How to get rid of Coughs?

Natural causes and problems of coughs

Coughing is a natural mechanism of the body to clear out phlegm blocking your throat. Coughs normally occur when a particle of food enters your trachea instead of the esophagus. Coughs associated with common cold are normal and need no medical attention.

However, a spate of continuous cough lasting over three weeks could turn out as both discomforting and embarrassing. Prolonged coughs give rise to a nagging ache in stomach muscles and a choked throat. Dry coughs accompanied by wheezing could leave you gasping for breath. It is an indicator that you should see a doctor immediately.

Types of coughs   

Coughs are normally of two types: dry cough and phlegmatic cough. The treatment of the cough depends of which type of cough you are suffering from.

Dry cough: A dry cough does not yield phlegm, mucus or any other blocking secretion from your lungs. Dry cough is often caused when pollutants and irritants like dust, smoke, pollen, or any foreign particles enter your trachea. Smoking and asthma aggravate the problem of dry coughs.

If you work in air-conditioned buildings, the excessive dryness of the hot or cold air could affect your respiratory membranes and cause dry coughs. Fits of dry coughs could disturb your sleep at night.

Productive cough: A productive or wet cough spews phlegm, mucus or sputum. This is better than dry coughs because it clears irritants from your throat. You could get phlegmatic coughs as a natural consequence of colds and flu, infections, smoking or nasal discharge sucked back into the throat.

How to handle coughs  

You could turn dry coughs into productive coughs by drinking ample liquids that liquefy mucus in your chest. Taking hot liquids like tea, warm food and warm showers also help. Suppressants should not be used against wet coughs. Take lozenges to wet your throat and prevent dry coughs.