Some of the most common diseases are:these are respiratory diseases. That is why the question of how to get rid of a dry cough never loses its relevance. It is the cough that is the most important and common complaint in such diseases. Moreover, everyone without exception, from young to old, faces a cough. If you ask pharmacists about which medications are the most controversial, they will probably mention various cough medications. And it is not surprising - most often, when a cough appears, people rush to the pharmacy, where, without much thought, they buy popular cough medications. However, doctors say that this should not be done. In order for a drug to have a positive effect, it must be selected very carefully. A universal medicine that is ideal for everyone without exception simply does not exist.
What causes a cough?
What is a cough, essentially?This is nothing more than a protective reaction of the body. In this way, it reacts to the entry of foreign substances into the respiratory tract - phlegm and mucus, for example. And with a dry cough, phlegm as such is absent. And the occurrence of a cough is provoked by a sore throat. As a result, the cough turns out to be ineffective, but very exhausting for a person. It is worth getting rid of such a cough as quickly as possible. But in order to do this, you need to know what exactly led to the occurrence of a dry cough. Only a doctor can reliably establish this cause, so you should not think "let's get rid of it" and ignore a visit to him. Most often, such reasons are:
- Bronchitis of a smoker
There is no need to talk about how harmful smoking is.worth it – even children in kindergarten know about it. Therefore, it is not surprising that smoker's bronchitis is often the main culprit of a dry cough.
- Laryngitis
The second most popular reason leading todevelopment of a dry cough is laryngitis. Doctors call laryngitis an inflammatory process that affects the mucous membrane of the larynx. As a rule, at first the sick person develops a strong sore throat, and soon a cough joins in.
- Tracheitis
In its mechanism, this disease is similar tolaryngitis, with the only difference being that the mucous membrane of the pulmonary trachea becomes inflamed. The sore throat stage is usually absent, but the cough is very, very exhausting.
- Bronchial asthma and bronchitis
One of the main symptoms of these diseases is a dry cough. Moreover, it is one of the first to appear, when there is no hint of other symptoms of the disease.
- Inhalation of various chemicals
A dry cough often appears soon afterinhalation of irritants. And we are not only talking about those people who are forced by the nature of their work to come into contact with various substances. Sometimes ordinary household chemicals are enough. Do a general cleaning - and that's it! You are already coughing, and quite badly.
- Pleurisy
This is a very serious disease in allIn most cases, it is accompanied by a severe, debilitating dry cough. However, it also has another pronounced symptom - severe stabbing pain in the side.
- Pneumonia
In the event that a dry cough does not progress towet for a long time, there is every reason to suspect that the sick person has encountered such a misfortune as pneumonia. Or, scientifically, pneumonia. As you can see, many diseases are quite serious. Therefore, you can try to do without self-treatment only if the cause of the cough is bronchitis or laryngitis. In all other cases, treatment should be prescribed only by a doctor. But here's the problem! Only a doctor can correctly diagnose the disease. Therefore - no matter how you look at it - you still have to go to him!
How to treat dry cough?
Of course, all people strive to do as much as possibleget rid of such an annoying nuisance as a cough faster. But, as we have already said, you can do it yourself only under one condition - a doctor has examined the sick person and confirmed that the cause of the cough is a cold, laryngitis or bronchitis. The doctor can prescribe you one or another pharmacological drug designed to alleviate the condition. However, there are also several traditional medicine recipes that can be a good help in the treatment of dry cough. To begin with, take note of a few simple rules. First, try to drink as much liquid as possible. The best option for drinking is slightly warmed alkaline mineral water. Or you can try an old grandmother's method - dissolve one tablespoon of butter and natural honey in a bowl of warm milk, then add a third of a teaspoon of soda and stir thoroughly. Drink the resulting remedy in small sips over half an hour. And secondly, pay attention to the air in the room - it should be properly humidified. Otherwise, the patient's condition will significantly worsen. If you have a special humidifier, there is no problem. But even if you don't have one, don't get upset - you can easily get out of the situation using improvised means. If it happens in the cold season, it is enough to hang wet towels on the radiators and change them as they dry. If it happens in the summer, you will have to tinker a little longer. First, place containers of water in the corners of the room. Then boil a pot of water and put it near the patient's bed. By the way, ideally you should use not just water, but a decoction from jacket potatoes. And do not forget about daily wet cleaning of the room - and preferably not once a day.
- Inhalation
One of the most effective methods of treatmentdry cough are inhalations. By the way, inhalations are a kind of "first aid" for the body, since the effect of their use is almost instantaneous. It is best to carry out inhalations using an inhaler or nebulizer. But even if you do not have them at hand, you can do with the old proven method - using a saucepan and a terry towel. For inhalations for dry cough, it is recommended to use potato broth, as well as decoctions of herbs such as St. John's wort, plantain, linden blossom, sage, and chamomile. Decoctions are prepared very simply - pour five spoons of raw materials with a liter of water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and boil for about half an hour. After this, remove the pan from the heat, cool slightly. After this, you can proceed directly to the inhalation - lean over the pan, and cover your head with a terry towel. The duration of such inhalation should be at least 15 minutes. Remember that in no case should you breathe directly boiling water, otherwise you can get very serious burns. This method of inhalation is strictly prohibited if the patient suffers from hypertension - high blood pressure. Simple inhalation in such cases can result in a hypertensive crisis. Therefore, you should not risk your health in vain.
- Herbal infusions
Herbs are effective not only for carrying outinhalations. Many herbal decoctions taken orally can help get rid of a dry cough in the shortest possible time. But remember that these decoctions should never be drunk if the cause of the cough is bronchial asthma. This requirement is explained very simply. Most often, bronchial asthma goes hand in hand with various allergic reactions. And the use of herbal infusions can provoke the development of an attack of bronchial asthma. So:
- Broth from bran
To prepare this decoction you will need0.5 kilograms of rye or wheat bran, two liters of water. Pour water over the bran and bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. After that, leave the resulting broth to infuse for exactly an hour. Then strain it with gauze. The entire resulting volume of broth must be drunk within one day. It must be taken hot, so either warm up the broth before each use, or use a thermos. By the way, you can add honey or sugar to the broth, to taste. As a rule, in just one day, the dry cough disappears.
- Poppy with milk
To prepare this recipe you will needone teaspoon of poppy seeds and one tablespoon of warm milk. Grind the seeds into powder and mix them with milk. Then drink 10 minutes before meals. The remedy is the most wonderful way to soften a cough and also relieve pain in the chest area. You can take no more than one portion of such a remedy per day.
- Infusion of pine buds
To prepare it you can use bothfresh and dried pine buds. Place one tablespoon of buds in an enamel bowl, pour a glass of boiling water, cover with a lid and wrap in a terry towel. After forty minutes, strain the infusion and pour into a glass container. It should be taken one sip at a time, at the first urge to cough.
- Herbal Breastfeeding
To prepare this infusion you will needherbal mixture of herbs such as chamomile, primrose, plantain and rose hips. Place two tablespoons of the crushed mixture in an enamel bowl, pour in a liter of water, bring to a boil and reduce the heat. After 20 minutes, remove the pan from the heat, add five tablespoons of sugar to the decoction, stir and leave for about an hour. After this, strain the decoction using gauze and pour into a glass container. During the day, the sick person should drink a liter of such a decoction, in equal parts.
- Anise and fennel
Grind half a teaspoon of flax seeds,thyme, fennel and anise. Pour two tablespoons of the mixture into a glass of cold water and leave for two hours. Then bring the infusion to a boil over low heat and strain. Take a third of a glass of the decoction three times a day.
- Althea root
If a dry cough bothers mainlynight time, the following recipe will help you. Grate one root of medicinal marshmallow on a fine grater and pour a glass of cold water. It is best to do this in the morning, since the root should be infused for at least 8 hours. At night, you need to drink half a glass of the resulting infusion. Most likely, a restful sleep in this situation is guaranteed to you. And in the morning, after waking up, do not forget to drink the second half of the glass, and on an empty stomach. It relieves cough in just 24 hours.
- Milk with onion and honey
If the cough is particularly severe, youthe following recipe will help. Boil half a liter of milk, then put a medium-sized onion into the boiling milk. Cook it over low heat for about 20 minutes. After that, remove the onion from the milk and throw it away, and add two tablespoons of any natural honey to the milk, then stir and drink. The above methods can even get rid of an intense dry cough. However, if the cough does not go away, be sure to see a doctor. We recommend reading: