WHAT IS COUGH?
Cough is define as the irritation of respiratory organs. For example, an irritant such as food or dust particals stimulate nerves of throat or airways, these nerves send a message to brain. In response, the brain order chest and abdominal muscles to push out air of lungs. This air force out the irritant with them.
An ordinary cough is good for your health. Because it brought out irritants and unwanted things from respiratory organs. But remember, if your cough presists more than a day or for several, it could be dangerous. A sever and forceful cough causes:
- Pain in ribs and abdomen muscles
- Dizziness and fainting
- Headache
- Urinary problems such as dribbling when cough
- Vomiting
TYPES OF COUGH
Let' s first have a look on the duration and symptom based classification. These types are:
ACUTE COUGH
Any type of cough including dry or wet that has short term. By short term I mean it will cure within 2 weeks.
SUB-ACUTE COUGH
Any kind of cough that heals within 8 weeks.
CHRONIC COUGH
Any type of cough that presists over 8 weeks.
TYPES OF COUGH
1. DRY (NON-PRODUCTIVE) COUGH
That is a cough without mucus. Productive cough comes when something irritates or inflam your throat or airways. Productive or dry cough usually causes by upper respiratory infections such as cold and flu. Other possible causes include:
- Irritants e.g air pollution, dust, smoke
- Infections e.g laryngitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis etc.
- Allergies
- Sore throat
- Croup cough
- Asthma
- GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease)
- Certain medicines
PRODUCTIVE COUGH
Productive cough also known as wet cough and chesty cough. Because mucus also involve with cough. Productive cough commonly occurs after cold or flu. Other possible causes are:
- Pneumonia
- Common cold and flu
- Asthma
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) e.g acute and chronic bronchitis
NOCTURNAL COUGH
Cough that forceful at night and absent or lesser during day time.
HEMOPTYSIS
Cough along with blood is called hemoptysis.
CROUP COUGH
Croup is a disease of children less then 5 years. It is an infection causes by virus. The virus irritates and inflame upper respiratory tract. When human is in the young age, its airways are already narrow. If swelling takes place in the narrow airways, there will be a lot of difficulty in breathing.
Croup cough is dangerous for children and as will as for parents. Children may have following complaints:
- Struggling for breath
- Breathe quickly and rapidly
- Noise produces during inhalation
- The skin complexion becomes pale and blue like in severe cases.
PAROXYSMAL COUGH
Cough with intermittent attacks is called paroxysmal cough. The patient of proxysmal cough try to breath and may vomit. The attacks of cough brings exhaustion and pain with them.
WHOOPING COUGH
It is also known as pretusis. Pretusis or whppoing cough usually occurs in children but people more than 50 also have risk of pretusis. It is a bacterial infection. During cough attacks, the lungs of patient make a sound more like "whoop". Whooping cough is serious and life threatening disease. Whooping cough is proxysmal and the best way to protection from this is vaccination.
CAUSES OF COUGH
Cough is a recation againest irritants enters in the respiratory system. Therefore, an occasional cough is good for health because it clear secretions and irritants from respiratory organs and keep us healthy.
Sometimes, a cough presists for weeks and days. This is not normal. Be attentative if following causes are alone or in a combination involove:
Infections
Infection can bring cough. Infections in the throat and airways usually causes by:- Germs e.g bacteria, virus, fungi
- Various diseases including pneumonia, flu and cold
- Tobacco, alchohol
- Smoke and dust
- Fragrances
- Chemicals
Asthma
Cough is the key symptom of cough-variant asthma. All types of asthma support cough.
Postnasal drip
Postnasal drip is also known as UACS (upper airway cough syndrome). In this infection, your nose produce extra mucus, some of them drip down into the throat and brings cough.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease
GERD support vicious cycle. In this cycle, the acids in stomich rise up into esophagus and irritates throat. The irritation causes cough and the cough worsens GERD.
Other possible causes are:
- Drugs uses for high blood pressure
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Laryngopharyngeal reflux
- Bronchiectasis
- Cystic fibrosis
- Lung cancer
- Sarcoidosis
HOMOEOPATHIC TREATMENT
Remedies for dry cough
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the remedy of hoarseness (loss of voice) and laryngitis.- Dry and tickly cough that hurts throat
- Cold goes into chest from nose
- Aggravation when talking or laughing
- Aggravation with cold air and cold applications
- Very thirsty, drink plenty of cold water
Bryonia alba
Dry cough, pain in ribcage worse when coughing or moving, strong pressure on ribcage. Great thirst, drink a glass of water after an hour or half.
Aconitum napellus
- Restless and fearful
- Cough causes by cold wind
- Cough is sharp, short, dry and constant
- Cough begin if move into warmer place from cold ones.
- Only for acute and sub acute stages
Belladonna
Cough in belladona is non-productive (dry). Headache when coughing, feel as head is brusted. Sensation of heat and redness on face.
Ferrum phosphoricum
For all types of acute cough. Cough of early stages, inflammatory cough, allergic cough. Cough along with fever. Worse at night and in the early morning.
Pulsatilla
Acute productive cough, thick yellow phlegm, aggrivation in warm rooms.
Rumex crispus
When irritation in throat causes cough. Best known for dry cough. Breathing in cold air causes dry cough. Tickling between the two collar bones and above the sternum.
Spongia tosta
Croupy and barking cough relieves this remedy. Aggravation or worse in cough in chill or cold weather. Cough worse when laying down.
Remedies for productive cough
Ipecac
Cough with white phlegm that triggers nausea and hypersalivation.
Antimonium tartaricum
For all types of productive cough, espically when respiratory organs become weak.
- Inability to expectorate phlegm
- Difficulty in breathing, looks drowsy and week
- Cough and cold worse at 4.00 am
Hepar sulphuris calcareum
Aggravation by cold air and cold foods. Cough worse during at night. Phlegm green coloured if presists.
Drosera
For productive and non productive cough.
Drosera consider best for whooping cough. Another key symptom is cough worse at night when become warm in bed, also worse when talking or laughing.
Kali sulphuricum
Kali sulph is 3rd stage anti inflammatory medicine. Kali sulph easily kick out productive cough. Phlegm yellow and glued with throat. Cough worse when enter in warm rooms.
Pulsatilla is very similar with kali sulph. If symptoms are acute use pulsatilla, in case of chronic symptoms, use kali sulph.
Sulphur
Sulphur will be curative for both productive and non productive cough if following symptoms are present
- Burning and irritating cough
- Cough that worse when became warm in bed at night
- Difficulty in breathing when sleep
- Aggravation from bathing
- Redness on face, eyes, mucus membranes
Kali bichrom
Kali bic is mostly prescriebd for chronic cough along with following symptoms.
- Stringy, and yellow ropy phlegm which is very hard and difficult to excret
- Aggravation in cold weather
- Attack repeated at 3.00 am.
- Feels there is hair in throat which irritates throat
- Pain in med sternum which extand to back
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