Ways to Alleviate Chronic Cough

Coughing is the body's way of clearing the air passages and keeping the lungs safe from pollutants and foreign objects. But what happens when that natural mechanism goes haywire due to chronic inflammation or disease? Chronic coughing is annoying and sometimes painful. And controlling it is almost as difficult as living with the problem.

More often than not, we turn to over the counter cough medicines to help alleviate a chronic cough. The problem is that these preparations are designed to ease the symptoms of the cough and not to treat the underlying cause.

Identification

• Step one is to identify what kind of cough you are experiencing. Evaluate your cough. Is it productive? Dry? Does your throat feel irritated? Do your lungs feel heavy? Then begin to look back and determine whether you've had a recent illness such as a cold or flu that could be contributing to your symptoms. Do you smoke? Have you been diagnosed with COPD, emphysema, or could you have been exposed to whooping cough? If you are having trouble determining the root cause of your cough, see a doctor.

Treatments

• Next, based on your diagnosis above, try some of the following remedies:

  Productive coughs: Use an expectorant like guiafenesin to loosen the mucus secretions in your lungs, making it easier to cough up. Drink plenty of fluids to keep mucus thin. Use a humidifier if the air is too dry. Keep your head elevated.

  Dry, hacking coughs: Try slowly swallowing a teaspoon of honey. To make a longer-lasting remedy, add the honey to a warm cup of water or lemon juice. Keep your head elevated, especially at night. Quit smoking. If there are airborne irritants in your house, remove them with a good air filter and air circulation (wear a face mask if necessary).

  Chronic coughs: For coughing due to disease, or other uncontrollable health or environmental factors, try using a prescription cough suppressant, but use it wisely. Most prescription cough suppressants contain narcotics, which are fabulous at controlling coughing but have a tendency to be habit forming. Also, the chronic use of some cough suppressants can cause other health concerns such as enlarged prostate, high blood pressure, glaucoma and heart failure. Make sure that you are using the cough suppressant as directed and under the care of a physician.

Considerations

• Coughing is a necessary part of proper airway maintenance. If you have a chronic cough, it is best that you use a combination of therapies including natural remedies like honey and lemon, elevating your head, quitting smoking, and proper air filtration and circulation, along with a cough suppressant and possibly oxygen treatments. Using these methods in combination should help alleviate symptoms and keep you comfortable.