How to get rid of cough?
How do I get rid of my cough?
Cough is a symptom and not a disease. To get rid of your cough, you need to treat the underlying disease which is causing the cough. There are more than 300 diseases the cause cough. The more common diseases that cause cough include
- Asthma
- Emphysema
- Chronic Bronchitis
- Tuberculosis
- Pneumonia
- Gastric Reflux
- Hypersensitivity pneumonitis
- Bacterial Chest infection
Asthma causes cough
If you experience episodes or transient periods of coughing in association with breathlessness and wheezing, then you may be suffering from asthma. In such an event, you will need to visit your GP who will prescribe an aerosol spray. He will tell you to keep the aerosol spray with you and to use it whenever you experience an asthmatic attack.
Cough because of bacterial chest infection
Bacterial chest infections are one of the most common causes of cough. Cough is the first sign in a bacterial chest infection. If left untreated, the patient experiences other symptoms such as coughing up green sputum, fever, and rigors. To treat a bacterial infection you will need to take an antibiotic. Antibiotics used to treat chest infections include amoxicillin and erythromycin. Once the bacterial infection is treated, the cough disappears.
Cough and chronic bronchitis
People who smoke develop a respiratory disease known as chronic bronchitis. In this disease, a person’s airways become damaged and he experiences cough and breathlessness. Some patients also experience weight loss. Patients diagnosed with chronic bronchitis are advised to stop smoking immediately and to visit their GP who, depending on the severity of the disease, can provide them with further course of action.
Gastric reflux can cause cough
When you eat, food travels down the esophagus, a muscular tube, into the stomach. Once the food has reached the stomach, the bottom portion of the esophagus contracts and its opening into the stomach closes. This mechanism prevents food from regurgitating back into the esophagus. If the lower portion of the esophagus fails to close, or does so incompletely, the food reenters the esophagus and causes a condition known as gastric reflux which is characterized by a burning feeling in the chest. Additionally, gastric reflux can cause cough.
To treat cough caused by gastric reflux, your GP will prescribe an antibiotic and a proton pump inhibitor. These drugs will treat your gastric reflux. Once treated, your cough will disappear.
A home remedy, which you can use to treat gastric reflux, requires that you take half a glass of water and half a glass of milk. Mix the two and add a pinch of salt to the mixture. Stir the contents and then drink the half milk-half water solution. This should cure your gastric cure and your cough.
All in all, cough is a symptom and not a disease. To cure your cough you need to treat the underlying disorder.