Is a cough making your life miserable? Don’t blame your body; coughing is the only way your lungs can expel an irritant. The key is to figure what’s causing it and then to get your lungs the help they need.
“A majority of coughs actually resolve with just rest and home remedies,” said Dr. Sharon Horesh Bergquist, an internist at the Emory Clinic in Atlanta. “So that’s the place to start unless there are warning signs of something more serious.”
Home Remedies For a Cough
Staying hydrated is the best thing you can do for a cough. Liquids thin out the mucus, making it less irritating to the throat and easier for the lungs to expel. Steam from a hot shower can do the same. Saline or salt water drops or spray are another option to moisten the nasal passages and thin mucus.
“Chicken soup has a lot of value if you’re sick in general,” Bergquist said. “The warmth and spices open up the sinuses. For coughs, hot liquids ease the throat, and honey is quite effective. Studies have compared honey with some of the over-the-counter cough medicines and found it works just as well.”
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