Cough is a sudden discharge of air from the lungs with an explosive nose, sometimes with phlegm. When the cough is persistent, you feel pain in your abdominal muscles. Cough is caused by dust, smoke, food particle, nasal secretions, and toxic fumes.
Productive and unproductive cough
A productive cough means the cough which comes to remove the irritants. This cough produces phlegm.
Unproductive cough means the dry cough which doesn’t produces phlegm.
Treating Irritative coughs
- Drink plenty of hot water to keep the air passage moist. Hot soups can serve as decongestants.
- If you are a smoker, stop smoking. If the cough is triggered off by the sudden presence of a foreign substance, there is nothing we can do. If the cough is expelled, the cough clears up soon.
- Either from a hot bath or taking a small basin of boiling water, inhaling steam can loosen the nasal congestion and easily expel the mucus.
- The continuous blowing of the nose leads to coughing. Block only one nostril at a time to avoid the nasal secretions from being forced into the middle ear and the sinuses to avoid infecting them too.
- Takelozenges to pacify sore throat.
- For productive cough, the intake of expectorant helps to reduce the cough.
- For Unproductive coughs, cough suppressants recommended by the medical advisors can be taken.
- Stay hydrated. Getting enough fluids while you are affected by cold, is helping to make the mucous thin and helps to fight against infection.
- Sip hot antioxidant-rich green tea which reduces the upper respiratory infection symptoms.
- A pinch of garlic paste mixed in hot water will treat the dry cough effectively. The enzymes in it hydrate and moist the dry throat.
- Have a regular habit of taking a spoon of honey at night, which prevents the dry coughs.
