Sepsis (septicemia): Risk factors, symptoms, and treatment
7 Common Dry Cough Causes (and Treatment/Remedy Options You Can Try)
A dry cough occurs as a natural reflex when inflammation or irritation affects your airway. It is also called an unproductive cough since it does not produce phlegm or mucus. A dry cough can be classified as acute or chronic, based on its duration.
A dry cough often occurs as a result of an upper respiratory infection and resolves with the course of the disease. However, it can also be a sign of chronic health problems such as acid reflux or asthma. Treatment of a dry cough depends on the cause.
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#1 COVID-19 COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It causes mild to moderate respiratory illness that typically does not require special treatment. However, older people and those with underlying medical conditions like diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cardiovascular disease have the highest risk of developing serious illnesses from COVID-19. The COVID-19 infection inflames your lung tissues, making breathing, getting oxygen, and removing waste more challenging. With COVID-19, a dry cough occurs in about 50% to 70% of people who have the disease. While COVID-19 affects everyone differently, other common symptoms can include: Treatment Most people do not require special treatment for COVID-19. However, your healthcare provider may advise treatment based on your age and other health conditions. COVID-19 treatments include: #2 Asthma Asthma is a chronic lung disease that affects the airways that carry air in and out of your lungs. With asthma, your airways become narrowed when you encounter specific triggers such as smoke, viruses, or allergens like pollen, causing an asthma attack and making it harder to breathe. Asthma can cause a dry cough when the small airway muscles tighten and swell. Other symptoms of asthma include: Chest tightness with pain Cyanosis (a color change in tissue on mucus membranes, fingertips, or nail beds to bluish on lighter skin tones and grayish or whitish on dark skin tones Expanded chest that does not deflate when you exhale Faster or slower than normal breathing Hard or shallow breathing Nighttime waking due to asthma symptoms Ribs or stomach moving in and out rapidly and deeply Shortness of breath Wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe) Treatment Asthma treatment is complicated because it involves preventing symptoms and symptom relief. Asthma treatments include lifestyle changes and medications, as well as bronchial thermoplasty. Making lifestyle changes to avoid exposure to common asthma triggers that cause the airways to constrict include: Quick-relief medications to help prevent or ease symptoms during an asthma attack include: Inhaled short-acting beta-agonists (SABAs) to open your airways so air can flow through Oral corticosteroids to reduce swelling in your airways Short-acting anticholinergics to help open your airways quickly Long-term medicines include: Another treatment is bronchial thermoplasty. It is a procedure that involves the application of heat to the muscles along the walls of your airways to help prevent airway narrowing. It is done via the insertion of a bronchoscope (a tube with a camera at the end, through your mouth to see inside your airways). #3 Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a severe, progressive, and generally fatal lung disease that causes inflammation and/or scarring of your lungs' alveoli (air sacs) for unknown reasons. The scarring interferes with your ability to breathe because it thickens the lining of your lungs. This causes irreversible loss of the tissue's ability to transport oxygen until the lungs can no longer provide oxygen to your organs and tissues. A dry and nagging cough that worsens over time is a common early symptom of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. It can be triggered by factors such as exercise, laughing, crying, or breathing in smoke or other chemicals. Other symptoms of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are: Aching muscles and joints Digital clubbing (widening and rounding of the tips of your fingers or toes) Extreme tiredness Gradual unintended weight loss Malaise (generally feeling unwell) Rapid, shallow breathing Shortness of breath that worsens over time Treatment While there is no cure for IPF, treatments can slow down the progression of lung damage and help improve your quality of life. Treatment can include medications, breathing therapies, and surgery. Medications include: Antacids to prevent stomach aid from getting into your lung Antifibrotic agents Esbriet (pirfenidone) and Ofev (nintedanib) to help your lungs work better and prevent acute exacerbation Cough medicationsImmunosuppressant drugs to reduce inflammation if an autoimmune disease is present Steroids that reduce inflammation Breathing therapies include: Surgery includes a lung transplant for treatment of severe symptoms. #4 Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition in which your stomach acid repeatedly flows back up into your esophagus (the food tube that connects your mouth and stomach). The regurgitated stomach acid is called acid reflux. Problems arise because this highly acidic substance can irritate the lining of your esophagus. While periodic acid reflux is common, it happens repeatedly over time with GERD. GERD can cause a cough when the acid and other digestive enzymes irritate your throat. This change in sensation or irritation can stimulate a cough. In addition to a dry cough, symptoms of GERD can include: Asthma Bloating Burping Chest pain Difficulty swallowing or a sensation of having a lump in your throat) Nausea Regurgitation (the return of stomach contents up through your esophagus and into your mouth) Shortness of breath Sore throat, hoarseness, or laryngitis Sour taste in your mouth Tooth enamel erosion (wearing away) Treatment Treatment for GERD can vary based on the severity of your disease. Common treatments include changes to diet, medications, and surgery. Dietary and lifestyle changes include: Avoid eating before bedtime. Avoid lying down after eating. Avoid trigger foods. Elevate the head of your bed 6 to 8 inches while you sleep. Establish and maintain a healthy weight. Participate in smoking cessation. Over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medications include: Antacids to neutralize stomach acids including Maalox, Mylanda, Rolaids, TUMS, and others (calcium carbonate) Histamine 2 (H2) blockers to reduce the amount of stomach acid including Pepcit (famotidine), Tagamet HB (cimetidine), Zantac (ranitidine), and Axid (nizatidine) Lyvispah (baclofen) to reduce lower esophageal sphincter relaxation, a condition that allows acid backwash to occur Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to reduce the amount of stomach acid including Prilosec (omeprazole), Nexium (esomeprazole), and Prevacid (lansoprazole) Surgery includes: Endoscopic gastric plication is the application of sutures around your lower esophageal sphincter to tighten it. Laparoscopic fundoplication is considered the gold standard of GERD surgery, it involves a laparoscopic procedure in which your fundus (the top of your stomach) is wrapped around the bottom of your esophagus. Magnetic sphincter augmentation (LINX device) entails the placement of tiny magnetic titanium beads in the area where your stomach and esophagus meet to quickly close the opening to prevent acid reflux after it lets in food and drink. Transoral incisionless fundoplication (TIF) is a procedure performed using an endoscope (a long tube with a camera that is inserted through your mouth into your esophagus) to fold your fundus around your esophagus without an incision. #5 Postnasal Drip Postnasal drip, also known as upper airway cough syndrome, is a feeling of mucus gathering in your throat or at the back of your nose. When you are healthy, you swallow mucus unconsciously many times a day. However, factors such as seasonal allergies, some medications, GERD, and spicy foods can increase the volume of mucus or thicken it. This can lead to coughing as you try to manage the abnormal flow and texture of the mucus. Postnasal drip typically lasts for a few days or weeks, though it can become chronic and persist for months. In addition to a persistent dry cough, symptoms of postnasal drip include: Treatment Treatment for postnasal drip varies based on the cause of the problem, including bacterial infections, chronic sinusitis, seasonal allergies, and GERD. For bacterial infections: Chronic sinusitis may require surgery to open blocked sinuses. Seasonal allergies may be treated with the following: Antihistamines Avoiding triggers Cromolyn and steroid nasal spray Decongestants Immunotherapy (desensitization) Oral steroids If GERD is the cause, traditional treatments for this condition will be used. Measures to allow the mucus to pass more easily include: Avoid diuretics (medications that reduce fluid from your body by increasing urination). Drink more water. Eliminate caffeine. Mucus-thinning agents such as Mucinex, Robitussin (guaifenesin). Saline nasal sprays such as Ocean or Ayr to reduce secretion thickness. #6 Upper Respiratory Infections Upper respiratory infections (URIs) are contagious infections that affect your upper respiratory tract (including your nasal passages, sinuses, and throat). The most common upper respiratory infections are viral infections, such as the rhinovirus, which causes the common cold. Viruses such as adenovirus and bacteria such as chlamydia can cause upper respiratory infections. A dry cough is a common URI symptom because these conditions affect your nasal passages and throat. Other symptoms of upper respiratory infections can vary by specific disease. These symptoms can include: Bad breath Body aches Conjunctivitis (itchy and watery eyes) Diarrhea Fever Headache Nasal congestion and difficulty breathing through the nose Nausea Runny nose Shortness of breath Sinus pain Sneezing Sore or scratchy throat and pain when swallowing Vomiting Treatment Treatment for an upper respiratory infection can vary based on the cause of the infection. Dry cough remedies can include medications and lifestyle changes. Medications include: Lifestyle changes include: Increased fluids Rest Supplemental oxygen #7 Lung Cancer Lung cancer is cancer that starts when cells in your lung mutate (develop abnormally) and grow out of control. It usually occurs from breathing dangerous chemicals, but can also develop without a known cause. As the abnormal cells grow, they join to form a tumor, which destroys surrounding healthy lung tissue. Lung cancer can cause a cough when it originates in your large central airways. A tumor can narrow the airway and cause coughing. While a dry cough can be an early sign of lung cancer, the disease affects everyone differently. In most people, symptoms do not occur until the disease advances. In addition to a dry cough, other possible symptoms of lung cancer include: Chest pain that worsens with coughing, deep breathing, or laughing Constant fatigue Coughing up blood or rust-colored spit or phlegm Loss of appetite Repeated episodes of bronchitis or pneumonia Shortness of breath Swollen or enlarged lymph nodes (glands) inside your chest in the area between your lungs Unexplained weight loss Wheezing Treatment Treatment for lung cancer varies based on its type and stage. Depending on additional factors such as your age and other health conditions, treatment for lung cancer can include one or more of the following therapies: Other Potential Causes There are many other potential causes of a dry cough. These include: Smoking or Inhaling Cigarette Smoke Smoking or breathing in smoke can sometimes cause a smoker's cough fast your body tries to clear the irritants caused by smoking. Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors About 10% of people who take ACE inhibitors develop a dry cough. These drugs, such as Vasotec (enalapril) and Zestril (lisinopril), are commonly used to treat high blood pressure. Bronchiectasis Bronchiectasis is an obstructive lung disease that occurs from inflammation and infection. It causes permanent widening of your airways. Bronchiectasis occurs from inflammation and infection. Cystic Fibrosis Cystic fibrosis is a progressive, and life-threatening condition. It damages the lungs and digestive tract. Sarcoidosis Sarcoidosis develops when groups of cells in your immune system form called granulomas. These small, red, and inflamed lumps can cause permanent scarring in your lungs and lymph nodes in your chest. Pneumonia Pneumonia or other lung infections are contagious conditions caused by bacteria or viruses in your lower respiratory tract. They spread when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Laryngopharyngeal reflux is a type of reflux (the return of stomach acid from your stomach into your throat) that triggers postnasal drip, the sensation of a lump in your throat, and a dry cough. Environmental Allergies Environmental allergies are types of allergies cause your body to overreact to harmless substances in the environment. They can include pollen, mold, pet dander, or grass. Certain Medications A dry cough can occur as a side effect of the following types of medications: How to Get Rid of a Dry Cough at Home There are many ways to get rid of a dry cough at home. Choosing the best treatment depends on the cause of your symptoms. Since a dry cough can occur as a symptom of another condition, it is important to treat and manage underlying health problems. At-home remedies encompass lifestyle modifications and medications. Lifestyle Modifications These include: Avoid known allergens such as smoke and hay fever to reduce the risk of a dry cough caused by an allergic reaction. Avoid secondhand airborne irritants and cigarette smoke in your home and workplace. Consult your healthcare provider about changing your prescription if you take a medication known to cause a dry cough. Drink plenty of liquids such as water, soup broths, or herbal teas to moisturize a dry throat. Operate an air-conditioner rather than fans or open windows to cool the inside air. Take hot showers or use a humidifier to create moisture in the air. Try aromatherapy by using essential oils such as holy basil, eucalyptus, thyme, or peppermint in an oil diffuser. Use dust mite covers to encase pillows and mattresses inside dust mite covers. Use extra pillows or a wedge to elevate your head while sleeping. Nonprescription (Over-the-Counter) Treatments These treatments include: Breathe in steam from a humidifier or leaning a safe distance above a bowl of boiling water and drape a towel over your head to inhale the moisture. Consume holy basil as a tea or added to steam as an extract to treat a dry cough. Gargle with a mixture of one-half teaspoon of salt dissolved in 8 ounces of warm water. Make thyme tea by steeping 3 to 4 teaspoons of dried thyme leaves or powder in boiling water for five to 10 minutes. Thyme contains thymol, an antispasmodic to relax throat muscles. Steep freshly grated ginger root in hot water to make ginger tea or add ginger to other herbal tea blends to take advantage of ginger's anti-inflammatory properties and compounds called gingerols that can relieve coughing. Suck on hard candy or cough drops with ingredients like peppermint, honey, or eucalyptus oil to treat the sensation of a tickle in the back of your throat. Take a natural capsaicin (chili) supplement to reduce the effects of dry coughs triggered by environmental irritants. Take cough suppressants, such as Delsym (dextromethorphan), Mucinex DM (guaifenesin and dextromethorphan), and Tessalon (benzonatate) Take 1 to 2 teaspoons of raw, unpasteurized honey alone or in warm water or herbal tea to soothe irritation. Prescription Cough Suppressants Prescription cough suppressants include the following: When to Contact a Healthcare Provider With so many potential causes, it can be difficult to know whether your dry cough is a minor inconvenience or a symptom of a serious medical condition. To ensure you're not ignoring warning signs of a potential health problem, consider the following guidelines for when to seek medical attention for a dry cough. Contact a healthcare provider for a dry cough that occurs with any of the following characteristics: Call 911 or go to an emergency room if you have a dry cough with any of the following features: Summary In most cases, a dry cough is not a cause for concern. It typically occurs as a common cold or flu symptom that wanes as the condition resolves. While home treatments can relieve symptoms, they do not cure coughs. Curing a cough requires resolving or treating the underlying cause. Knowing the source of your cough can help you manage symptoms and avoid triggers in cases of problems like allergies and reflux. When a dry cough occurs as a sign of an underlying condition, it must be identified and treated to resolve the cough. Contact your healthcare provider if you have a dry cough that persists longer than three weeks or fails to improve with home treatment.10 Natural Remedies For Flu Symptoms
Coming down with the flu can lead to symptoms like fever, tiredness, or chills. Natural and home remedies can relieve some of the symptoms. However, there is no cure for the flu.
The flu (or influenza) is caused by a virus. Several kinds of viruses can cause the flu.
While there's no cure for the flu, there are natural remedies that might help soothe flu symptoms and shorten the duration of the illness.
Read on to learn about 10 natural remedies that may help you cope with flu symptoms. We'll explain how to use them and why they can help.
Drinking water and other fluids is even more important when you have the flu, whether you have respiratory or stomach flu.
Water helps to keep your nose, mouth, and throat moist. It can help your body get rid of built-up mucous and phlegm.
You can also get dehydrated if you aren't eating or drinking normally. Diarrhea and fever (two common symptoms of the flu) can also cause water loss.
You can stay hydrated by consuming plenty of:
You'll know you're drinking enough water and liquids if:
If your urine is a deep yellow to amber color, you may be dehydrated.
It's also helpful to avoid smoking as much as possible since it can further irritate your nose, throat, and lungs.
It's important to rest and get more sleep when you have the flu.
Sleeping can boost your immune system, helping your body fight off the flu virus. Cancel your usual routine and make sleep a priority to get back on your feet.
Drinking warm chicken or beef bone broth is a good way to stay hydrated. It also helps to loosen and break up nose and sinus congestion.
Bone broth is also naturally high in protein and minerals like sodium and potassium. Drinking broth is a good way to replenish these nutrients while you have the flu. Plus, protein is important for rebuilding immune cells.
You can buy ready-made varieties, but be sure to look for those that are low in sodium (salt). You can also make your own broth by boiling chicken or beef bones. You can freeze portions of broth for future use.
The mineral zinc is important for your immune system. This nutrient helps your body make germ-fighting white blood cells.
A review of studies suggested that zinc might help ease cold and flu symptoms. Zinc helps your body fight the flu virus and may slow down how fast it multiplies.
Researchers found that zinc may shorten the duration of your symptoms. However, more research is needed to determine its efficacy in preventing the common cold or flu.
You can take a zinc supplement or a multivitamin with zinc during flu season. You can normally get plenty of zinc from a balanced daily diet. Foods that are high in zinc include:
Warm water and salt rinse (sometimes called a saltwater gargle) can soothe a sore throat. It can also help to clear mucous. Here's how to rinse with salt water:
Do not swallow the salt water. Do not allow children to gargle until they can safely gargle with plain water.
Several herbs have natural antiviral and antibacterial properties. Star anise is a star-shaped spice from which oseltamivir was traditionally extracted.
Oseltamivir phosphate (better known as Tamiflu) is a prescription drug used to speed recovery from or to prevent getting the flu. Its antiviral properties are effective against some kinds of flu viruses. Other herbs and green leafy teas also have germ-fighting and antioxidant benefits.
An herbal tea may help your body fight off the flu virus. A hot herbal drink is also soothing to your throat and sinuses.
You can make a flu-fighting herbal tea with star anise and other herbs like:
Sweeten herbal teas with pure honey. Honey, royal jelly, and other bee products have been found to have natural antiviral and antibacterial properties.
Many bagged teas are available with these as dried ingredients combined together.
Some types of essential oils may help protect you against certain viruses and bacteria. One study found that tea tree oil helps fight the flu virus by slowing or stopping the rate at which the virus multiplies.
According to the study, tea tree oil works best when used within two hours of infection. This suggests that it may help block the flu virus from multiplying.
In practice, you might add a few drops of tea tree oil to liquid hand soap when you wash your hands or mixed into the lotion you use. Some commercially made mouthwashes include it as an ingredient.
Other plant and herbal essential oils may also work as natural antibiotics and antivirals. These include:
Use essential oils only as directed. Do not ingest essential oils; many are toxic. Most essential oils can be used on the skin after they're mixed with oils like almond or olive oil. You can add fresh and dried herbs and spices to food to get similar benefits.
Diffusing essential oils into the air with a diffuser may also help fight some kinds of viruses and bacteria. Inhaling essential oils can also influence children, pregnant and nursing women, and pets.
The flu virus survives longer in dry indoor air, which may make it spread more easily. Colder outdoor temperatures generally lower humidity in the air.
Indoor air can get dry from heating and air conditioning use. Using a humidifier to add humidity in your home and workplace might help reduce flu viruses in the air.
Breathing in steam from a warm pot of water can help soothe your nose, sinuses, throat, and lungs. Steam inhalation or steam therapy uses water vapor to help loosen mucous congestion.
The warm moist air may also relieve swelling in the nose and lungs. Steam inhalation might help to soothe a dry cough, irritated nose, and chest tightness.
You can heat water for steam:
Avoid steam from boiling water. Test the temperature of the steam before breathing it in. Keep your face and hands far enough away to avoid scalding or burning yourself.
You can add a few drops of essential oils or a medicated vapor rub to the water for added antiviral and antioxidant benefits.
If you have the stomach flu, eat small amounts of food at a time. Try hand-sized portions.
The stomach flu can give you nausea, cramps, and diarrhea. Bland foods are easier to digest and may help ease your stomach symptoms.
Foods that are easy on the stomachAvoid foods that may irritate your stomach and digestion.
Foods to avoid while you have the stomach fluThe flu typically causes respiratory — nose, throat, and lung — symptoms. Top flu symptoms are:
The stomach flu is a flu virus that causes digestive symptoms. You might have:
Viruses cause the flu and the common cold. Both kinds of infections can give you a fever. Cold and flu viruses cause similar symptoms. The main differences between a flu and a cold are how bad the symptoms are and how long you have them.
Flu symptoms begin suddenly and are typically severe. The flu can last for 1 to 2 weeks. Cold symptoms are typically milder. You might have a cold for a week or longer.
In most cases of the flu, you won't need to see a doctor. Stay home, and don't bring the virus to your workplace or school. Get a yearly flu vaccination. Drink fluids and rest.
Home remedies can help reduce symptoms so you can be more comfortable and rest more easily while you have the flu — and rest has a big impact on getting better faster.
7 Home Remedies To Relieve You Of A Sore Throat
Did you know that it's possible to get a sore throat in the summer? It could be due to several things, like summer colds due to enteroviruses, which spread pretty easily, and other bacterial or viral infections, dry air, allergies, mouth ulcers, a burn from very hot food, overuse of voice, dehydration or even sleeping with your mouth open. Whatever the case may be, having a sore throat is irritable, uncomfortable, and no fun at all.
A sore throat may seem minute but depending on the severity, an individual's sore throat symptoms may vary.
Sore throat symptoms:
As a mama of two, I always say that at-home remedies are very important to know because they are useful for managing and treating minor irritations like sore throats and other minor illnesses.
Here are seven at-home remedies, to help relieve you of a sore throat:
Sore throats are quite common and will usually subside within a week. If you have a sore throat and the symptoms have not subsided or it seems to be getting worse, that could be a sign of a more serious health condition.
RELATED: 5 Reasons Your Throat Is Always Sore
When it's time to see a trusted healthcare provider:
If you need a trusted and culturally competent healthcare provider, search here. It's an amazing resource to help you find a doctor in your area. Be sure to keep these seven at-home remedies in your back pocket as you will never know just when you might need them.
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