A cough and cold are caused by infections, sinusitis, bronchitis, and exposure to dust. Ayurveda recommends not just medications to treat a cough and cold. It also insists on incorporating certain dietary and lifestyle changes for complete cure. A cough is a way that the human body uses to blow off foreign bodies from the respiratory airways. However, when someone coughs for long, it can lead to dizziness, hoarseness of voice, and wheezing. In case of a chronic cough, fatigue and aches in the joints are experienced.

In Ayurveda, cold is also known as Vata-Kaphaja Pratishaya. According to Ayurveda, Virudh ahar (incorrect combination of foods), Ama (toxins), and Asatmya (change in environment) lead to allergic reactions, and cold is one such example. Toxins may accumulate in the body of an individual due to impaired metabolism and digestion. On the other hand, intolerance towards specific food items may lead to an allergy.

Vamana Panchakarma, followed by Virechana can be administered for the treatment of a chronic cough and cold. This helps correct the balance between the three doshas and to eliminate toxins. In some individuals, nasal drops therapy or Nasya treatment can be administered to clear congestion. This is done by pouring herbal oils such as Shadbindu or Anu taila in the nostrils. Ayurvedic medications can also be administered to strengthen the immune system and the respiratory tract.

The following sections explain some of the other Ayurvedic remedies that a person can try out to relieve cough and cold.

Home remedies: Ayurveda points the kitchen to get relief from a cough and cold. Ingredients from the kitchen shelf can help a lot, along with medications. Ginger juice is an effective way to treat a cold and cough. This helps in ejecting mucus. To try out this remedy, an individual can prepare fresh ginger juice and add turmeric (one-fourth teaspoon), tulsi leaves juice and honey (half teaspoon each) and a pinch of black pepper powder to it. Mix everything together. If you want to use it multiple times, you can increase the quantities in the same ratio and refrigerate it. Consume one and a half teaspoon of the mixture at least three to four times a day to get relief from a cough. For children, give half the quantity thrice a day. This is an excellent remedy to relieve a cough and cold without leading to any side-effects.

Gargling also helps. Mix a spoon of salt to warm water. Gargle twice a day with this. Chewing cardamom buds and cloves also help in eliminating cough. You can also take four black raisins and add a pinch of rock salt and black pepper powder to them. Dry roast and take this three times a day. You need to eat this for at least for 15 days.

Otherwise, take a glass of water. Boil with licorice powder and black pepper powder (half teaspoon each). Grate fresh ginger and add one spoon of it to the mixture. Add 10 basil leaves, and make a decoction of everything. The water should turn half the quantity. Palm candy can be added to sweeten the decoction. Try this instead of coffee or tea in the morning and evening to relieve cold and cough.

Dietary changes: Take lots of fresh pulses with grains. Taking pulses with grains help in gaining all the goodness of the pulses. Green gram, yellow lentils, and red lentils can offer nutrients that are required and are easy to digest. Vegetables such as pumpkin, marrow, squashes, ivy gourd, ridge gourd, snake gourd, smooth gourd, onions, beetroot, celery, carrots, and parsnips can be consumed as well. However, consume cooked vegetables only. Grains such as rice, oats, and millets are good choices. You should refrain from taking wheat and processed flour. Almonds, apricots, figs, dates, and hazel nuts are beneficial. Limit your consumption of fish, chicken, and turkey. Red meat can be taken twice a week. Avoid dairy milk. You can take soy milk or oat milk as a replacement.

Lifestyle changes: Quit smoking. The health of the lungs can be damaged to the core with smoking and this can also lead to cancer. When you suffer from chronic cold and cough, immediately consult a doctor, if you smoke. Avoid exposure to pollens, dust, and pollutants. Use a mask while driving, and cover ears and nose exposed to cold.

Talk less: This gives enough rest to vocal cords. Taking warm water instead of plain water is a good option. Take tea made of herbs. Tulsi, mint leaves, and ginger can be added to the herbal tea. Do not mix milk with tea. Take a balanced diet and keep yourself away from processed and junk foods.

Chronic Cough And Cold - How Ayurveda Remedies Can Help? 

One thing that a weather change brings about is lung infections - most commonly cough and cold. Most people dread the change of seasons from one temperature to another because of the fear of how their body will react to the weather change. Be it extreme hot or cold, most people end up with a cough and cold. The more affected age groups again are the children and the elderly. However, all it takes to prevent this is to plan a little so that the body can get used to the change and not react with a cough or cold.

Prevention: There are few things that can be done which can help avoid catching cold.
1. Avoid sudden exposure to cold, from a heated room to the cold outdoors, especially in the evening and morning. Those who are used to a morning and evening walk may have to change the routine.
2. Avoid cold food items such as cool drinks, milk shakes and ice-creams.
3. Having a warm bath, early morning and late evening is advisable.
4. Avoid foods such as sour stuffs, pickles and fried foods.
5. Eat small, frequent meals that are prepared fresh are nutritious and of moderate temperature.
6. If there are infected people in your neighborhood, avoid being in close contact with them as you might get infected as well.
7. Wash your hands enough to keep them free of germs
8. As much as cold weather does not make you thirsty, push enough fluids so that your body stays hydrated. If water is not appealing enough, drink warm water or tea or lime.
9. Ensure the house, especially kitchen and bathroom are clean and disinfected.
10. Avoid exposure to dust and pollen as they carry lot of germs.
11. Avoid staying in a poorly ventilated room, enough circulation ensures germs are not concentrated in one room
12. Timely vaccination against flu

Treatment: Despite these measures, once the cough and cold has set in, the following are some easy remedies:

1. Steam inhalation, preferably with eucalyptus oil added to it.
2. Having warm soup with ginger and garlic added to it to soothe the throat
3. Ginger and other spices like cardamom and cinnamon can also be added to tea.
4. Lemon and honey can be added to a glass of warm water. This will soothe the throat and help fight cold.
5. Chewing Tulsi leaves can be beneficial
6. Yoga exercises such as Pranayama and Jalneti can be done to cleanse the nasal cavity, prevent sinus congestion, and clear mucus

Cough and Cold Due to Weather Change - Prevention & Treatment Tips

Have you been coughing so often that it is intervening with your daily routine? Drop that bottle of cough syrup that gives you an instant relief but along with a feeling of drowsiness. Though coughing may appear to be a simple issue, it is very harassing and can lead to various severe problems. Ayurveda has the power to alleviate the suffering to a considerable degree. The Pranavaha Srotas show how the  vata  that controls the respiratory systems in the body can be balanced with Ayurvedic means so that you are relieved.

Symptoms and their mistreatments
There are two types of cough, one with the phlegm that s termed as wet cough and creates congestion, due to which you are unable to breathe. The other type of cough is the dry one, which hurts your throat and forms a pressure on the chest area while you cough. Well, whether dry or wet, a simple disease related to coughing is powerful enough to deprive you of your night s sleep. If you are a patient of bronchitis or any other respiratory disease like sinus, then you are required to deal with the nagging problem of cough.

Ayurveda offers a great way of relieving cough.

Gargles: Whenever you feel soreness around your neck, take a glassful of warm water and add a pinch of salt in it and start to gargle. The salt would help to drain out the excess fluids from the inflamed areas, thus, reducing the symptoms. It also helps in removing the mucus and thinning of the mucus. Gargling with salt should be avoided by patients suffering from hyper-tension. Such people can use simple warm water without salt.
Take honey: It is not feasible to gargle anywhere and everywhere and in such cases, you can have a spoonful of honey as it is believed to soothe the irritation in the throat area. If you have a particular tendency to cough during the night time, then a glassful of warm milk with some honey can relieve your suffering. Diabetic patients should avoid honey.
Turmeric remedies: A traditional Indian remedy to alleviate soreness of the throat region is to drink hot milk mixed with honey. You may even opt for turmeric gargles where you will have to mix half teaspoon of turmeric along with the same quantity of table salt in a glassful of lukewarm water and gargle with it. To get rid of dry cough, alternately, you can mix some turmeric powder in a spoonful of honey and take it thrice in a day.
Allopathic and synthetic medicines are generally loaded with numerous side-effects including nausea and drowsiness. In the worst case, it may lead to dependence and addiction as well. Thus, embracing Ayurveda can help you get out of the ailment permanently.

Cough - 3 Easy Home Remedies for Treating it!

A cough is probably one of the most common respiratory diseases that people suffer from. In most cases, it is nothing to worry about and can be cured with cough suppressants and salt water gargles. However, coughing of blood is a serious problem. The coughing up of blood that originates from below the level of the larynx is known as hemoptysis. This can vary in terms of severity depending on the amount of blood being expelled. This disease is a common condition, but on an average, less than 5% of hemoptysis cases are life threatening.

Hemoptysis rarely affects children. The symptoms of this condition include:
Sudden onset of a cough with bloody phlegm

Fever
Anorexia and weight loss
Dyspnoea
Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea
Fatigue
Chest pain: Medical attention should be sought in cases where this condition recurs often, if it lasts for longer than a fortnight or if the volume of blood expectorated is more than 30ml per day. The various tools that help in the diagnosis of this condition are:
Chest radiography: This imaging modality helps lateralize bleeding and understand the amount of lung involvement. It is quick, inexpensive and can also help detect other underlying abnormalities.
Bronchoscopy: This involves the insertions of a rigid or flexible endoscope into the bronchial passages to check the airways and determine active bleeding sites.
MDCT: A multidetector CT is a non-invasive imaging tool that provides a comprehensive evaluation of airways, lung parenchyma, and thoracic vessels. It can also be used to uncover potential causes of bleeding such as bronchiectasis, pulmonary infections and lung cancer. In some cases, a multidetector CT angiography may also be used.

Oral antibiotics are usually the first stage of treatment for this condition. Smokers will also be urged to quit cigarettes as this can worsen their condition. Treatment for minor hemoptysis may also include:

Oral hemostatics
Cough suppressants
Anticoagulants
Radiation of laser treatment
Therapeutic bronchoscopy
In its later stages, hemoptysis can be treated with a minimally invasive procedure known as endovascular embolization or with surgery. In some cases, endovascular embolization may also be sued to stabilise the patient before surgery. This procedure reduces the pressure in the hypertrophic arterial blood vessels and decreases the risk of perioperative bleeding.

Hemoptysis is also one of the most common complaints of lung cancer patients. Depending on the stage of cancer and the amount of blood expectorated, treatment in some cases may not be possible. In such cases, a parenteral opioid and fast-acting benzodiazepine may be administered. 

How to Treat Coughing Blood (Hemoptysis) Problem

Whooping Cough (another name for Pertussis) can be termed as an infection to the respiratory system caused by the bacterium Bordetella Pertussis (B. pertussis). It generally affects infants (below one year of age) and who have not yet been immunized; also kids between 11 to 18 years of age whose immunity graphs are on a downward spiral.

What are the Signs and Symptoms?
Initially, whooping cough produces signs and symptoms that may just seem to overlap with those exhibited during the average cough and cold; mild coughing, sneezing, runny nose, low fever, etc. These persist for about a week or two and then slowly, there is the onset of the dry, irritating cough which again turns to prolonged coughing spells. The child s face may seem flushed with a purple hue. The child may also vomit or make the distinctive whooping sound at the end of one such spell. Breathing difficulty can be another issue.

What is the Diagnosis?
The doctor performs an initial check-up followed by tests of mucus sample from the nose or throat. The mucus is checked for the presence of the Bordetella pertussis bacteria. To make a more thorough diagnosis, a blood test is also advisable.

What is the Treatment?
Hospitalisation might be required in case of acute distress. Respiratory support may also be provided if required. If there is intense dehydration, intravenous (IV) fluids may also be administered. As this disease is on account of a bacterial infection, antibiotics will be needed. But these will just treat the immediate effects and the cough cannot be completely done away with.
What can be the Possible Complications?

The possible immediate complications include:

Brain Damage
Pneumonia
Convulsion
Haemorrhaging in the brain
What can be the Prevention?
Vaccination is needed in order to prevent whooping cough. The vaccines are advised to be administered at the age of two months, four months and six months respectively. The 1st booster dose is to be given at 16 to 18 months age and 2nd booster dose is given on 5 year completion of age. An optional booster may be given at 10 year age.

Whooping Cough in Kids - How It Can Be Treated?

Coughing is a common problem of the respiratory tract and often indicates a deeper problem. It can be very irritating and can affect eating habits and socialization. A cough which persists for more than 4 weeks is believed to be chronic in nature. Tuberculosis (TB) is the most common cause of chronic cough in India. TB is an airborne bacterial infection caused by the organism - 'Mycobacterium tuberculosis', that primarily affects the lungs, although other organs and tissues may be involved. Cardinal features are: 

Chronic cough with or without sputum.
Fever more in the night time. 
Poor appetite. 
Unintentional weight loss. 
Read on to know about other common causes of chronic cough and how to manage them.

Allergies: People with allergies usually have a chronic cough, which gets aggravated when exposed to the allergens such as pollen or environmental dust. Staying away from allergen provides relief. Antihistamines are also useful, which most people detected with allergies keep in handy. Inhalers might be required, if there is associated congestion or shortness of breath.
Asthma: This is a very common chronic condition, caused by inflammation and swelling of the lungs, in addition to wheezing and shortness of breath. Asthma patients often suffer from a chronic cough. An asthma attack usually happens during the night or early morning, and is triggered by colds, cigarette smoke, air pollutants or allergens, which can even include certain foods. Most asthmatics usually carry their steroids, inhalers, and bronchodilators, as the onset of attack can be unpredictable.
Bronchitis: This condition of inflammation of the bronchial region is very common among smokers and among the elderly. There is excessive mucus accumulation, which the body tries to clear via coughing. The lungs are weakened and therefore, the coughing is painful.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): This is a problem of the digestive system, but regurgitation of food into the airway induces cough. GERD is a chronic issue and so most people also end up with a chronic cough. It is worse with sitting up than with sitting down. Treatment includes H2 blockers to suppress acid production and dietary changes including small, frequent meals and avoiding spicy food items.
Upper airway cough syndrome: There could be multiple problems in the upper airway, which leads to a constant postnasal drip. Here, there is constant dripping of the sputum into the air passage, which can lead to a chronic cough whenever there is impaired air flow. This can be caused by various forms of chronic sinusitis and rhinitis. People diagnosed with this condition usually resort to antihistamines and decongestants for relief.
Other causes: There are a number of other causes as noted below. Smoking, tuberculosis, congestive heart failure, pertussis or whooping cough, foreign body in the airway, cancer in the airway passage, chronic aspiration of foods, etc. can all lead to chronic cough.
The key is to identify the reason that is causing the chronic cough. Most people who are diagnosed are educated to handle it and carry the required medications including steroids, bronchodilators, and inhalers.

Suffering from Chronic Cough - How to Manage it?

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