Life Desk :
Before you drive to the pharmacy for your cough medication, think twice! Experts think that cough medications may be nothing more than a waste of money.
Cough is a protective mechanism that helps to remove any irritant, foreign body or secretion from the respiratory tract. There are two main types of cough, dry cough and productive cough. While dry cough could be due to an irritant or allergy, productive cough is often due to conditions like bronchitis or even pneumonia.
Many times, people are not aware of the different types of cough and take the first cough syrup they get their hands on. While dry cough is treated with cough suppressants, productive cough is often treated with expectorants to bring up the secretion. Cough suppressants used to treat dry cough often include:
Pholcodine
Dextromethorphan
Antihistamines
Expectorants used to treat productive cough include:
Guaifenesin
Ambroxol
Unfortunately, some cough syrups contain ingredients that do both, cause expectoration as well as suppress cough. Thus, these syrups do not treat according to the type of cough and such combinations are considered irrational.
The NHS website states that though cough syrup ingredients can help relieve some symptoms associated with cough like a blocked nose or a fever, there is little evidence that cough medicines actually work. In fact, it suggests that the age-old cough remedy of honey and lemon may work better for short-term cough.
Many therapies for your cough will be available in your own kitchen. Here are a few that you can reach out to:
1. Perhaps the easiest to find – a glass of warm water acts as an expectorant and helps you cough out excess secretions.
2. A cup of warm water with honey and a touch of lemon is not only tasty but also effective. Honey should be avoided in babies less than a year old due to the risk of botulism.
3. For productive cough, make a tea with honey using freshly ground pepper milagod instead of tea leaves.
4. Drink a broth made from thyme leaves.
A cough that does not show signs of improvement with home remedies or is associated with other symptoms like fever and shortness of breath should be treated by a physician.
– Entrepreneur
