By coughing, the body reacts to irritation of the receptors in the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. There are two main types of cough: dry and phlegm. In addition, various reasons for the occurrence of this phenomenon are possible. Therefore, before starting treatment, it is necessary to establish why it appeared. With a strong obsessive cough, you should definitely visit a doctor in order to exclude such causes as tuberculosis, pneumonia, lung cancer and others.
How to help with a wet cough
A moist cough is characterized by the separation and expectoration of phlegm. It can be abundant and well-flowing or, conversely, scanty and difficult to separate. In any case, you need to liquefy it and remove it from the lungs. For this, warm drinks are used in large quantities, as well as herbal preparations and special preparations sold in pharmacies. Inhalation with soda, chamomile, coltsfoot, pine buds and other means help well.
At the pharmacy, you can also purchase breast preparations suitable for chronic cough, usually they are supplied with instructions for brewing and use. It is necessary to monitor the separation of sputum, its type and color. If moist cough lasts a long time, has no apparent reason, the sputum changes its color to green or blood streaks appear in it, and if other dubious symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor, get tested and undergo fluorography.
How to relieve a dry cough
A dry cough is very unpleasant for a person and, most often, later it goes into the stage of sputum separation. To speed up this process, you can use inhalations with herbs, alkaline and oily, for example, with eucalyptus oil. Relief will bring and general procedures such as cans, mustard plasters, hot foot baths.
Drugs that relieve dry coughs are based on codeine, which is a fairly serious remedy, and is sold in pharmacies only with a doctor's prescription. To alleviate a strong, tearing cough, especially tormenting at night, you can use drugs that have a softening and expectorant effect.
In addition, depending on the cause of the cough, there may be some features of the treatment and relief of the pathological condition. The most common cause of coughing is the ingress of a foreign object into the respiratory system, colds and acute inflammation bronchi, larynx, lungs, as well as diseases such as bronchial asthma, whooping cough, tuberculosis or the occurrence of allergic reactions.
Cough with bronchial asthma
This disease often occurs in children different agesbut it can also appear in older people. It is characterized by attacks, often nocturnal, of a convulsive cough, reaching vomiting, while bronchial spasm occurs, which makes it difficult to breathe, wheezing and whistling sounds can be heard in the chest. An asthma attack in most cases resolves within an hour.
Help in this situation is to ensure free access of fresh air, laying the patient in a semi-sitting position, foot baths have a good effect, with a water temperature of about 40 ° C. When a child has an attack, it is necessary to try to calm him down and distract him. Special drugs that relieve cough and prevent asthma attacks can only be prescribed by a doctor. The manifestation of bronchial asthma requires a mandatory call for an ambulance. Subsequently, it is necessary to establish the allergen causing the exacerbation and try to avoid it.
Ingestion of a foreign object in the respiratory tract
This condition causes a sharp attack of coughing, with which the person begins to blush and gasp. Help to cough up the foreign body. To do this, it is necessary to firmly press the chest and stomach to the table and sharply hit on the back, however, it must be taken into account that in an upright position, tapping between the shoulder blades can provoke the object to drop even lower. If we are talking about a child, the following method is effective: take it by the legs, lower it upside down and shake it gently, patting it on the back. Foreign body at respiratory system - a reason to immediately call an ambulance.
Acute respiratory diseases and colds
A cough is a symptom of almost any inflammation of the respiratory system. As a rule, at the onset of the disease, it is dry, phlegm gradually appears, and the cough becomes moist. With absence high temperature It is possible to alleviate the condition with the help of hot foot baths, mustard plasters, compresses, however, if the thermometer scale rises above 37.5, it is better to abandon such funds, since they can provoke an even greater rise in temperature. Relief of cold symptoms will bring an abundant drink with lemon and honey, inhalation, mint tea and other folk remedies.
When the mucus in the respiratory tract is thin, it is simply cleared out, the lungs are cleared. This is typical for wet cough... But if the sputum begins to dry out, and pathogenic microorganisms can multiply, it is difficult to cough it up.
With a dry cough, sputum is almost not released, and there is no relief from coughing.
Thus, to cure both dry and wet coughs folk remediesand, you need to increase the amount of phlegm and prevent it from thickening and accumulation.
First aid measures
The result of cough treatment with folk remedies often depends on how quickly you reacted to the first symptoms and began active actions. Prevention works even better, but if you've already noticed your first symptoms, the first thing to do is:
How should a homemade cough medicine work?
All pharmacological medicines in this group have one or more of the following properties:
- oppression of the cough center;
- dilution of phlegm in the respiratory tract;
- activation of the work of the ciliated epithelium, pushing mucus;
- anti-inflammatory action;
- stimulation of bronchial smooth muscle contraction.
The first property in this list is extremely rarely recommended for use, since suppression of the cough reflex can be dangerous with active sputum production. But the thinning and anti-inflammatory action is useful in any case. It is on the preparation of home remedies with such an effect that we will stop.
Cough Relief
If the disease process has already begun, you need to move on to other measures. We will focus on the most simple and effective methodswith a minimum of side effects and contraindications.
If you choose a dry cough with folk remedies, you cannot do without inhalation, since warm steam almost instantly stimulates the production of mucus, alleviates a sore throat, 
relaxation of the respiratory muscles. But for the treatment of wet coughs, inhalation is the best remedy.
It will reduce the viscosity of mucus, moisturize airways, and with the addition of essential oils will have an antibacterial effect.
You can inhale by simply heating mineral water or saline... You can also add 2-4 drops of essential oils, enriching the steam with an antiseptic, healing effect. Eucalyptus oil and tea tree oil are good for inhalation.
The optimum water temperature is 60 degrees for an adult, and 30-40 for a child.
Hot steam can burn the mucous membranes, be careful. It is best to use an inhaler to prevent steam from getting into your skin and eyes.
2. Plentiful warm drink
As mentioned before, the viscosity of mucus plays an important role in the speed of bronchial clearance. The viscosity of mucus is directly related to the same indicator in the blood, and this, in turn, is determined by the amount of liquid drunk. Among the medicinal drinks, the following are the most popular:
- tea with dried marshmallow root, as well as thyme leaves or violets;
- infusion of licorice;
- infusion of elecampane roots;
- milk with honey and butter;
- milk with garlic;
- ginger tea with dried peppermint leaves.
You can combine the listed herbs by adding honey, fresh ginger, black pepper, red pepper, turmeric, as well as other medicinal plants - istode roots, oregano herbs, coltsfoot, pine buds.
Before treating a cough with folk remedies using herbs, make sure that there is no individual intolerance.
For children under 5 years old, any herbs and honey can be given only after consultation with a pediatrician.
3. Ensuring optimal conditions
This paragraph covers actions aimed at maintaining the body's defenses. The immune system will overcome the cold itself, you just need to try not to interfere with this process. Provide cleanliness and humidity, ventilate the room where the patient spends time. Do not force him to eat, the congested intestines prevent the body from fighting the virus.
Usually, a cough with a cold goes away after 7-14 days. If you still have symptoms after 2 weeks, see your doctor.
Remember that advanced diseases are more difficult to treat, so there is no time to waste.
How to relieve a cough?
How to relieve a cough: traditional remedies
With the development of an attack, you can use medications, the appointment of which should be handled by a doctor. The relief methods will be different:
If the cough is provoked by the development of swelling of the respiratory tract, then before going to bed you need to take an antihistamine;
With a dry cough, expectorant drugs are prescribed;
· Herbal preparations also help to cope with coughing attacks.
Excessively dry air in the bedroom can also cause coughing fits. In such cases, it is recommended to turn on humidifiers. If there is no special device, then several containers with clean water can be placed in the room. As the liquid evaporates, the air humidity will increase.
Folk remedies to help relieve cough at night
If there were no tablets at hand, or there are contraindications for drug therapy, then you can use proven folk methods:
· Dissolve a small spoonful of butter in a glass of hot milk. Then add baking soda to the tip of a knife. Drink hot milk;
· You can prepare a decoction of herbs that have expectorant properties. Here you can use licorice, coltsfoot and others. It is not recommended to combine herbal decoctions with sputum-thinning drugs.
Mint candies or special lozenges, which need to be sucked before bedtime, help from coughing attacks. They soften the throat, and then the attack will no longer be so debilitating. Many lozenges contain herbal decoctions or essential oils. Side effects when taking medicated lozenges are extremely rare. The only thing that is possible is the development of a small allergic response to the constituent components.
Coughing is a useful defense mechanism because it helps remove mucus and infectious agents from your breath. Treatment that completely suppresses coughing can do more harm than good. However, sometimes it is necessary to relieve a coughing fit, especially so that you can sleep.
Remember, it is important not to use antitussive medications around the clock because coughing helps clear your airways!
What you need to stop coughing
- Infrared heaters
- Bottled water
- Antihistamines
- Antitussive drugs
- Cough syrup
- Expectorants
- Cough drops
Instructions on how to ease a coughing attack
- Determine the cause of your cough. Since coughing is not a disease but a symptom, it is important to find out what exactly is causing your cough to help ease the symptoms.
- Stop smoking. Coughs are often caused by irritants in the respiratory system, such as cigarette smoke.
- Identify and remove any chemical irritants that can exacerbate coughing attacks — habitual deodorants and colognes can be quite harmful during a cold or flu.
- Use a vaporizer or humidifier. Moist air can help relieve dry coughs and speed up thick mucus.
- Drink plenty of fluids, especially clear fluids such as water. This will help relieve dry throat and also loosen mucus.
- Drink hot liquids like broth or tea. Honey tea can soothe a sore throat.
- Use an antihistamine or an alternative method if your cough is caused by an allergy.
- Take cough drops, they are sold in almost any supermarket and pharmacy
- If you have thick mucus, use a cough medicine that contains guaifenesin. It is an expectorant that loses mucus and relieves coughs and helps mucus out of your airways. Follow the directions on the labels of any drugs carefully!
- Reduce coughing activity with an antitussive medication. Antitussives reduce the frequency of coughing. Use them only at night to help you sleep. It is important not to use antitussives around the clock because coughing helps clear the airways. Follow the directions on the labels carefully.
Basic antitussives
Antitussives that act on cough receptors in the airways
- Prenoxdiazine (Libexin)
- Levodropropizin (Levopront)
- Gelitsndin
Antitussives that target the cough center in the brain stem
- Butamirat (Sinekod)
- Glaucin (Glauvent)
- Oxeladine (Tusuprex)
- Pentoxiverin (Sedotussin)
- Codeine
- Codipront (contains codeine)
Combined antitussives
- Bronholitin (glaucine, ephedrine)
- Tussin Plus (dextro-metorphan, guaifenazine)
- Stopussin
- Most types of coughs are not dangerous and usually just "go on". It is important not to use cough syrups around the clock to suppress coughs.
- See your doctor if your cough lasts more than a week; if you produce mucus that is yellow, green, pink, bloody, or rusty; or if your cough persists and goes away with any of the following symptoms: fever above 39 degrees or higher, chest pain, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, or weight loss.
- Any smoker whose cough has changed should see a doctor, as an unusual form of cough can be an early sign of lung cancer.
Note of the Moscow Medicine portal to the article "How to relieve a cough": this information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.