At first glance, this symptom should not be alarming, since the cough does not last long, and attacks are rare. But if you take bronchospasm lightly, you can skip the onset of the disease or allow an untreated disease to resume. What does a rare dry cough really mean?
Supposed causes of bronchospasm
If a rare cough continues to bother after the treatment of a cold, this means that phlegm has remained in the respiratory tract, and it gradually comes out. This is normal since the remaining mucus is expelled from the lungs during coughing. Therefore, it is not necessary to take strong drugs, especially those designed to suppress the cough reflex, otherwise phlegm will accumulate, make breathing difficult, and as a result, you will have to fight a new disease. Most often, this type of cough is observed in the morning; in children, such residual effects can persist for up to two weeks.
However, the appearance of a rare dry cough is due to other factors. Bronchospasm is caused by the following reasons:
- a mild form of an infectious or viral disease, as evidenced by fever, throat irritation, runny nose, slight malaise;
- chronic form of the disease;
- the presence of fungus or mold in the room where a person spends a lot of time (if the walls, ceiling and furniture are cleaned of harmful microorganisms, the disturbing symptom disappears);
- exposure to toxins and allergens that are in the air, and even the cigarette smoke released by smoking parents can provoke rare cases of cough in a baby;
- too dry or humid air.
A rare cough is sometimes a tool for getting attention. It is typical for patients with hysteria, disorders of the nervous system. In people with an unstable psyche, every time anxiety arises, the cough center is irritated, which leads to coughing. So a person subconsciously tries to draw attention to himself and even arouse pity.
In addition, a cough of a neuropsychiatric nature can be the result of mental trauma, it appears in an unusual and hectic environment or during excitement, as well as during an argument.
With a neuropsychiatric cough, there is also a rapid heartbeat, severe shortness of breath, and redness of the skin. There is a feeling of pain in the heart, a feeling of fear. The attack is accompanied by heavy sweating.
How to help the body cope with the problem
First of all, the cause of bronchospasm should be eliminated. So, if during the examination a cough of a neuropsychiatric nature is diagnosed, then you need to prepare for long-term treatment. The situation is complicated by the fact that a lot of research remains to be done to confirm or exclude diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. In particular, in people with such symptoms, bronchial asthma is often assumed, treatment is prescribed, but the patient's condition does not improve.
The best method, according to many doctors, is to change the microclimate in a family or in a children's educational institution.
When coughing a neuropsychiatric nature in children, it should be borne in mind that medications, in particular from the group of antipsychotics, can cause unwanted side effects. Their strong sedative effects can be accompanied by drowsiness, impaired concentration, and even give way to worry, anxiety and fear.
If bronchospasm is caused by a cold or acute respiratory viral infection, mucolytics should be used - drugs that promote the excretion of sputum. The following medicines are considered the most popular:
- "Lazolvan" in the form of candies, lozenges, solution, syrup;
- "Medox" in the form of syrup and tablets;
- "Ambrobene" in capsules, tablets, solution for injection or in the form of a syrup;
- Flavamed in the form of a solution or tablets;
- "Bronchoval" in tablets or syrup.
This list can be supplemented with the herbal preparation "Sinupret". The medicine is made on the basis of gentian root, primrose and elder flowers, sorrel and verbena herb. This composition helps to free the upper respiratory tract from phlegm. However, this drug should not be taken by children under 6 years of age, as well as anyone who is allergic to Sinupret components.
Medicines from the group of mucolytics make the phlegm more liquid and promote its excretion. But you should take any of the proposed funds only after consulting your doctor. It should also be borne in mind that some of these drugs have contraindications, create an additional threat to health in case of allergies.
Important! Mucolytics and expectorant drugs should not be combined with antitussives.
What the folk pharmacy offers
You can eliminate a rare cough with the help of remedies prepared according to recipes of alternative medicine. So, you can use an infusion based on the following components:
- marshmallow root (40 g);
- licorice root (25 g);
- leaves of coltsfoot (20 g);
- 15 g of fennel fruit.
We mix the components, take 50 g of the finished raw material, place in a thermos, pour 250 ml of boiling water and insist for half a day, then filter. This infusion should be drunk in a quarter (for patients with a large weight - a third) of a glass up to 5 times during the day. It is noteworthy that doctors often recommend this recipe as one of the most effective.
A drink prepared on the basis of marshmallow root (4 teaspoons) helps to remove the remnants of phlegm faster. Raw materials are poured with cold boiled water (0.5 l) and infused for 8 hours. After that, the infusion should be filtered, drunk warm, 0.5 cups up to 4 times a day.
In order not to harm health by means of medicinal herbs, all their properties should be taken into account. If a person has a tendency to allergies, then after taking such a medicine, the cough may worsen. In addition, preparations based on oregano are contraindicated for pregnant women.
Warm drinking contributes to the rapid elimination of cough; in addition, it is good to use honey, raspberry and currant jam, propolis.
For a comprehensive treatment, it is recommended to revise the diet. The body will greatly benefit from figs, dates, butter (preferably homemade), pumpkin, boiled beans with almond and pumpkin oil. Useful barley water, a chowder made from barley and beans. It is recommended to include in the menu liquid oatmeal milk porridge, mashed potatoes with the addition of a large amount of milk.
It is necessary for a while to give up spicy and spicy dishes, sweet (especially carbonated) drinks, as well as sweets. This prohibition is due to the fact that certain foods can interfere with the excretion of phlegm and can aggravate or provoke a cough.
A specialist will help you choose a therapy that will completely get rid of your cough. Medical recommendations will be based on the condition and characteristics of your particular body.
