Cough

Our air passages in the lungs are lined with cells that secrete mucus, which usually traps the particles of the dust. When the membranes are inflamed and infected, the mucus secretion increases and the lining of the air passages are irritated. By the action of coughing, the excess mucus is thrown out with the production of the dry hacking sound. This condition affects people of all age groups especially the elders, where the cough may have started recently or may be of a long standing. It is our body’s vital defense mechanism where it ejects everything from germs to foreign bodies from the lungs and the windpipe. When you cannot cough as may happen after a surgery or a chest injury, pneumonia may become a serious risk.

When you want to cough, you draw a deep breath, close your glottis and contract the muscles. This builds up the pressure and then you open the glottis suddenly to discharge the air with full force. This air sweeps through the air passages and carries with it the excess secretions or in certain cases the foreign bodies that irritates the larynx, trachea or bronchi.

Causes of Cough :

• Inflammation of the larynx or pharynx
• Digestive disturbance
• Weather conditions or seasonal changes
• Clogging of bronchial tube with waste matter caused by wrong diet. In winter you tend to eat more of catarrh-producing foods like white bread, meat, sugar, porridge, puddings and pies than in summer. Besides over clothing with heavy garments prevents proper aeration of the skin.

If you are an old person suffering from cough that has set in recently could be due to acute infection, asthma, lung tumor, tuberculosis and inhalation of foreign body. But if you have a long-standing cough it is quite likely that you have chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, tuberculosis, lung tumour and breathing of oesophageal contents. Cough that you have caught recently could be due to respiratory infection, primarily viral. Recurring bouts of distressing cough, especially at night could be due to upper respiratory tract infection.

If you have severe cough, take only orange juice and water till the severity subsides. Dilute the juice of an orange in the warm water and drink it every 2 hours from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Make liberal use of hot water to thin the secretion and make it less viscid, thus loosening the cough. The quantity of water should be considerable to give you the feeling of warmth and induce perspiration, giving you relief. Use warm water enema daily to cleanse the bowels. Once the juice diet is over, go on an all-fruit diet for 2 or 3 days.

Start with an all-fruit diet for 5-7 days if you have mild cough. Take 3 meals a day of fresh juicy fruits like apples, pears, grapes, grape-fruit, oranges, pineapple, peaches and melon. Drink unsweetened lemon water or cold or hot plain water. Once this diet is complete, follow a well-balanced diet with special emphasis on whole grain cereals, raw or lightly-cooked vegetables and fresh fruits.

Avoid meats, sugar, tea, coffee, condiments, pickles, refined and processed foods. Keep away from soft drinks, candies, ice-cream and products made from sugar and white flour.

Natural Remedy for Cough :

Grapes are very effective in treatment of cough. They tone up the lungs and act as an expectorant. Take a combination of honey with grape juice for a couple of days to relieve simple cough and cold.

Almonds are very effective in dry coughs. Soak them in the water for an hour or so to remove the brown skin. Ground them well to form a fine paste and add 20 grams each of butter and sugar and take this paste in the morning and evening.

Onion plays an important role in the treatment of cough. Chop it finely and extract juice from it. Mix it with honey and keep it for 4 or 5 hours to get an excellent cough syrup. You can also use it to remove phlegm. Crush a medium-sized onion and add a juice of a lemon to it. Pour a cup of boiling water on it and add some honey for taste and take 3 or 3 times a day.

Use the root of turmeric in treating dry cough. Roast and powder the root and take 3 gram doses twice a day in the morning and evening.

One of the most popular remedy for cough is the use of the herb belleric myroblan. Mix the pulp of this fruit with pepper and honey and use it to treat the condition. You can also use the dried fruit, covered with wheat flour and roasted to treat cough.

Use the sauce made from raisins to treat cough. Grin 100 grams of raisins with water, mix about 100 grams of sugar with it, heat it and preserve it when the bulk has turned saucy. Take 20 grams of this dose at bed time daily. Aniseed is very good in treating hard dry cough as it breaks up the mucus. Take a tea made from this spice regularly.

Use hot fomentations on the chest and throat. Apply chest packs frequently. If you can check the cough while the secretion is abundant, sit in the tub with a small amount of hot water and pour cold water on your head, spine and chest to induce cough. Follow this process by vigourous rubbing. Dry yourself thoroughly and then wrap yourself in dry blankets in bed.