Chest congestion is a symptom of cough and cold and may also happen when you have other infections related to the nasal and bronchial tracts. It can erupt into potentially fatal diseases like pneumonia and bronchitis, if not treated on time. Mostly, patients should look at fixing the problem at home before it develops into a full-fledged infection or hazard. Here are a few home remedies for clearing chest congestion.

Gargling: a glass of moderately warm water with a teaspoon or two of salt should be used for gargling at least twice a day as this can help in flushing out the bacteria that are present in the throat. It can also clear the mucus from the airways and help in clearing the chest to a great extent. Take care not to drink the water. Tip your head back, gargle and then spit it out into the sink.

Steam sessions: whether it is a hot bath or a mug of your favourite piping hot beverage, there is nothing that a good steam session cannot fix. Take care to avoid exposure to a sudden dip in temperature after you step out of the bath or the shower stall, as this can worsen the situation and lead to a fever. Also, you can have mugs of green tea seasoned with peppercorns, ginger and basil. This concoction will gradually clear the chest and air passages. Taking steam with the addition of eucalyptus oil to steaming hot water, is also a good idea. Cover your head with a towel or a sheet as you inhale - and don't forget to be careful not to spill or tip the vessel.

Elevation: keeping your head in an elevated position as you lie down will help in keeping the air passages relatively free of mucus build up which can also eventually lead to chest congestion. Elevation can also help you sleep better.

Yoga: breathing exercises for at least ten to fifteen minutes can help in clearing all the passages starting from the nose to the chest.

Humidifier: using a humidifier when you sleep can lend some much needed moisture to the air, which can be particularly helpful if you have contracted the chest congestion during the cold and dry wintery months which can lead to heavy, hacking coughs. The use of a humidifier will help you in breathing better as you sleep. You can also add some nasal congestion medication to the slots so that it spreads in the air as you sleep.

For persistent problems and coughing that is accompanied by fever, you must see a doctor for more focused diagnosis and treatment.

Home Remedies for Chest Congestion

Coughing of blood is a serious problem in comparison to normal coghing. 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.

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.

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
What should you follow in following situations?

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 determines 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.
In case you have a concern or query you can always consult an expert & get answers to your questions!

Coughing Up Blood: Know The Causes Of It! 

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!

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?

A cough is not necessarily to be worried about always. It is the natural response of our body to throw out harmful particles which somehow managed to enter our respiratory tract. There is sticky mucus situated in the pathway to lungs which plays a major role in trapping harmful particles. Coughing once or twice is generally a natural phenomenon but if it s persistent it is called the chronic cough, and there is a reason to worry.

Is your cough chronic?
An acute cough aggravates within a very short span of time, maybe 2-3 days. There are situations when coughing doesn t hinder your day to day activities and are easily neglected. Sometimes these infrequent bouts of a cough can persist for long and continue for more than 2 months, which has been characterized as a chronic cough.

A chronic cough is sometimes found associated with blocked or running nose. Persons suffering from a chronic cough feel very exhaustive and suffer from a headache, dizziness along with excessive sweating. Under such situations, you must consult a pulmonologist.

Know the causes of a chronic cough
There are several causes for persistent coughing, and the following are the common causes of a chronic cough and medication is taken in consultation with a trained medical practitioner only.

Infections: Bacterial or viral infection in lungs can be one of the causes of a chronic cough. Tuberculosis is one of them which initiates as a chronic cough and is later characterized by emitting blood after cough bouts.
Drug Interactions: Antihypertensive drugs have been found to be responsible for a chronic cough in some people. Hypersensitivity to the prescribed drugs is found to responsible for the cough bouts, and change in medication takes care of the issue.
Asthma: It s a situation characterized by blockages in the bronchi which disallows the normal air flow during inhalation and exhalation. Due to inadequate oxygen, brain assumes that there is a blockage which needs to be expelled and coughing pattern starts. However, asthma has to be treated, and the bronchi have to be brought back to normal with the help of medication by an expert medical practitioner.
COPD: The most common cause of a chronic cough nowadays is COPD, better known as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. This is one of the progressive diseases which means it deteriorates with time. Active smokers are the biggest victims of it. Persons exposed to high degree of pollution or similar occupational hazards are also at high risk. Exposure to these pollutants causes inflammatory responses in lungs resulting in the tapering of the airways and destruction of lung tissues. These can be measured by lung function tests. In asthma, the narrow airways can be broadened by external medication, but in case of COPD, it s not possible.
To conclude, chronic cough is a preventable disease by reducing the exposure to risk factors as mentioned above. Quitting smoking, improving the indoor air quality with the use of solar cooking and moving on battery run vehicles can prevent COPD from further worsening. You can also undergo pulmonary rehabilitation program which is being counseled and coordinated by many physicians to benefit the individual suffering from the issue.

Chronic Cough - Why It Happens?

Cough is also known as a sudden reflex in which you have to clear your throat and breathing passage from microbes, irritants, fluids and mucus. You can also call coughing as the rapid expulsion of air from your lungs. Coughing can be both deliberate and involuntary. There are two types of cough which can make you suffer dry or wet. Wet cough is caused due to cold, cold extremities or viral attack. Dry cough is caused due to exposure to pollutants, smoke, environment and also if you have allergy from dust. Cough problems have an effect at your lungs, respiratory tract and immunity system. Ayurvedic treatment is oldest holistic medicine treatment and was developed thousands of years ago in India. Ayurveda promotes good health and can be used effectively for both wet and dry cough.

Ayurvedic remedy for wet cough:
Symptoms for wet cough includes pain in your throat and chest, fatigue and irritability.
1. Using liquorice powder (3 tsp), black peppercorn (1 tsp) and sugary candy (2 tsp) can make an effective natural home remedy. Crush all three ingredients all to form a powder and you should eat half tea spoon of this mixture 4 times a day.
2. Crush a little ginger to make a paste and paste it on a sieve. Extract the ginger juice and add honey (1 tsp). Mix well and heat it till it becomes lukewarm. You should eat 1 tea spoon thrice a day.

Ayurvedic remedy for dry cough:
The causes for dry cough include pneumonia, sinus infections and viral infections in your respiratory tract. Symptoms are fatigue and weak immune system along with an itchy throat.
1. Using almonds, butter and sugar makes for an effective natural Ayurvedic home remedy. Make a paste with 7 almonds (soaked overnight) and add 2 tea spoons of butter and sugar each to the paste. You should mix well and eat it twice every day, at morning and evening.
2. You can also make a paste by mixing small quantity of basil leaves, ginger and honey. Mix well and have 1 tea spoon thrice a day.
3. Take a glass of warm water and add 1 tea spoon each of turmeric powder and carom powder. Mix it well and drink the mixture about two times a day. This is an effective remedy for dry cough.

Ayurvedic Remedies for Cough

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