What is Cough?

Worried about the nagging cough? Spending sleepless nights? Troubled with recurrent cold and cough? This article will explain what a cough is, its causes, and the best homeopathic treatments for it.

A cough is a sudden, forceful hacking sound that releases air to clear irritation in the throat or airway. In other words, it is a rapid expulsion of air from the lungs. It is typically a protective mechanism and can be voluntary (done deliberately) or involuntary (a reflex) to clear the throat and breathing passage of foreign particles, microbes, irritants, fluids, and mucus that don’t belong in the lungs or windpipe.

Causes of Cough

1. Allergies: Allergens like dust, pollen, and pet dander can trigger a cough.
2. Viruses: Common colds and flu are frequent causes.
3. Asthma: The airway overreacts, causing coughing to clear the irritants.
4. Inhalation of Foreign Bodies: Dust, irritant gases, chemicals, or tobacco smoke can cause irritation.
5. Compression of Air Passages: Caused by conditions like aortic aneurysms or tumors.
6. Pressure on Air Passages: Due to conditions like pulmonary edema or pericardial effusion.
7. Reflex Irritation: Can occur due to ear wax or stomach distention.
8. Thermal Stimulus: Cold air can trigger cough, especially in asthmatics.
9. Infections: Conditions like pneumonia, tuberculosis, or bronchiectasis.
10. Post-nasal Drip (PND): Mucus from the nose drips down the throat, causing the urge to cough.
11. Gastro-esophageal Reflux (GERD): Stomach acid backing up into the throat can cause irritation and coughing.
12. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD): A lung disease that weakens airways and leads to chronic coughing.
13. Iatrogenic Causes: Medications like ACE inhibitors or steroid inhalers can trigger a cough.
14. Habitual Cough: After a prolonged illness, a cough can become a habit.
15. Psychogenic Cough: Cough without any obvious medical cause.

Types of Cough

• Dry or Unproductive: Typically seen in conditions like URTI, smoker’s cough, asthma, or psychogenic cough.
• Wet or Productive: Cough that brings up mucus or phlegm, often seen in conditions like bronchiectasis or lung infections.
• Paroxysmal: Frequent and violent coughing that makes it hard to breathe, typically seen in bronchial asthma.

Signs and Symptoms of Cough

If your cough lasts for more than a week or causes difficulty in breathing, chest pain, blood in the cough, fever, or night sweats, it’s time to consult a doctor. Coughing that interferes with daily life should be checked out by a healthcare provider.

Conventional Treatment for Cough

Cough treatment depends on its cause. Over-the-counter medications such as cough suppressants (codeine, diamorphine) for dry cough, and expectorants (mucolytic drugs) for productive cough, are commonly prescribed. For conditions like COPD, GERD, and asthma, specific medications are required.

However, these treatments often provide only temporary relief by suppressing the symptoms without addressing the underlying cause. This approach can lead to complications over time.

Top 10 Homeopathic Medicines for Cough

Homeopathy offers a range of remedies that focus on treating the root cause of a cough. Some of the most commonly used homeopathic medicines for cough include:

1. Bryonia
2. Rumex Crispus
3. Antimonium Tartaricum
4. Spongia Tosta
5. Allium Cepa
6. Dulcamara
7. Drosera Rotundfolia
8. Ipecacuanha
9. Corralium Rubrum
10. Coccus Cacti

These remedies are designed to treat various types of cough, whether dry, wet, or spasmodic.

Homeopathic Approach at HomoeoCARE

Unlike conventional medicine, HomoeoCARE focuses on enhancing immunity and addressing the underlying causes of a cough, rather than just treating its symptoms. Along with home remedies like warm fluids and steam inhalation, patients are advised to take specific homeopathic medications to help their body heal. By targeting the deep-seated causes of respiratory issues, homeopathy provides relief from troublesome coughs and respiratory infections.