10 Natural Remedies for that Nagging Cough

 

10 Natural Remedies for that Nagging Cough

*The information below does not constitute personal medical advice. Please consult with your health care provider for guidance.

Have you been up all-night coughing, feeling fatigued and drained? Does your body ache from coughing so hard? Have you had enough?

Even if you are not coughing now, you can probably remember a time when you did, or know someone who suffered with this. Please feel free to share your story or any of your natural remedies.

I recently visited my family and strained my voice cheering on the NYC marathoners, my dad doing Rocksteady (a boxing class for people with Parkinson’s), and my nephew running in his Cross-Country championships. To boot, I spent hours with my nieces and sister laughing as we jumped on a trampoline. Not a great combination when coupled with little sleep and I forgot to bring my vitamins.

Two days after my return, my voice was totally gone and then I began to have a dry irritating cough.

Why do we cough? It’s usually to help clear the airways from mucous or debris.

Please seek medical attention if a cough is persistent >2 weeks, or associated with shortness of breath, chest pain, fever, or bleeding or any other concerning symptoms.

Many coughs, like bronchitis, are due to viruses and don’t require antibiotics (which treat bacterial infections).

Prolonged coughing may be due to allergies or GERD. If you are a smoker, it’s best to quit and get evaluated if coughing.

Here’s the Dr. Gold Special to treat that annoying cough

1.Olbas Pastilles (herbal cough drops with menthol)

2.Buckley’s cough syrup (menthol and camphor, doesn’t taste good but helped myself and many of my patients’ cough & congestion)

3.Raw local honey (not for children <1 years old to avoid a rare but serious illness, infant botulism)

4.Drink plenty of liquids i.e., water, herbal tea, clear broths, chicken soup, bone broth. Avoid concentrated juice because of the sugar load. Okay to drink juice made from the whole fruit.

5.Sleep a little more upright.

6.Moisturize the air with a humidifier and moisturize inside the nostrils with Lucas’ Papaw ointment made with papaya or Burt’s Bee (beeswax)

7.Vitamin C (Emergen-C), Vitamin D3 (Metagenics), Zinc picolinate (Pure Encapsulations)

8.Essential oils (Breathe, Onguard)

9.Avoid dairy and hard crunchy foods like nuts and chips

10. Immunity shot: Pomegranate juice, ginger, cayenne, turmeric, garlic, and lemon.

Bonus: If above doesn’t work, consider adding traditional meds such as Mucinex DM and/or Tessalon Perles (requires a prescription). For allergies consider an antihistamine like D-Hist (Orthomolecular) and Quercetin or traditional meds such as Claritin or Zyrtec (which can make you drowsy).

For GERD (reflux) natural remedies include food grade Aloe and/or apple cider vinegar (also comes in capsules). Be careful with PPIs i.e., omeprazole or Prilosec or acid blockers like Pepcid, as they reduce stomach acid, which is necessary for good absorption of nutrients. Without good stomach acid, one may be prone to increased risk of infections, nutrient deficiencies, including for calcium and Vitamin D3 which can lead to bone loss.

I also noticed getting anxious and stressed can make the cough worse. As I relaxed, I realized, I didn’t have to cough, every time I felt like it, especially if it was not productive. I just needed to hydrate more and flush everything out.

Visualize it going away. Take a deep breath, Smile, and call it something funny to reframe the situation. I am calling it Pooky and sending it on a cruise. Bye Bye Pooky.

Everyday and in everyway I see myself getting stronger and healthier!

Happy Holidays! Many blessings, Tanya Gold, MD

Dr. Gold's Optimal Living Institute