Imagine the following situation: You are in a lecture room or theater hall, trying to enjoy the show or concentrate on the lecture but your throat is dry, itching or burning sensation bothers you. You try to clear the silence, push gum or candy into your mouth, sip some water, for a moment you seem to have overcome the feeling, but then the cough breaks out without you having control or the ability to stop it.
There are two main types of cough: acute cough, which lasts up to three weeks, often accompanied by mucus, and is the result of winter sickness and a (chronic) cough, which lasts over three weeks, with most of the time a dry cough.
Cough is a natural, reflexive reaction designed to remove particles and pollutants that have penetrated the airways. Phlegm is a secretion that the body produces in the respiratory, nasal, sinus, throat and bronchial organs, with the aim of helping the immune system to capture and eliminate the foreign elements that have infiltrated the airways. Therefore, cough with phlegm is also called productive (effective) cough as opposed to dry cough that does not cause the annoyance.
What are the typical causes of dry cough?
Cough without secretion of phlegm, dry cough, may indicate bacterial, severe disease, such as pneumonia or inflammation of the lungs. When it comes to a troublesome, chronic cough - whether it is a cough with phlegm or dry cough - the causes can be more numerous.
Dry cough develops when inflammation and swelling occur in the airways or throat, but no mucus is formed. In most cases, there is no cause for concern, but when the dry cough is troublesome, the causes can be significant to severe, such as: asthma, allergy, reflux, heart failure causing health edema, lung cancer, lung disease like COPD, pulmonary embolism (blood clot on Lung) or tuberculosis.
Sometimes a dry cough is a side effect of using drugs, such as hypertension drugs from the ACE inhibitor family.
Another significant cause of dry and chronic cough is smoking. A phenomenon is known as “smoking cough”. Many smokers develop a troublesome cough that is the result of decreased lung function throughout the smoking years. This phenomenon can also occur years after smoking cessation.
What happens in the body when you cough dry?
The cough reflex dashboard is located in the brainstem. The reflex is mediated by sensory receptors scattered along the length and breadth of the airways and in other internal organs. Phlegm is formed when the airways are blocked by particles, foreign bodies. When the congestion of phlegm is absorbed by brainstem receptors that activate the respiratory and diaphragm muscles and trigger the reflex. The result: a rapid burst of air in the air, ie a cough, whose job is to remove the phlegm and all foreign bodies that are ingested in it. Dry cough develops when inflammation and swelling occur in the airways or throat, but no mucus is formed.
When coughing creates strong pressure in the chest, which can cause complications such as weakness, sleep disorder, fatigue and fatigue, headaches, dizziness, muscle pain, incontinence, hoarseness, increased sweating and rib fractures - these are especially typical of those with bone density (osteoporosis).
Therefore, when the cough interferes with routine and quality of life, when it is accompanied by pain and other symptoms the recommendation is to contact the doctor and find out what the cause of dry cough. And, of course, get the appropriate treatment for the phenomenon that caused the cough.
So how are you treated and are there any grandmother remedies for dry cough?
If there is a reason for a dry cough, the doctor will offer appropriate treatment: anti-asthma medication, treatment and monitoring of heart failure, other medications that may cause it, reflux and heartburn remedies, and the like.
In addition to these, there are various cough medications that can ease regardless of the cause of the cough, including:
- Prescription drugs, without a doctor's prescription, taken as syrup or pills
- Cough suppressants, which are prescribed by a doctor
- Syrups, candies, drops, or sprays containing various combinations of menthol, camphor, propolis, eucalyptus oil, black samboc, and other herbs, honey, and more.
- cough drops
- Syrups containing herbs that are known to relieve dry coughs, such as bald licorice, thyme bat, sambok, spicy mint, and forest pine
- Grandma remedies for dry cough are essentially similar to natural remedies suitable for cough relief with mucus, in which
- Home-made syrups that make onions and honey, ginger and honey, vinegar and honey, thyme and honey, licorice and honey and the like
- Infusions of medicinal plants known as disinfectants and cough relievers, such as thyme, mint ginger, and cardamom.
