Cough – Self-care

Cough is a natural reflex that helps to clear irritating substances such as mucus, smoke or other particles in the airways. This is the body’s natural reflex to protect the lungs and it can remove irritants from the airways, such as smoke and mucus. The airway is the tube that allows air to pass in and out of the lungs. When the nerves in the airways are affected, coughing occurs. Coughing can also be a sign of a more serious illness. Occasionally, certain diseases or medicines (such as ACE inhibitors and beta-blockers for high blood pressure) can irritate the airways and cause coughing. It is actually a defense mechanism used by the body to protect the lungs from infection and inflammation. Coughing is one of the most common reasons why people seek medical help.  

Common irritants that cause coughing include:

  • Mucus
  • smokes
  • dust
  • pollen

When a cough lasts less than three weeks, acute cough is usually considered to be caused by a respiratory infection, such as a cold, sinusitis or pneumonia. Sometimes, after the infection has been cleared, the cough persists. This is called subacute cough. A subacute cough usually lasts less than 8 weeks, and your body treats the remaining mucus and inflammation.

A chronic cough lasts for more than eight weeks and is usually caused by persistent symptoms due to an underlying medical condition. Some conditions that can cause chronic cough include:

  • After intranasal sinus infection
  • Allergy
  • asthma
  • bronchitis
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • Lungfibros
  • Gerd (Gastroesophageal reflux disease)

Sometimes, although this rarely happens, chronic cough can be caused by lung infections, lung cancer, lung disease, heart failure or even mental illness.

Dry and slimy cough

You may have noticed that coughing may feel and sound completely different depending on the cause. You may have a dry or mucous cough with secretions and large amounts of mucus. The following are the differences between dry cough and wet cough:

  • Dry cough  : The cough is dry cough and there is no mucus or sputum in the airways. It can be itchy in the throat and cough. This is usually caused by a respiratory infection, such as a cold or flu, asthma (especially in children) or exposure to cigarette smoke and other irritants. Whooping cough  is usually also a dry cough, with deep and rapid cough attacks. Dry cough comes at midnight, when you are in bed, early in the morning or in a dry, warm room, the cough tends to get worse. 
  • Mucous cough  : A  mucous cough  occurs when mucus and fluid secretions accumulate in the trachea and lungs. You cough to get water out of your body. Your body produces this mucus because it has an inflammatory response, usually in response to infection. Mucus continues to accumulate, even if you cough a lot, everyone knows it can be very irritating and even painful.

Coughing can also keep you awake at night and affect your quality of life until it disappears. No wonder coughing is one of the most common reasons why people seek medical help. 

Treatment

Cough is usually due to a virus and then treatment with antibiotics does not help. The body’s immune system takes care of the healing and the cough goes away on its own. There is no cough medicine that cures cough. There are some prescription drugs that contain morphine that have an antitussive effect. At the pharmacy, over-the-counter cough suppressants and expectorants are available for purchase. There are no studies showing that over-the-counter cough medicines have any clear effect. But some think they help.

Own care of Hostan!

Foods that increase immunity

When you do not seem to get rid of the cough, you can choose foods to help thin mucus, calm muscles, reduce inflammation and  improve your immune system  . The following is a brief introduction used in the home for coughs:

  • Water  : Drink plenty of water throughout the day – about 2-3 liters per 24 hours. Fluid makes the mucus less tough and easier to cough up. Hot drinks often have a soothing effect on the throat. 
  • Soup  : Soup  is easy to ingest even if you are tired and hungover and really have no appetite. A soup is not only something that can provide a nice warmth in the body, If you include the right ingredients, it can also relieve fatigue and eliminate excess mucus.
  • Onion soup  : Onions are rich in minerals such as calcium, magnesium, chlorine, copper, iron, phosphorus, iodine, silicon, sulfur, etc. It also contains vitamins A, B, C and E.
  • Vitlök Soppa : Vitlök är ett naturligt antibiotikum som stärker kroppens immunförsvaret och samtidigt syresätta kroppen. Vitlök har antimikrobiella, antivirala och svampdämpande egenskaper, så att lägga till den i din kost som en naturlig hostmedicin kan hjälpa dig att förbättra din infektion. Använd 7 -8 vitlöksklyfta för vuxna, krossa dem, lägg dem i en liten skål, tillsätt bergsocker( 2 små bitar ), tillsätt vatten ungefär två tredjedelar av den lilla skålens höjd och Låt dem koka i svaga värme i 15 minuter. Drick Vitlök vattnet. I svåra fall, 3 gånger om dagen.(ta ut vitlök när du dricker). Detta recept är inte bara effektivt mot hosta orsakad av förkylning utan har också en bra hjälp behandlings effekt för bronkit, astma.
  • Ginger  : Drinking ginger  when you cough can help boost your immune system and resistance to infection symptoms.

Perfect for coughs and can drink both cold or hot. Boil a large jug and store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

  • Vitamin C  can be used as a remedy for coughs because it supports your immune system and strengthens white blood cells. Research has shown that vitamin C is an important antioxidant that can help reduce coughing and wheezing in smokers with high levels of oxidative stress. Vitamin C can help reduce or prevent bacterial infections and viruses. It can shorten the cold time and can even be used as a natural remedy for colds.
  • Zinc lozenges : Zinc is often used as an over-the-counter medicine to fight the symptoms of colds, including coughs. According to the  Journal of the American Pharmacists Association,  taking zinc within 24 hours of cold symptoms can reduce the duration and severity of cold symptoms. The scientific overview of the effectiveness of zinc also suggests that it may exert antiviral effects and disrupt the molecular processes that cause the accumulation of nasal mucus and bacteria. 
  • Honey – Natural expectorant tea   : Honey has natural anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Honey also has a soothing effect on the throat, and the beneficial enzymes found in honey make the antibacterial effect stronger. It has been used as a home remedy for coughs and sore throats for generations.

A little thyme with honey and lemon results in a natural tea that relieves cough, sore throat and excessive mucus production. Its expectorant and anti-inflammatory ingredients help to dissolve mucus secretions to promote removal.

Ingredients:

  • 2 1/2 dl water
  • 1 teaspoon thyme or 1/2 ripe apple
  • The juice from 1/2 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon honey

Method
Boil the water. When it boils, add the thyme or apples (Boil the apple and mash it into a puree) and a spoonful of honey.
Let stand for five minutes and add the lemon juice.
Drink 2-3 times a day.

  • Inhalation of steam with bicarbonate  : We have amounts of bicarbonate in the body and with impaired breathing the levels are lower. This makes it more difficult for the body to maintain a good pH balance, and increases oxygenation to the cells. A steam bath can be both refreshing and help with the cough. The easiest way is to pour water into half of the kettle then add  a teaspoon of bicarbonate.  Cover your head  with a towel and  inhale the fumes . Pull them in through your nose and exhale with your mouth for 2 minutes and 2 times a day (morning and evening before going to bed). It cleanses up inside the mucous membranes and can make a big difference if you do it just before you go to bed.

Tips!

Pep treatment, emptying of mucus from the trachea The
purpose of PEP treatment (positive
expiratory pressure , ie positive expiratory pressure):

  • Stimulates lung ventilation and removes mucus from the trachea.
  • When blowing against the resistance of the water, the airways are prevented from being compressed.
  • The air is forced behind the mucus and pushes it upwards towards the larger respiratory tract.
  • It is easier to get it out by breathing heavily and coughing.

Treatment

  • Fill a clean bottle with 5-10 cm of water
  • Insert a hose that is 1 cm in diameter.
  • Sit with both feet firmly on the floor.
  • Check that the hose is at the bottom of the bottle.
  • Insert the hose between the teeth and close tightly with the lips.
  • Inhale deeply  through the nose , exhale  through the mouth  in the tube.
  • Immediately repeat a new inhalation through the nose and exhalation through the tube.
  • Rest after 10-15 exhalations, try to cough, clear up if necessary. mucus.
  • Repeat the blowouts again.
  • The exercise should continue for about 10 minutes if you have the strength. Repeat several times / day
  • Clean bottle and hose daily with detergent and hot water.

If you have problems with coughing, or mucus that is difficult to cough up, this breathing technique can help you, to open up the airways and to cough up any mucus.

NOTE

Seek medical attention If you have a chronic cough that has been going on for more than 8 weeks Self-care for cough can effectively fight infections that usually cause coughing and reduce cough, but they can not treat cough caused by medical conditions such as lung disease, lung cancer or heart disease.