Have you been coughing for a long time and don't know what to do? Well, here are 5 ways in which you can manage your chronic coughing:
1. Give up Smoking: Give up smoking before life gives up on you. Quitting at any point of time slows down the deterioration of lung function though not reverting to non smoking status.
2. Practice Pursed Lip Breathing: It's a very useful technique. Breathe in with your lips sealed up and breathe out with your lips slightly opened as if you're blowing birthday candles.
3. Wear a Mask when Going Out: Be cautious while going outdoor when there is sudden change in ambient environmental temperature and when pollution is high or pollen are there in the environment. (Actually simple mask do not help too much)
4. Stick to the prescribed inhaled treatment - Rush to doctor if there is increase in breathlessness, cough and/or sputum production which is not controlled by ongoing treatment. That marks exacerbation and may need hospitalisation.
5. Get vaccinated - by annual influenza vaccine and if you are above 65 then an additional single shot of pneumococcal vaccine. This will prevent infectious exacerbation.


Chronic Bronchitis - 5 important tips to manage it

Coughing during the night can really wreak havoc for your sleep and cause inexplicable discomfort in the throat and chest region. Thankfully, you can manage it by soothing your tickling throat as well as sensitive airways before you go to bed at night. 

Drink herbal tea: A mugful of non-caffeinated tea mixed with a teaspoon of honey before going to bed can help you to a considerable extent. This is because any warm liquid has the power to break down the formation of mucus in the throat region and with a bit of honey, the herbal tea becomes even more powerful.
Try to sleep in an inclining position: Gravity is your greatest enemy while combating night-time cough. When you lie down flat on your back at night, all the mucus and dust particles, which you have swallowed all through the day, would accumulate in the throat area and aggravate it making more cough. But you can easily defy gravitational force by piling up some pillows and prop yourself on them while sleeping. You may also keep a wooden block of 4 inches height under your head, which would keep the acids in the stomach so that they don t come up to irritate your throat.
Make sure you use the steam cautiously: When your airways are dry, it can make you cough harder. Therefore, you may find relief if you take a warm shower or a bath before going to bed. But you have to be sure that you don t have asthma as steam can prove harmful for you.
Check the level of humidity: Humidifiers are known to soothe the problem of persistent coughing when the surrounding air is dry. But too much of moisture during the night can also make you cough. This is because dust mites, mold and other allergens thrive well in the damp air and they could conspire to make your cough even worse. So, pick up a cheap hygrometer from a hardware store and see that the humidity level stays within 40 to 50 percent.
Equip yourself at night: Keep all the things from drops to water to cough syrup or anything that soothes coughing at your bedside so that you can help yourself in case you wake up in the middle of the night and start coughing.
By following these few tips every day, you can manage the night time cough and have a good night s sleep without any interruptions.

Night Time Cough - 5 Tips to Manage it

Cut down flu risk through regular exercise

Cold and flu are common problems which spans across all seasons and affects all age groups, kids and elders alike. However a flu or a viral infection leaves you very weak and vulnerable. A good routine of exercise is the easiest way to keep such infections at bay.

Regular exercise plays an important role in building your immunity against a flu infection. If you exercise for a minimum of 2.5 hours every week, your chances of contracting a flu infection are drastically reduced by almost 10 percent. However it is important that you exercise moderately and on a regular basis to protect your body against the flu.

An effective exercise schedule would involve 150 minutes of moderate exercise such as brisk walking, gardening etc every week. This can also be substituted by 75 minutes/week of vigorous exercise which includes running, playing a sport, aerobics etc. And 2 days for muscle strengthening exercises. Incorporate any one of these regimes in your daily schedule and follow them without fail, as they are the most fool-proof method to prepare your body for the fight against the flu virus.

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Can You Cut Down FLU Risk With Mere Exercising?

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

Influenza is more commonly known as the flu. It is an infection that affects the respiratory system and is caused by the influenza virus. This injection is recommended for kids who are under the age of 6 months. It ensures that the baby is safeguarded from the virus during an influenza outbreak. Since the nature of virus changes year on year, the immunity doesn t last for more than 1 year. This vaccination is ideally taken during the month of October and November. The effect of the vaccination typically lasts for 6-8 months.

Ideally, kids who have never had a flu vaccination should take 2 vaccinations within 4 weeks. Kids who have received a shot of flu should undertake this vaccination once in a year. This arrangement is ideal up to 9 years of age. Flu shot is extremely important for a kid due to the following reasons:

It saves a kid from chronic lung and heart disorders such as asthma and cystic fibrosis
Kids suffering from immune deficiency, cancer, and HIV should take this vaccination to avoid further complication of the existing disease
Kids suffering from diabetes, kidney diseases, and metabolic disorders should go for this vaccination without a second thought
Kids suffering from a neurological disorder, haemoglobin deficiency, and anaemia should take this vaccination to refrain from the risk of aggravation of the present disease
Pregnant women should ideally take it for the safeguarding the fetus
Flu shot should not be taken be taken if:
1. A baby is under the age of 6 months.
2. The baby has thimerosal allergy.

Is flu shot safe?
The flu shot is considered to be very safe. It does not result in flu. Few side effects include:
a. Soreness of the place where the needle is injected. This doesn t last for more than a couple of day.
b. Body ache and mild fever for the first couple of days after the vaccination is done.
c. There is little to no pain in the place where the injection is injected by the doctor.

What is nasal flu vaccine?
This is an influenza dose that is not injected into the body but given in the form of nasal spray. Healthy kids above the age of 2 years are fit to get this injection. For those kids who have a history of chronic illness should check with their doctor to go ahead with nasal spray. Each dose is given in each nostril. Like the influenza vaccine, nasal flu vaccine should be undertaken once for those who have already taken this dose once. Kids who have not undergone this vaccination are eligible for 2 dosages each 4 weeks apart from each other.

Influenza Vaccine - Why is it Important for Kids?

Coughs and colds are the commonest health issues that can occur to anybody and everybody at any point of time. Nasopharynx is one of the leading causes of common cold. Cold symptoms highly affect your body's immunity power. It is always better to rely on natural products rather than medicated drugs so that speedy results can be gained and on the other hand, side-effects can also be prevented.

Common cold is the most common dosha disorder affecting human beings. Everyone has suffered from common cold at some point or other in their lives. Its symptoms are too well-known. In ayurveda, this very ordinary ailment is called as pratishyaya.

All the three doshas are responsible for the occurrence of common cold. Vata dosha common colds have dry coughs, little mucus discharge, hoarse voice, headache and a runny nose. People with pitta dosha who have common colds will have fever, sore throat, yellowish nasal discharge and continuous blockage of the nose. People with kapha dosha common colds have thick mucus discharges with dull headaches and heaviness of the head.

Major ayurvedic products for treating cold:

Ayurveda is the ultimate solution for all kinds of health issues. There are few ayurvedic products that can efficiently deal with cold symptoms, and they are as follows:

 Karpooradi thailam: it is for direct application over face and chest. Few drops need to be put in water and then the solution should be boiled so that you can take the steam. The solution not only reduces inflammation, but chest congestion can also be well treated.
 Thaleesapathradi choornam: excess cough can be easily released if you take it along with honey.
 Agasthya rasayanam: it is equipped with potential anti-histaminic properties, and thus it acts as a valuable decongestant.
 Fluvin capsules: these capsules are now treated as one of the excellent ayurvedic solutions that can efficiently treat all kinds of cold symptoms. These capsules are enriched with anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties as a result of which cold symptoms can be easily cured, and you can get utmost relief. You also get increased immunity by having these capsules.

5 homemade solutions for dealing with cold symptoms:

 Drinking ginger tea: it improves taste buds and digestion can be stimulated as this tea is a decongestant.
 Having lemon juice: both honey and water can be mixed with this juice in order to soothe the sore throat. Excess cough can be driven out and vitamin c intake is also boosted.
 Taking garlic: this ingredient is highly enriched with antiseptic properties and thus infectious elements can be eliminated. Garlic can be used both in supplements and soup and thus you can choose any of these forms.
 Drinking ginger juice: water, amla juice and honey can be mixed with ginger juice in order to create a magical solution that can treat all signs of cold. It not only plays the role of decongestant, but your immunity can also be improved by the same.
 Make tulsi preparation: pepper and tulsi together create the most powerful combination, which drives away both toxins and infectious elements as a result of which suffering due to cold symptoms can be reduced, and you can get instant relief.

Top 5 Ways to Treat a Cold Using Ayurveda and Home Remedies

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