Home remedies for dry cough: I’ve tried everything today! His dry cough persist…12hrs now..
Coughing is a reflex response to the presence of some kind of irritant like an allergen or phlegm in the throat and respiratory tract. Some of the reasons for this could be the body’s continued coughing reflex after a viral infection, a variant of asthma that causes the cough instead of wheezing, too much breathing through the mouth, and pertussis or whooping cough. In adults, due the exposure to greater amounts of pathogens, drugs, and pollution the reasons for a dry cough could extend to a smoker’s cough, the use of hypertensive drugs, and even sheer habit. The treatment of the cough itself is by the use of a decongestant that stimulates inflammation and mucous creation.
Post-viral dry cough is caused after a bout of some kind of a viral infection like the common cold. The body would have been having a regular cough reflex developed at this time to keep the airways clear. However, after a viral infection, sometimes, the body cough reflex tends to remain for a week after the remission of other symptoms. This sort of dry cough is usually temporary and the body returns to a normal state. If the symptoms persist, codeine is usually administered. In the case of cough variant asthma, instead of the usual shortness of breath and wheezing symptoms that are usually associated with the condition, coughing can also occur. If a patient is suffering from this kind of asthma, the treatment is usually the same treatment that is administered during regular asthma, which is corticosteroids – a steroid that reduces inflammation. In some forms of allergies, cough can be a side-effect of the body’s reaction to an allergen. A pollen allergy can create this very type of condition as well as other conditions, some as unusual and uncharacteristic as eczema. Excessive breathing through the mouth also creates a situation where a dry cough can occur inhalation through the mouth will cause an intake of air that is not filtered and warmed as it would have during nose inhalation.
Pertussis or whooping cough is a more serious reason. It caused by a bacterial infection and dry cough is the main indication of it – children especially at risk of this. All the above situations called for a visit to the doctor. Before you do that, administer some natural remedies like dried ginger flakes mixed in tea, steam inhalations, spicy food, avoiding temperature fluctuations to the body by ingesting warm liquids and food and staying away from cold places.
