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Keep cough at bay
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Cough can become irritatingly chronic in winter if not tackled early
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AS THE fireworks light up the sky, the shiny stars hung in homes symbolise Christmas, the chill in the air flush the maiden's cheeks, the young and the old reflect on the year passed by, the music and the revelry around compel all to join in the celebrations.
But if the cold gets you, leading to the irritating and disturbing cough?
The exposure to winter cold coupled with a low immunity due to the rigours and stress of life can cause a fluent nasal discharge, blocked nose and sneezing.
Though this is corrected in three days, the discharge from the nose falling into the throat can cause a throat irritation and thereby cough.
If not tackled early, it could lead to a chronic cough with inflammation of pharynx and later the lungs, and thereby bronchitis.
The secretion from the sinuses and the larynx can also lead to the same dry, irritating cough.
Spread of infection
Viral infection tends to spread from one another easily through the droplets in the air and the bedding, pillows and eatables shared by all.
The most affected are young children and the elderly due to variable immunity.
Erratic intake of food like sweets and oily stuff, liberal dose of alcohol, and lack of exercise can lead to hyperacidity-like symptoms with regurgitation of food, which can also be another reason for cough. Smoking is a cause for concern too.
The spells of cough could be followed by shortness of breath — spells lasting even for a minute, initiated by trivial things like talking, eating, moving indoors to outdoors and vice versa.
If there are other symptoms like accompaniment of fever, chills, breathlessness, and sputum filled with blood, then the cough has led to other symptoms in the body.
Vaporiser or steam should be taken to clear the respiratory passages of the mucus. Extra fluid intake will help in making the secretions thin to cleared easily.
Warm fluids taken at bedtime with a teaspoon of honey would give a soothing sensation to the throat.
Homeopathic medicine has good remedies to clear the nasal catarrh, sinusitis, post nasal dropping of mucus, hyperacidity — all the reasons for the cough — and thereby relieve you of the spells.
Arsenic Alb and Carbo Veg are helpful if the cough is associated with breathlessness.
Throat irritation leading to cough is remedied by Rumex and Spongia. Kali Bich is the remedy when hyperacidity is associated with it.
Dr. VENUGOPAL GOURI
Tel: 92463 72625
drvenugopal@gma
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