How to cure a cough at home? The answer depends on the cause of the development of pathology and a number of other factors. The cough reflex is a reaction of the body to irritation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, and can occur for physiological or pathological reasons.
Normally, a person has no more than 20 cough shocks per day. In the presence of a pathological process, the cough can be dry and wet (wet), which depends on the absence or presence of sputum, as well as acute, prolonged and chronic, depending on the duration (up to 3 weeks, more than 3 weeks or more than 3 months per year, respectively).
In most cases, cough can be treated at home, but this cannot be done in 1 day.
If you suspect the development of the pathological process, you should contact a qualified specialist and undergo the prescribed examination. After making a diagnosis, the doctor will prescribe treatment if necessary, which can be carried out at home under medical supervision.
The main therapy can be supplemented with traditional medicine, however, they are not recommended to be used uncontrollably and / or as the only method of treatment.
Acute symptoms can sometimes be relieved in 1 day, but it usually takes longer to resolve the cause of the cough.
How to quickly cure a cough at home
The treatment for different types of cough is different. So, with a dry cough, it is necessary to remove irritation, moisturize and soften the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, with a wet cough – to facilitate coughing and elimination of sputum.
With a debilitating unproductive cough, antitussive drugs can be prescribed that stop the cough reflex. They can be used in a very limited number of cases, only in the absence of accumulations of sputum, can not be used together with mucolytics and expectorant drugs, which are prescribed if necessary to thin the mucus and facilitate its removal from the respiratory tract.
Anti-inflammatory drugs are often used, with infectious diseases – anti-infective drugs (antibiotics, antiviral drugs, etc.). In case of an allergic reaction, antihistamines are prescribed. With psychosomatic cough, sedatives can be used.
For diseases of the gastrointestinal tract can be used:
- drugs that improve intestinal motility;
- antisecretory drugs;
- antacids.
General recommendations
An abundant drinking regimen is recommended for patients, with a tendency to edema (pregnancy, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease), the amount of fluid consumed is adjusted by the doctor. When coughing, you can drink tea with lemon and honey, milk-based products, berry and fruit juices, fruit drinks, fruit drinks, warm mineral water.
In the room where the patient is located, regular wet cleaning, ventilation, and humidification of the air should be carried out.
If the patient’s condition allows, he is recommended to walk in the fresh air. Patients are recommended a sparing diet (refusal of products irritating the mucous membrane), refusal of smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages.
Inhalation
The most effective methods of treating cough include inhalation, which can be done with an inhaler, nebulizer, spray.
Steam inhalation is easy to carry out at home. The benefits of steam inhalation are ease of use and affordability. In the absence of a steam inhaler, the patient can simply breathe steam over the container with the prepared solution, covering his head with a towel. The disadvantages of this method include the possibility of a patient getting burns of the mucous membranes and skin. It is not advisable for children to carry out such inhalations.
Steam inhalation is the easiest method, but also the least effective
The advantages of inhalation with a nebulizer include their safety (it is impossible to get a burn) and effectiveness: the particles of the drug substance are so small that they penetrate the lower parts of the respiratory tract. In addition, when carrying out inhalation with a nebulizer, drugs can be used that lose their effectiveness when heated.
Preparations for the procedure, the concentration and frequency of inhalation are selected by the attending physician.
For inhalation, you can use:
- medicines;
- baking soda solution;
- saline or sodium chloride solution;
- mineral or sea water;
- essential oils;
- honey;
- infusions and decoctions of medicinal plants.
Contraindications include: individual intolerance to one or more components of the solution, a tendency to nose or lung bleeding, arrhythmia, severe heart failure, pneumothorax. At elevated body temperature, steam inhalation is contraindicated, however, such patients can perform the procedure using a nebulizer.
If during the procedure the patient appears dizzy, the cough intensifies, the general condition worsens, inhalation should be stopped immediately and seek medical help.
When carrying out inhalations, a number of rules should be followed:
- Begin the procedure no earlier than 1-1.5 hours after eating or intense physical exertion.
- Use only those solutions and in the concentration prescribed by your doctor.
- Breathe during the procedure with your mouth, periodically inhaling through your nose.
- Do not engage in any other activities during inhalation (including not talking).
- In the cold season, do not go outside for an hour after inhalation.
- Within an hour after inhalation, do not eat, do not smoke, do not speak loudly.
- Clean the nebulizer after each procedure in accordance with the instruction manual.
- After inhalation, rinse your face with water and rinse your mouth to get rid of the remnants of the drug.
- The temperature of the solution for steam inhalation should be 50-55 ° C.
The inhalation time is 5-10 minutes for adults, for children, the duration of the procedure depends on the age of the patient and the active substance. So, the duration of the often prescribed inhalation with saline using a nebulizer for children is presented in the table.
Table. Duration of inhalation with saline, depending on the age of the child
| Age | Duration of the procedure |
| Up to 1 year | No more than 1 minute |
| 1-2 years | 1-2 minutes |
| 3–6 years old | 2–5 minutes |
| 7 years and older | 5-10 minutes |
Folk remedies
To mitigate cough and accelerate the regeneration of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, folk remedies are used. Their use requires agreement with a doctor.
Plant-based products:
- Buckwheat with a golden mustache. To soften and moisturize the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract contributes to the daily use of infusion of flowers of buckwheat and leaves of a golden mustache (10 g each). A mixture of plants need to pour 500 ml of boiling water and leave for about 40 minutes.
- The roots of calamus. With coughing attacks and the absence of sputum, an infusion of calamus roots (1 tablespoon of dry raw materials per 1.5 cups of boiling water) helps well. The tool must be insisted for 10 minutes, take 2/3 cup 30 minutes before a meal. For coughing attacks at night, you can take 1 teaspoon of a mixture of honey and lemon juice (in equal parts).
- Garlic with honey. A mixture of chopped garlic (2-3 cloves) and honey (2 tablespoons) may help. The tool is taken 1 teaspoon 2 times a day for 2 days, then you need to take a break for 1 day, if necessary, the drug can be continued according to the same scheme.
- Raisins. You can use a decoction of raisins, for the preparation of which 100 g of raisins is poured into 1 liter of water, brought to a boil and cooked on low heat for 30 minutes. The mixture is allowed to cool, filtered and taken in 0.5 cups 3 times a day.
Recipes for milk-based products:
- Milk with alkaline water. It is recommended to drink warm milk mixed with alkaline mineral water in a ratio of 1: 1. You can also drink milk with soda (0.5 teaspoon of soda per glass of milk).
- Warm milk with honey (1 teaspoon per glass of milk). You can add a little butter to the product. It is advisable to drink the drink before bedtime.
- Milk with anise . To prepare the product, 2 tablespoons of anise seeds are poured into 1.5 cups of milk, a pinch of salt is added, brought to a boil and removed from the heat. Add 1 teaspoon of honey to the liquid and take 1 tablespoon every 3 hours throughout the day.
- Sage milk helps with dry cough. To prepare the product, 1 tablespoon of dry grass is poured with 1 glass of boiling water and insisted for 25 minutes. Filter the liquid, add 1 cup of milk. The tool can be sweetened with honey and consumed throughout the day in a warm form.
- Milk with figs. 3-4 fig fruits are poured with 1 glass of milk, the liquid is brought to a boil and cooked over low heat under a lid for about 2 hours. The drug is taken 50-100 ml before meals no more than 5 times a day. Figs should be eaten, and liquid should be drunk.
Milk with figs – a popular folk remedy for cough
Means based on black radish:
- Squeeze juice from fresh radish, mix with honey in a 1: 1 ratio. The mixture is taken 3-4 times a day for 1 teaspoon (children) or 1 tablespoon (adults) in a spoon.
- Wash 1 radish, cut off the top and cut out part of the pulp. Honey is put in the recess (it is not necessary to completely fill the radish with honey, you should leave room for juice), the top is put in place, the radish is left for several hours. After the specified time, the mixture of radish juice and honey must be drained, a new portion of honey can be placed in the recess.
- Black radish (1-2 pieces) needs to be cleaned, cut into cubes, placed in a suitable container, sprinkled with sugar and baked at an average temperature for about 2 hours. During cooking, make sure that the liquid does not evaporate, and the radish does not burn. The resulting syrup is poured into a storage container, consumed 2 teaspoons 3 times a day.
Compresses and rubbing
As an additional warming agent for some diseases, banks, mustard plasters, and compresses can be used. Doctors warn against taking them thoughtlessly, such procedures have contraindications and must be agreed with the doctor.
- Rubbing. The breast is rubbed with a mixture of vegetable oil (10 ml) and ammonia (5 ml). It is also possible to produce rubbing with body fat.
- Compress with vodka. Gauze (about 30 cm) is moistened with vodka or alcohol (about 50 ml), placed on the chest (on the bronchial region), covered with parchment. The compress can be fixed with a warm scarf or scarf. After setting the compress, the patient should be under a warm blanket for about 30 minutes. The procedure is carried out 1 time in 2 days.
- Warming compress. It can be made from honey (2 tablespoons), mustard powder, vegetable oil, flour and vodka (1 tablespoon each). From the resulting mixture, you need to form 1-2 cakes, wrap them in gauze and place on the chest and / or back of the patient. The compress can be fixed on the body with a bandage and left overnight. Compresses can be placed on the chest and on the back. In this case, pediatric patients for one procedure should put a compress on the chest or on the back. Place of production can be alternated every other day. Warming compresses are contraindicated at elevated temperatures.
Associated symptoms
Dry cough often occurs in the early stages of respiratory tract diseases, and in a few days from the onset of the disease, it can turn into wet.
With various pathological processes, coughing may be accompanied by:
- fever;
- sore throat and / or sore throat;
- pain in the chest;
- runny nose;
- difficulty breathing
- change of voice (up to its temporary loss);
- nausea and vomiting
- pallor and / or cyanosis of the skin;
- weakness, fatigue, drowsiness, etc.
Sputum in different diseases is different. In diseases of viral etiology, sputum is usually transparent and colorless, does not contain impurities. A small amount of transparent viscous sputum can also be noted with an allergic reaction, bronchial asthma. With a bacterial infection, sputum may contain pus impurities, have a yellowish or greenish color.
In the case of a fungal infection, unclear clumps of white or gray color can be detected in the mucous sputum. With tuberculosis, oncological diseases of the respiratory system, blood can be detected in sputum.
Causes and Risk Factors
Most often, coughing occurs with diseases of the respiratory system, which include acute respiratory viral infections, inflammatory processes in the upper and lower respiratory tract (pharyngitis, laryngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis, pneumonia), bronchial asthma, tuberculosis, malignant neoplasms of the respiratory tract.
In most cases, the cough is colds.
This symptom can be observed in diseases of the cardiovascular system (congestive heart failure), gastrointestinal tract (gastroesophageal reflux disease), endocrine pathologies (thyroid disease), helminthic invasions, osteochondrosis.
In addition, the cause of the development of this clinical sign may be:
- allergic reaction;
- hypothermia of the body;
- inhalation of too dry and / or dusty air, chemicals;
- smoking (active and passive);
- ingestion of foreign bodies in the respiratory tract;
- stress;
- the use of certain drugs (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors).
Diseases in which a cough occurs can have a non-infectious and infectious etiology. The causative agents of infection can be viruses, bacteria, microscopic fungi. In some cases, the disease can be complicated by the addition of a secondary infection. Coughing seizures can occur with childhood infections (measles, whooping cough).
We cough for 1 day
Unfortunately, it is impossible to cure a cough in 1 day. If you make such a promise, you can be absolutely sure that this is a hoax. The exception is a severe cough caused by a foreign body entering the respiratory tract, but this is not treated at home.