Dry Cough

Causes :-

         Dry cough may be caused due to a number of reasons, some of the common ones being a sore throat, inhaling an irritant like dust or smoke, asthma or an allergic reaction.
         There are other more serious conditions, like COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), GERD (gastro oesophagal reflux disease) and in rare cases heart disease that could give rise to a dry cough. However, these are extremely rare occurrences.

Symptoms :-

         A dry cough can be a sign of a serious or life-threatening disorder. If you have difficulty breathing, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, or swollen legs or ankles, seek immediate medical care.If your dry cough is persistent or causes you concern, see your doctor.

        A dry cough often occurs in conjunction with other symptoms, which vary depending on the underlying disease, disorder or condition. Other symptoms include fever, shortness of breath, and chest pain. Symptoms including sounds the lungs make while you are breathing, changes in blood pressure, and low blood oxygen levels may only be evident using certain instruments in the doctor’s office or hospital.

Common symptoms that may occur along with a dry cough :

• Flu-like symptoms (fatigue, fever, sore throat, headache, aches and pains)
• Hoarse voice
• Nausea
• Runny nose (nasal congestion)
• Sore throat
• Swollen neck lymph nodes
• Vomiting
• Wheezing

Other symptoms that may occur along with a dry cough :

• Bad breath
• Bleeding gums
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Joint pain
• Loss of appetite
• Rash
• Unintentional weight loss

Serious symptoms that might indicate a life-threatening condition

         In some cases, a dry cough may occur with other symptoms that might indicate a serious or life-threatening condition that should be evaluated immediately in an emergency setting. Seek immediate medical care if you, or someone you are with, are exhibiting any of these life-threatening symptoms.

Home Treatment :-

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  Cider vinegar - Take cider vinegar and honey and mix them together with each equal amounts. Use a fruit jar to store them. The mixture works well before you go to bed, so take two tablespoon of it and swallow slowly, making sure breathe properly through the nose.
• Carrot - Carrot contains nutrients and vitamins known to relief many symptoms of a dry cough. Take four to five carrots and add water to make a fresh juice of it. Drink the juice at least four to five times a day to soothe a dry cough. For best results, you can also add a tablespoon of honey in this juice.
• Raw Onion Juice - Chop an onion thin and extract its juice. Then blend a tablespoon of raw onion juice with a tablespoon of honey and let the mixture rest for five hours. At the end, an effective cough syrup is created which you need to take couple of times a day.

          On the other hand, if you’re battling with cold, then blend this raw onion juice along with boiling water and lemon to remove phlegm.

• Salt Gargle - Mix lukewarm water with a teaspoon of salt to gargle and treat a dry cough.
• Oregano – To reduce the intensity of a dry cough, boil oregano with a cup of water, filter it, and drink.
• Drink Green Tea with Honey - Adding honey in a cup of green tea not only soothes your throat but also cures a dry cough.
• Aniseed Tea – If your throat is plagued with dry coughs, then it will respond well after taking a cup of aniseed tea – a spicy tea having a flavor similar to fennel and licorice.
• Raisins - To relieve you from dry cough, grind 100 grams of raisins with water and create a “healing” sauce. Blend this mixture with 100 grams of sugar and heat it until a sauce like effect is achieved.
  Take 20 grams of this sauce daily before going to bed to cure a dry cough.

• Humidifier - Dry cough usually comes at night. You may want to insert a humidifier in your bedroom to prevent from it.
• Hot Milk - At the end of the day, you want to get a good night sleep. Drinking a hot milk with honey before going to bed will not only cure a dry cough, but will also help you get a blessed sleep.
• Ginger Tea - If you throat is getting itchy, then you can drink ginger tea – a mixture of ginger in boiling water with regular amount of tea leaves. Finally, in this mixture, you may also want to put in a touch of pepper and 3 to 
  

  4 basil leaves before drinking it HOT to soothe your throat.
• Cinnamon - Have you tried using cinnamon in a cup of tea to sooth a dry cough? If not, this is another great home remedy available for you.
• Almonds - Soak seven to eight almonds in the night and exfoliate its brown skin the next morning. Grind those almonds to create a paste. Insert 20 grams of sugar and butter each to the paste. Administer it twice a day, in the morning and the evening.
• Grapes - Grapes not only strengthen your lungs but also act as an expectorant. Take a cup of grape juice along with a tablespoon of honey daily and you’ll notice a huge difference in your throat as well as cough.
• Bonus: Turmeric – Turmeric is another most commonly used herb in the kitchen has a natural healing effect on dry cough. To relieve a dry cough, simply add a tablespoon of turmeric powder and carom seeds each in a cup of water. Boil the mixture until the volume becomes half. Then add honey in this mixture and drink it two or three times a day.

         Alternately, you can also roast the root of the turmeric, grind it to make its power, and mix this power with honey and water.

Some Other Explained Remedies are :-

1. Gargles

         As soon as you feel soreness in your throat, make it a point to gargle with salt dissolved in warm water. The salt in the water can help drain excess fluid from inflamed areas in the throat reducing the symptoms. According to the Mayo clinic book of home remedies, the gargling also removes irritants in the throat and thins the mucus.

2. Drink Warm Liquids

                               

         A cough is best not neglected . It can not only be extremly annoying but can also lead to several complications. Drinking warm water is a good way of soothing the inflammation in the throat; but this does not have any taste and may be unappetizing for most people. A warm soup is a much better solution as is a glass of hot herbal tea. 

3. Throat Lozenges

         A study conducted at Wayne State University, in Detroit, showed that patients who took zinc lozenges every two to three waking hours cut the duration of a cold by almost half. The irritation caused by constant coughing can also be overcome by using throat lozenges. They are also known to prevent the progression of a sore throat to a cough. While some lozenges are medicated and contain ingredients such as dextromethorphan (a cough suppressant) or benzocaine (an anesthetic), others contain natural soothing ingredients such as honey, menthol, peppermint oil or eucalyptus oil. In many homes, it is also quite common to make small children suck on the red-colored variety of rock candy (Mishri in Hindi) to stop cough. 

4. Use Vaporubs

         According to a study at the Penn State College of Medicine, children above 2 years of age had symptomatic relief and could sleep better after applying vaporubs. While the exact reason how vaporubs work remains a mystery, the ingredients such as menthol, camphor and eucalyptus may have a role in relieving congestion. Read more about productive cough. 

5. Sleep With the Head Elevated

         In some persons, a productive cough results when mucus drips from the back of the nose into the throat. This tends to grow worse at night when the body posture is conducive for such dripping. Sleeping with the head at a higher position helps to reduce such drainage and many people find this position helps reduce coughing at night and improves sleep. 

6. Turmeric Remedies

                                

         A traditional remedy that most people swear by is the use of hot milk with turmeric. According to a study, it is shown to even have antibacterial properties. Read about the amazing health benefits of turmeric. 

         Heat a glass of milk, mix in half a teaspoon of turmeric powder and drink warm to find relief from cough. A turmeric gargle also gives good results. To one cup of hot water, add in half a teaspoon of turmeric powder and half a teaspoon table salt. Use this liquid as a throat gargle and you are sure to experience relief from cough.

         For a dry cough, turmeric powder mixed with a teaspoon of honey taken three to four times a day is effective.  You could also try preparing turmeric tea by adding one tablespoon of turmeric powder into 4 cups of boiling water. Keep for a few minutes, strain and mix in some lemon and honey to the liquid and drink. Read more about why you have a dry cough and how you can recognise its symptoms.

        According to Ayurvedic doctor, inhaling the smoke of burning turmeric (dhooma paan) is also considered to be an effective remedy for cough and cold. Take a dried turmeric root, burn it and inhale the smoke. Another way out is to place a few pieces of red hot charcoal in a small mud pot that has been placed on a cup of water. Add a few dried leaves of turmeric over the charcoal and a spoonful of turmeric powder over the leaves. Gently blow to ignite the turmeric powder and inhale the smoke emitted. 

7. Honey Remedies

                                   

         Since ages, honey has been known to soothe the irritated throat linings and reduce cough. A study conducted at the Penn State School of Medicine on children above the age of 2 years showed that honey helped them cough less and sleep better.

         There are different ways of using honey besides the one mentioned in combination with turmeric. A dry cough responds to a mixture of honey with juice from grapes. A glass of hot milk with some honey added just before going to bed is effective at relieving night time cough. Mix in honey and lemon juice to a glass of warm water and drink this three times per day for relief from cough. People suffering from diabetes can have honey too. Here is why. 

         If you have a particularly nasty cough, try this remedy. Take about 3 tablespoons of flaxseeds in 1 cup of water and boil. When the water starts thickening, strain the liquid and mix in 3 tablespoons each of lemon juice and honey. Swallow about 1 tablespoon of this mixture when you experience a severe coughing fit. Honey also works well in combination with betel leaf (paan). Grind a few washed betel leaves and extract the juice; add 1 teaspoon of honey to 2 teaspoons of this juice, mix and consume about half an hour after meals. Repeat for about 5 days to find relief from cough.

8. Ginger Remedies

                                     

         Ginger has a number of amazing benefits, it is also great to treat a cough. For a dry cough, one of the easiest ways of finding relief is to cut a piece of fresh ginger, sprinkle some salt on it and chew on it for a few minutes. However, not everyone likes the strongly aromatic taste of ginger and in such cases, a tea made with ginger is equally good. Chop ginger into fine pieces, add into a vessel containing one cup of water. Keep boiling the liquid till the volume reduces to half the original quantity. Strain the liquid, add one teaspoon of honey and drink when warm to give a soothing effect against cough. How does it work? Dr Eccles, Director of Common Cold Centre at the Cardiff University, told netdoctor.co.uk that ginger seems to work by ‘promoting salivation and mucus secretion and will help relieve cough symptoms’.

         Ginger in combination with tulsi is also an effective remedy for cough. Crush about 10 leaves of tulsi, mix with juice extracted from a small ginger piece. Add in an equal quantity of honey and mix; swallow about a single teaspoon of this about thrice a day to get relief from cough.

         People who don’t mind the strong spicy flavour of pepper can also add in some black pepper powder and turmeric into a mixture of ginger juice with honey. When this paste is slowly licked for 10 to 15 minutes thrice a day, it helps reduce congestion in the throat and reduces cough. A simple ginger tea is easy to prepare by boiling ginger with water; then add tea leaves or tea powder, drop in some tulsi leaves and pepper powder, strain and drink for relief from cough. 

9. Garlic Remedies

                                      

         Garlic is an effective antimicrobial and expectorant and this makes it a valuable agent to fight cough. The University of Maryland Medical Center cites one study that suggested that garlic might help prevent colds and lessen their symptoms. People who took a garlic supplement for 12 weeks caught 63 percent fewer colds than people who took a placebo.

         Lightly crush about 5 cloves of peeled garlic and sauté in a teaspoon of ghee; consume when still warm for relief from cough and cold. Include crushed garlic sautéed in ghee in other dishes where possible. Do this with rasam, and you have a medicinal soup that soothes your throat and also helps liquefy the thick mucus, making it easier to cough out the phlegm.

10. Jaggery Remedies to Get Rid of Sputum

         Sputum buildup can lead to a feeling of congestion in the chest and the entire respiratory tract; expelling this sputum therefore provides relief from cough and congestion. Dr. Soumya Bhat, Ayurvedic doctor, recommends the following remedies for such relief. Make a decoction by boiling a few corns of pepper with water for about 20 minutes; mix in a little cumin and jaggery and drink. Cut a quarter part of an onion, keep a small bit of jaggery in the middle of it and chew on this for expelling sputum. 

11. Over the Counter Medications

         Relief from cough is even faster if you use over the counter (OTC) cough medications along with home remedies. Besides medicated lozenges, you could also try cough suppressants that contain ingredients like dextromethorphan. These are particularly useful if you have a hacking or dry cough. If you have productive cough, an OTC product with ingredients that have expectorant properties can help to clear out the mucus in the airways. Often, OTC products of both types – suppressants as well as expectorants – contain an antihistamine and this can help you sleep better at night.

Ayurvedic Treatment :-

Diet and routine

• Cold foods, cold drinks, ice cream, sweets, fried foods, milk products like cheese, creams, yoghurt etc. should not be taken.
• Hot milk without fat can be taken if boiled with a pice of crushed ginger.
• Half a teaspoon of turmeric powder mixed with the milk is effective.
• Sweet fruit juice should also be avoided, Breads, meats, nuts and pastries are not advisable.
• It is good to take a light warm diet like boiled or steamed vegetables; vegetable soups and fruits, which areok
• not juicy, like papaya and apple.
• Spiced teas, herbal teas and other hot drinks are beneficial.
• Sleeping during the daytime should be avoided.
• Taking cold showers, exposure to cold winds, fans, air conditioners etc. should be avoided

Remedies :-

• Tribhuvankirti
• Nagaguti
• Ardrakavleha

Ayurvedic Sore Throat/ Cough Remedies:

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  Mix 1/2 tea spoon of Sitopladi churna with honey and lick it two to three times a day. It will lubricate your throat and prevents irritation due to cough.

          Cough & Cold Tea (Herbal Tea)- contains Ginger, Miri, Cinnamon, Parijatak leaves, Tulsi leaves, Bilva patra, coriander , Lemon Grass etc.

It is very useful in cold , cough, Flu.

• Take 1 tea spoon of Kantkari avleha twice a day. It helps in relieving the symptoms of cough.
• Take mouth dissolving Ayurvedic lozenges like eladi vati, vyoshadi vati 3-4 times a day.
• Yashtimadhu churna is also good in sore throat along with honey .

Homeopathic Treatment :-

Aconite napellus (Acon.)

         The sudden onset of a cough after exposure to a dry cold wind or from getting chilled. There is a suffocative feeling with a constant, short, dry cough and chest. Aconite is for the early stages of croup and croup coughs, and also night-time coughs, accompanied by shortness of breath and agitation. In the case of croup, Aconite may need to be followed by Hepar-sulph as the symptoms develop.

Antimonium tartaricum (Ant-t.)

         A rattling, choking, chesty cough with negligible expectoration and where the patient has to sit up in order to breathe. The patient sounds like they are drowning in mucus and there are suffocative paroxysms of coughing, with sweat.

Arsenicum album (Ars.)

         An asthmatic cough with wheezing and frothy expectoration. There is burning expectoration or sensation, with constricted airways, making breathing difficult. The patient is very chilly, restless, anxious and may be sweaty, with marked exhaustion. The patient feels worse after midnight and is sensitive to cold.

Belladonna (Bell.)

          A short, dry tickling cough, with sudden onset and worse at night. The cough lubricates the throat a little, but it dries out again and causes sudden violent spasms of coughing. There is tickling, burning or a scraped sensation in the throat. Belladonna symptoms are aggressive and can include high temperatures with a flushed face, staring eyes, swollen glands and red or inflamed membranes.

Bryonia alba (Bry.)

         A hard dry cough with soreness in the chest, where the patient clutches at their chest to ease the stitching pains caused by coughing. Bryonia symptoms are clearly better for hard pressure and keeping still. All symptoms are accompanied by dryness and are worse for any motion (including eating or drinking). Warm air aggravates and entering a room can trigger a bout of coughing. The patient wants to take a deep breath and sigh, but this is too painful and they are irritable, thirsty and want to be left alone. The cough may be caused by exposure to cold dry winds and builds up slowly over a few days. Always wants to lie on the painful side.

Calcarea carbonica (Calc.)

         Tickling cough, dry at night and loose in the morning with easy expectoration. Cough aggravated by various activities like eating or playing. Will suit the chubby, sweaty Calc-carb type of patient.

Drosera (Dros.)

         Spasmodic cough ending in retching and even vomiting. Cough from deep in the chest forcing the patient to clutch their abdomen on coughing. A choking cough with bouts following each other so rapidly that it is difficult to breathe. Cough is triggered by tickling in the throat and wakes patient from sleep. Worse lying down, after midnight, after getting warm in bed.

Ferrum phosphoricum (Ferr-p.)

         The early stage of a respiratory infection, or colds which head rapidly for the chest and ear resulting in bronchitis or otitis. A very common remedy in children’s coughs which start with a fever and flushed face, followed by a short painful tickling cough with soreness over the sternum. Blood-streaked sputum or nosebleeds may be reported. Also covers croupy coughs.

Hepar sulphuricum (Hepar.)

         Croup from cold, dry winds or cold air. Cough is triggered by any part of the body being exposed. Choking spells of coughing. The Hepar patient is very sensitive to cold air, or cold in any form, and is especially irritably, although they are much better for warmth or humid weather. This is an important croup remedy in children.

Ignatia amara (Ign.)

         Dry, hacking, spasmodic cough, where the more the patient coughs, the more the irritation. They are unable to take a full breath and sigh frequently.

Ipecacuahna (Ip.)

         Suffocative coughs, coughs with choking or gagging (compare Antim tart, Drosera). Cough incessant and violent with each breath. Stiff and blue in the face with choking cough. Rattling cough with very little expectoration. Coughs accompanied by nausea or nosebleed. Wheezing coughs that recur annually.

Kali bichromicum (Kali-bi.)

         A barking, hacking cough with rales of white sticky or ropy mucus, the consistency of egg-white, and hoarseness. A croupy cough with tickling in the throat and accumulation of tough mucus. It may be triggered by undressing.

Lycopodium clavatum (Lyc.)

         A tickling cough, with shortness of breath and fan-like motion of nostrils at each intake. Tickling cough accompanied a throbbing headache with each bout of coughing.

Nux vomica (Nux.)

         A dry teasing cough with a sore chest, where colds usually settle. An immobile, feverish patient who is very sensitive to being uncovered. There is a spasmodic cough, with retching, which causes a headache and a bruised sensation around the navel. The patient is oversensitive, irritable and is worse in cold, dry, windy weather.

Phosphorus (Phos.)

         An exhausting and violent, dry and tickling cough with irritation deep in the throat. The cough may be triggered by laughing, talking or by a change in temperature, e.g. going out or coming in. There is a bursting pain in the head, a tight painful chest and pain may spread to abdomen. The patient may clutch their head, chest or abdomen on coughing. They can’t lie on their left side and are usually anxious, seek reassurance and feel chilly, but want cold drinks.

Pulsatilla pratensis (Puls.)

         This is a gagging, choking cough that comes and goes. It is dry at night and loose in the morning, worse and night and on lying down, causing the patient to sit up or use extra pillows. The chest feels sore, they can’t lie on their left side and there may be spurts of urine passed with coughing. The cough is triggered by coming into a warm room or by breathing in. This patient needs reassurance or sympathy and a child will be weepy and clingy. Fresh air helps, while a closed room aggravates symptoms.

Rhus toxicodendron (Rhus-t.)

         A dry teasing cough from tickling in the chest, which is triggered by uncovering the smallest part, even a hand. It is a dry, night cough with a bloody taste, although no blood is seen. The patient must move about as it is worse at rest and from cold, wet weather.

Sepia (Sep.)

         A violent cough with thick, yellow expectoration, with retching and gagging, that is worse on rising. The expectoration is only at night or only in the morning and the patient is tired and indifferent.

Sulphur (Sulph.)

         A strong desire for fresh air accompanies this suffocative cough which is worse at night with the rush of blood to head and chest. There is a burning feeling on the face and chest, with red lips and eyelids. The patient feels worse after a bath and has burning feet which are stuck out of the end of the bed.