People with a long history of smoking always start their day with the same ritual. No, we are not talking about taking a new dose of nicotine. First, they clear mucus from their bronchi with bronchospasm. A smoker's cough causes inconvenience both to tobacco lovers themselves and to their environment, which is forced to listen to coughing attacks of different intensity each time. Smoking cough is a problem that must be urgently eliminated, otherwise serious complications cannot be avoided.
The main causes of cough
To reliably find out the causes of bronchospasm in a smoker, it is necessary to consider the mechanism of their occurrence. Cigarette smoke contains more than 10,000 different substances (most of them cause great harm to the body). To be precise, about 200 constituents are real poisons. When inhaled, the smoke comes into contact with the bronchial mucosa. It penetrates the bronchi, envelops the inner lining of the bronchioles and interferes with the proper functioning of the ciliary epithelium.
Such an epithelium in the body of a healthy person, like a trampoline, reflects and removes all harmful compounds and substances from the bronchi. In other words, it cleanses the lungs of impurities. Tobacco smoke inhibits the work of the epithelium. Therefore, over time, more and more resins are retained on the surface of the mucous membrane. These processes negatively affect all elements of the respiratory system.
Regular smoking causes periodic irritation of the tissues of the respiratory tract, which ultimately leads to the onset of inflammatory processes. Over time, they become chronic and transform into non-infectious bronchitis of the smoker. At the same time, the ciliary epithelium continues to protect the body (and in particular the respiratory system) from various infections. But gradually its functions are inhibited, so chronic bronchitis of a non-infectious type develops into an acute infectious disease. A smoker's cough appears. It complements the already not rosy picture of the general state of the body of a smoking person.
If you don't quit smoking, you can easily get obstructive pulmonary disease. What are the symptoms that distinguish a cough after smoking from any other type of cough:
- strong morning attacks of bronchospasm;
- well-defined shortness of breath;
- wheezing and hoarseness of the voice;
- discharge of brown sputum;
- chronic fatigue;
- general lethargy of the body;
- involuntary expectoration and so on.
Drug treatment
Today, a number of pharmaceuticals are used to treat coughing attacks in smokers. They are created on the basis of natural ingredients and allow you to effectively fight even a strong cough. In particular, a medicine called "Bronchogen" is very popular. It is available in the form of tablets, the course of treatment is designed for 30 days. If necessary, the drug can be used as a prophylactic agent.
To remove mucus from the bronchi, "Fluimucin" is prescribed. In addition, Ambroxol has proven itself quite well. This drug effectively fights both wet and dry coughs. It promotes the liquefaction of phlegm and its gradual elimination from the body.
As for the dosage of this medication, it is calculated on the basis of body weight. There is 1 milligram of medicine per 1 kilogram. It is necessary to take "Ambroxol" 3-4 times a day immediately after meals.
If an infection is detected in the smoker's body, then the treatment is supplemented by taking antibiotics:
- Roxithromycin;
- "Ampicillin";
- Clarithromycin;
- "Fusidin";
- "Cefaclor";
- "Tetracycline" and others.
Standard syrups eliminate smoker's cough well. We are talking about such well-known remedies as "Gedelix", "Doctor MOM", licorice root. They remove the symptoms of the disease, thin mucus and remove it from the body.
With regard to potent drugs, for example, "Libeksin" or "ACC", they must be taken under the direct supervision of the attending physician. The fact is that they have very strong thinning properties. If phlegm is not coughed up in time, suppuration may appear in the lungs.
Remedies from the arsenal of traditional medicine
A smoker's cough can and should be eliminated with folk remedies. There are quite a few of them, and all of them, to one degree or another, relieve coughing attacks:
- Take one spoonful of dry herb St. John's wort, wild rosemary and pour boiling water over the raw materials. Next, you need to put the dishes with herbs on medium heat and cook for 5 minutes. The resulting composition is added to freshly brewed black tea and drunk several times a day. After two to three days of taking the drug, the smoker will notice the active discharge of sputum. After a week of treatment, the cough should become less intense and soon disappear altogether.
To eliminate severe coughing attacks in a smoker, you can brew thyme tea. One tablespoon of the herb is poured into a glass of boiling water (about 200 grams). We wrap the dishes with tea in a warm blanket and let it brew for at least 10 minutes, after which we add fresh dandelion juice (you can use a pharmacy extract). Such a remedy has an anti-inflammatory effect and actively removes toxins from the body. The broth is drunk twice a day - in the morning and in the evening.- Tea made from rose hips, chamomile and alfalfa will restore the disturbed functioning of such important organs as the liver and lungs. This drink also has anti-inflammatory properties, quickly removes toxins and harmful compounds from the bronchi.
- You can prepare a collection of 2 parts of well-chopped marshmallow root, thyme and 1 part of aniseed seeds, licorice root, pine buds and sage. All of these ingredients are placed in a thermos and filled with 300 grams of boiling water. Let the broth brew for an hour, strain it out and improve the taste by adding honey. The medicine is drunk 3 to 5 times a day (a quarter of a two-hundred-gram glass) for three weeks.
- Onion balm helps to quickly eliminate symptoms. To prepare it, you will need about 250 grams of fresh onions, which must be peeled and chopped well. Peeled onions are placed in a container and mixed with 500 g of water, 200 g of ordinary white sugar is added. A saucepan with ingredients must be put on low heat and cook, stirring constantly, for at least 3 hours. Then we remove the container from the stove, add 20 g of honey and take one tablespoon 6 times a day.
To eliminate severe coughing attacks in a smoker, you can brew thyme tea. One tablespoon of the herb is poured into a glass of boiling water (about 200 grams). We wrap the dishes with tea in a warm blanket and let it brew for at least 10 minutes, after which we add fresh dandelion juice (you can use a pharmacy extract). Such a remedy has an anti-inflammatory effect and actively removes toxins from the body. The broth is drunk twice a day - in the morning and in the evening.Alternative to a regular cigarette
Naturally, in order to get rid of a smoker's cough once and for all, it is necessary to quit smoking. But this is very difficult to do. In some cases, an electronic cigarette comes to the rescue, which contains a minimum amount of nicotine. This option has both advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, each smoker decides for himself whether or not to use an electronic cigarette instead of a regular one.
Advantages:
- no irritating odor;
- reduction of harmful effects on the body;
- gradual restoration of the normal color of the skin and teeth;
- elimination of the problem of secondhand smoke;
- improving the supply of oxygen to the body;
- getting rid of physical addiction;
- normalization of the general condition of the body, and so on.
Disadvantages:
- psychological dependence does not disappear;
- addiction to the electronic cigarette may occur;
- allergies are possible.
The electronic cigarette is not a panacea and does not guarantee complete smoking cessation. Its main task is to teach the smoker's body to do with less nicotine.Despite the relative harmlessness, such a cigarette still contains nicotine.
In addition, e-cigarette batteries can explode and severely injure people with varying degrees of burns.
Prophylaxis
The surest way to get rid of a smoker's coughing fits is to quit smoking. And from the point of view of preventing bronchospasm, starting smoking is not at all worth it. But what if a person has a long history of smoking and cannot give up his addiction? In this case, we recommend adhering to the following simple rules:
- Lead an active lifestyle.
- From time to time, carry out inhalations based on medicinal herbs.
- Perform fluorographic examination in a timely manner.
- Work to boost your immunity.
- Consult a doctor for frequent severe attacks.
Remember that a smoker's cough is a dangerous signal. He speaks of the presence of inflammatory processes and pathological changes in the body.
If you ignore bronchospasm, in the future you can expect the appearance of more serious health problems, up to and including death. Everything is in your hands: only you and no one else are responsible for your life. Therefore, use it wisely, live happily ever after!
