Choosing The Best Cough Remedy

Some At Home Cough Remedies Actually Work 

The first step in choosing the best cough remedy to help you stop coughing is to talk to your doctor. He or she can identify which kind of cough you have. Once the cause is known, the best cough remedy may be something your doctor can prescribe, or something you can get inexpensively over the counter. There may also be some "at home" cough remedies that will be effective. We'll concentrate on those in this article. For information on best cough remedies you can buy at your pharmacy or grocery store, click on best cough medicine, best cough drops and good cough syrup.

There are a number of things you can do at home to stop coughing.  

Drink a lot of liquids, especially water, if your cough is due to an illness. Doctors say 8 eight ounce glasses of water each day will help. Water naturally thins the mucus which causes the cough.

Certain kinds of spicy foods may also help loosen mucus. But be careful of their effect on your stomach when you're ill. Avoid foods that tend to increase mucus. These include many dairy products, along with certain meats and fried foods. Such foods may not, therefore, be the best cough remedy for you.

"Get steamed." Breathe steam from a commercial vaporizer, a hot shower, or even a pan of boiling water. Warm moist air loosens the mucus that's causing your cough and makes it easier to expel. It doesn't cure the cough, but you'll cough less often and you'll feel better. Add a few drops of oil of eucalyptus to the water if possible.

Use a humidifier and a cool-mist vaporizer at night, especially if your house is dry. This also helps to thin mucus and relieve a tickle in your throat. But make sure you clean the vaporizer: warm moist areas grow bacteria rapidly.

Hot tea can be help you stop coughing. Tea made from ingredients from a ginger plant are believed to be especially good.

Cough drops or hard candy moisten the throat and give you some relief. But never give a child under three years of age cough drops or hard candy. They can get stuck in the child's throat.

If you smoke, stop. Smoke is a major throat irritant. Also, try to avoid chemical and environmental irritants like cleaning compounds, new carpeting, paneling, stuffed furniture and mattresses.