COUGH
COUGH
Coughing is the action by which excess mucus is driven out..
It is a vital body defense mechanism, which ejects everything from germs to foreign bodies from the lungs and windpipe..
When a person' is unable to cough, as for instance , following surgery or a chest injury, pneumonia may develop and cause a serious threat....
The air passages of the lungs are lined with cells secreting mucus ...they normally trap particles of dust ...when the membranes the lining of air passages is irritated ...coughing helps eliminate this excess mucus...In the process a dry hacking sound is produced...it is a very common condition affecting persons of all ages ....
Symptoms
A person who is going to cough first draws a deep breath in... He then closes his glottis and contracts his muscles ...This builds up pressure in the chest...Then, he suddenly opens his glottis so that there is an expensive discharge of air which sweeps through the air passages and Carrie's with it the excess secretion or in some cases foreign matter which has irritated the larynx, trachea or bronchi ....
Causes
Cough may be caused by inflammation of the larynx or the pharynx...
It may also result from digestive disturbance..
A cough can develop in the chest due to weather condition or seasonal changes..
The real cause of this disorder , however, is clogged of the bronchial tube with waste matter..
The reasons for higher incidence of cough during winter than in other seasons is that an average person usually eats more of the catarrah- forming foods such as..white bread , meat , sugars, porridge, puddings and pies in the colder months of the year...
Over clothing with heavy under - garments during this period also prevents proper aeration of the skin ....
Measures for treatment
Other useful measures in the treatment of cough are hot fermentation to the chest and throat and application of frequent chest packs ...
If the cough is checked while the secretion is abundant , the patient should be made to sit in the tub with a small amount of hot water, and cold water should be poured over his head , spine and chest to induce cough......This should be followed by the vigorous rubbing ...The patient should be dried thoroughly and then wrapped with dry blankets...
Diet management
Fast on fruit juices for five days in case of severe cough...
Take a glass of fresh fruits juices, diluted with water on 50:50 basis, every two hours..
Use warm - water enema daily during this period...
An all fruit diet for five days in case of mild cough , taking three meals a day fresh juicy fruits, at five hourly intervals...
Almonds are useful in dry coughs...they should be soaked in water for about an hour...or so and brown skin removed..they should then be ground to form a fine paste and 20 grams each of butter and sugar added to it ... This paste should be given in the morning and evening...
Grapes are very effective remedy in cough.... combination of honey with grape juice is specific for cough ...
Patient should avoid meats , sugars , tea , coffee, pickles, refined and processed foods...
He or she should avoid soft drinks, ice - creams and all products made from sugar and white flour ..
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