There are many different types of cough and you can hear
them all during winter – tickly coughs, chesty coughs, croupy coughs – but they
all have one thing in common; they cause distress and discomfort to the
sufferer (not to mention the listener!) They lead to irritability, sore
muscles, and lack of sleep.
The correct homeopathic remedy, however, can bring rapid relief.
It can also resolve the underlying cause of the cough.
To understand more about coughs this article will explore:
- Why we cough
- Two
types of cough: wet and dry,
- Self-help
measures and home remedies to safely stop a cough,
- Cough
medicines and their unwanted side effects,
- Homeopathy
and coughs – what’s the research?
- Treating
that cough: information on nineteen homeopathic remedies you can choose
from at home to take the bite out of that bark.
Reasons for Coughs
Unpleasant though they are, coughs have a purpose. They
protect our lungs from unwanted particles, infection, and the build-up of
secretions that would otherwise lead to pneumonia. They also act as a warning
signal for several serious diseases. Coughs can be:
- Triggered
by allergies or inhaled irritants such as smoke and dust,
- Associated
with asthma, heart failure or oesophageal reflux,
- A
symptom of complaints such as bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis,
- A
nervous habit during times of anxiety,
- The
result of a post nasal drip irritating the throat,
- An
infection by the whooping cough bacterium
- A
side-effect from blood pressure medication or anti-inflammatories such as
aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs)
Most often though, coughs are part and parcel of the common
cold. [REDACTED], the remainder of this article will focus on
the common cough, how to soothe it, and how to get rid of it.
Wet or Dry?
Dry coughs are unproductive and irritating. They’re usually
triggered by an annoying tickle and expel little or no mucus.
On the other hand, wet coughs are productive. They remove
congestion by expelling secretions that collect in your throat or chest.
Either cough can be triggered by cold air, movement,
talking, change of temperature, or laughing. Expectorant may be clear,
coloured, stringy, frothy or tacky. Such characteristics are important to note
when choosing a homeopathic remedy as different coughs will need different
remedies. The reason for this will become obvious later when we look at some of
the remedies homeopaths use to treat coughs.
Treating Your Cough
There are several options for dealing with a cough. We will
start with the simplest and safest, and then work through to those that carry a
greater risk. To finish, we will look at research on the homeopathic treatment
of coughs and examine nineteen homeopathic remedies that you can use at home.
Practical Advice
- Eat
healthy food and avoid sugar or sugary foods which suppress the immune
system for up to 5 hours after being eaten.
- Get
plenty of rest so your body can recover
- Maintain
hydration and keep your mucus membranes moist with frequent drinks of
water or soothing teas.
- Soothe
inflamed airways and loosen mucus with steam inhalations and warm showers.
- Avoid
cigarettes and tobacco smoke which paralyse and eventually destroy the
microscopic hairs that line your airways. These fine hairs, called cilia,
normally sweep the mucus upwards in waves, away from your lungs.
Home Remedies
Most home remedies for coughs are the same as those used for
the common cold. To read the common cold tips that also help coughs.
A specific tip for coughs involves black pepper. Pepper has
an antimicrobial effect but in truth, its ability to soothe coughs probably has
more to do with the homeopathic effect of ‘like treats like’; pepper can induce
coughing in a healthy person and so will relieve it in someone suffering from a
cough. Pepper is best added to raw honey and taken by the spoonful several
times a day.
Good News for Chocoholics
Chocolate can help a cough! Theobromine, a compound found in
the cocoa bean, will suppress coughs just as effectively as many cough
medicines but without their side-effects. Milk chocolate contains very little
theobromine compared to dark chocolate. To obtain an effective dose you need to
eat 50 – 100g of dark chocolate. Enjoy!
The Allopathic Approach – Conventional Treatment
Conventional cough medicines usually rely on the allopathic
effect [2] for their treatment
(an interesting exception to this general rule occurs with two of the cough
medicines that will be discussed a little further in the article.) Allopathic
treatment uses suppression or palliation to relieve symptoms for short periods
of time. The drawback is that in the long run, continual suppression leads to
worsening health.
Depending on whether the cough is wet or dry, conventional
medicine will offer a suppressant or an expectorant. Indications and
side-effects are listed below.