.
• Whooping cough (Pertussis).

 

1. Dry cough:

These are often described as dry, tickly, teasing or barking coughs. There is no phlegm.

Conventional treatments include cough syrups to soothe the throat, antitussives e.g. pholcodine linctus, and cough sweets. Hot honey and lemon drink is also suggested.

Homeopathic remedies are Bryonia, Spongia and Phosphorus. There are many many more!

*Any cough that has been consistent for more than 3 weeks is a sign you need to see your GP as it may be lung cancer. This is also true if you are coughing up blood and/or ‘coffee grounds’ phlegm or are breathless.*

 

2. Chesty cough:

These are ‘wet’ coughs or expectorating. You can often hear the phlegm rattling in the chest/throat even if the person can’t fetch it up and spit it out.

Conventional treatments are chesty cough syrups which contain an expectorant to loosen the phlegm to make it easier to cough it up.

Homeopathic remedies are Ant-T, Hepar sulph and Kali bich. There are many many more!

3. Croup:

Croup is generally suffered in children in the colder winter months. It has a characteristic ‘barking seal’ type sound. Though not painful it can keep the child up at night.

Conventional treatment is to do nothing and keep the child company and reassure them.

My advice is to use these 3 homeopathic remedies designed for the 3 different stages of croup. Aconite (at first signs), Spongia (dry barking seal stage) and Hepar sulph (wet cough stage).

4. Whooping cough:

This also commonly affects children in the winter months. The noise is a characteristic ‘whoop’ sound at the end of a bout of coughing. You can vomit from the effort of trying to cough or bring up sticky phlegm.

*If you or a child is having difficulty breathing or any skin turns blue/grey e.g. lips/face/tongue then call 999 and get to A&E as quickly as you can.*

Conventional treatment is rest and fluids.

Homeopathic remedies are Ant T , Drosera, and Pertussis.

 

With all of these coughs I would use my ‘magic’ combo of Echinacea tincture + Vit C + Zinc, to help support your immune system. Placing half a cut onion on the sole of the foot, secured in a plastic bag around the ankle and then further with a sock, overnight can really help with nighttime coughs. Finely sliced garlic can be used in the same way but a clean flannel should be between the skin and the garlic or a blister may form. You may also want to make ‘Onion cough syrup’. Alternate layers of chopped onion with raw/organic honey in a glass jar. Leave to steep for 24hrs. Strain then take 1teaspoon, 3x times a day to ease daytime coughing.