Going to bed-Ukhkh!! Ukhkh!!
Waking up- Ukhkh!! Ukhkh!!
Eating- Ukhkh!! Ukhkh!!
Relatable? Are you tired of running doctor to doctor, hospital to hospital? A cough can turn painful. Why not try our homeopathic treatment instead? Homeopathy helps.
Broadly, cough can be classified dry & wet. However, in this blog, we will stick to dry cough. A dry cough is a cough irritating your throat, constant tickling, without producing phlegm and it can be acute (<3 weeks), sub-acute(lasting 3-8 weeks), or chronic(lasting >8weeks).
It may be caused by
- Viral infections like Covid-19
- Flu,
- Allergies,
- Chronic lung diseases like asthma, COPD(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Gastroesophageal reflux(GERD)
- Inflamed tonsils
- Post nasal drip due to sinusitis or nasal polyps
- Mouth breathing
- Foreign body due to accidental aspiration
- Sound box or vocal cord diseases
- Occupational Asthma
- Smoking
- Certain cancers like that of the thyroid gland, lungs
- Psychogenic causes
To treat any disease or complaint, we have to rule out the cause. Seasonal changes are one of the leading causes of triggering cough, but what about chronic cases? Chronic coughs are difficult to treat condition, thus finding the cause becomes pertinent. We are seeing more and more patients these days with chronic dry cough, suffering for a few months or even years. Asthmatic affection is the leading reason, while the other underestimated reason is Gastroesophageal Reflux or chronic acidity. You might be getting relieved temporarily with cough syrups or anti-allergics, but your cough comes back repeatedly. Identifying & treating the cause gives the best outcomes instead of a quick fix temporary palliative treatment.
There have been instances when patients walk in with a history of cough following sore throat, had loads of cough syrups, logences but on taking case details we find that cough often gets aggravated after heavy meals or irregular meals or we come to know that the patient is fond of rich spicy food. These patients have been suffering for a long not being aware that it is due to acid reflux, they often suffer from scratchy throat. Here, homeopathy has its role in play, whatever may be the cause, whether respiratory or gastric.
We have a long list of medicines to help alleviate your complaints. However, along with the medicines, lifestyle modifications and improved eating habits quicken the relief.
In all cases, these tips do help people-
- lukewarm salt water gargling
- avoiding too hot or too cold food
- Preferring bland diet over strong flavored ones
- Sipping on normal or warm water when getting episodic cough
- Avoiding late night dinners
- A moderate amount of food at regular intervals
- Avoiding spicy, oily & sour food
- Avoid Smoking
- Regular exercise
- If overweight or obese- shedding that extra weight helps
- If prone to allergies, avoid the known allergens
- In case of nasal polyps & postnasal drips, take steam and try raise your head with pillow support while lying down
- Deep breathing exercise
I hope this article helps. In case of further assistance, please feel free to get in touch with us via the Chikitsailaaj appointment panel.
