Self Care

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Cough

 

Coughing is said to be a reflex that causes the air passages to contract and prevent foreign objects from entering the lungs. . Coughing is a normal, healthy process as long as these tasks are carried out effectively. But, harsh and forceful coughs can irritate the linings of the airways. This causes the membranes to become inflamed and leads to further coughing. When coughing lasts for several days, it is usually a symptom of an underlying upper respiratory problem such as a cold.

Chronic coughing that continues for several months is usually associated with a long-term habit such as smoking, with a chronic illness such as asthma, or with allergies.

Self Care :

Try to cough as little as possible. The less coughing you do, the less you will aggravate the lining of your throat.

Drink warm liquids such as tea, broth, hot lemonade.

You can suppress the cough with over the the-counter cough syrups.

If you are coughing at night, raise the head of bed to prevent stomach contents from being regurgitated and accidentally breathed into the lungs. This is especially important for elderly people.

Relieve the sore throat that often comes with a cough by sucking on hard candy, throat lozenges, or honey.

Signs and Symptoms :

Cough that leads to Vomiting.

New cough accompanied by a temperature at a level you believe to be a high fever.

Cough that persists for longer than 3 weeks.

Cough accompanied by swollen glands, with or without a fever.

Cough accompanied by persistent inability to catch one’s breath.

Cough with sore throat.