How to Heal Chronic Cough

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Coughing helps to clear foreign substances from your lungs. A chronic cough, a cough which lasts more than 8 weeks, is a symptom of a disorder in which the cough will not resolve or go away on its own. It may be caused from asthma, esophageal reflux, allergic rhinitis or sinus problems. Chronic cough may also be the result of smoking, exposure to secondhand smoke or an infectious disease. If left untreated, a chronic cough can lead to complications such as headaches, dizziness, urinary incontinence, fractured ribs, sore abdominal muscles or excessive sweating. How you heal a chronic cough depends largely on the reason for it but once the underlying condition has been treated, the chronic cough will go away.

Steps

1. Visit your doctor if your cough will not go away. He will be able to determine the source of the cough and treat it accordingly. Your doctor may prescribe a cough medicine with codeine, which is a strong cough suppressant.
2. Take an over-the-counter cough suppressant to find relief from coughing. It will not treat the main cause of the cough but a cough suppressant will give you a break from all the coughing. It will also allow your body to focus on healing the real reason behind the chronic cough.
3. Use cough lozenges in between taking the cough suppressant. The slow release of the suppressant as it melts can help calm your throat.
4. Treat the underlying cause of the chronic cough.
   • Use an inhaler with steroids to treat asthma. Talk with your doctor as inhalers are only available by prescription.
   • Take acid blockers with famotidine, which help control stomach acid for gastroesophageal reflux disease.
   • Use a decongestant or antihistamine to help postnasal drip. They can be found over-the-counter in your local pharmacy.
   • Take antibiotics if you are suffering from bacterial pneumonia or bronchitis. Your doctor will prescribe the correct kind and dosage according to your particular needs.
5. Avoid the environmental factors that you may be allergic to, that may be causing your chronic cough. This may not always be plausible but avoiding the allergens can give you some relief.
6. Take an anti-allergy medication. If it is environmental allergens that are causing your chronic cough, an over-the-counter allergy medicine can greatly help relieve your symptoms.
7. Drink plenty of fluids, particularly water. This will help soothe your throat, calming irritation that is causing you to cough.

Video

Tips

• Eat lots of fruit; the fiber and flavonoids may help prevent chronic cough.
• Stop smoking or avoid secondhand smoke as these are the most common causes of chronic coughing.

Warnings

• If your chronic cough produces blood or vomiting, see your doctor immediately.
• Keep away from individuals who are sick with pneumonia or bronchitis as they are contagious.

Things You'll Need

• Doctor Appointment
• Cough Suppressant
• Lozenges
• Medicine
• Water

Related wikiHows

• How to Get Rid of Bronchitis
• How to Treat a Cough
• How to Recognize Bronchitis Symptoms
• How to Treat Pneumonia

Sources and Citations

• http://www.medicinenet.com/chronic_cough/article.htm
• http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/chronic-cough/DS00957

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Heal Chronic Cough. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

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