Is the child constantly coughing, throat red, irritated, pestered with headache and general malaise? It’s good if sputum comes out with the cough, as in this case you can say - the baby will quickly recover. But in the case of dry cough all the more difficult, because it can be a symptom of various diseases, including serious ones. In our article we will discuss how to treat it.
The main causes of dry cough
Cough is an important "signal" of the body, which is a reflex that helps to remove mucus, microbes and other foreign bodies. If the cough begins to "choke", sputum does not expectorate, it is called dry. This situation is especially dangerous in a child, since it indicates the presence of a viral infection, which can either take a long time in the body, or it will take a couple of days with proper treatment.
If the dry cough in a child does not pass for a long time, this can indicate a serious illness. Before starting treatment, it is necessary to understand what exactly caused it. At the moment there are dozens of reasons that can cause it:
- Acute bronchitis. It is characterized by dry cough, fever. The treatment is carried out with medication - the time of taking the medication is about a week.
- Pharyngitis, resulting in swelling of the larynx. Characterized by tickling, voice becomes brittle, wheezing, shortness of breath appears.
- Whooping cough, which from the very beginning practically does not bother the child, moreover, it is very difficult to diagnose this disease, since the first symptoms are similar to the common cold.
- Croup is a disease that is deadly. Leaks with fever, coughing - barking. Often complicated by pneumonia.
- Tuberculosis can also cause dry cough. Determine the disease is possible only after testing.
- Allergic or cold. You also need to pass tests to determine the problem.
- Bronchial asthma, which occurs with allergies, reduced immunity, malfunction of the nervous system.
- Helminths - some parasites can cause coughing.
Effective treatment of folk remedies
Many parents do not want to stuff their children with pharmacy tools. In this case, you can resort to traditional medicine, because in this case, the effect of "chemistry" on the body will be minimal.
We use herbs
Treatment with different plants helps get rid of dry cough. Let's consider the most famous options:
- Coltsfoot. It is best to prepare warm teas with the addition of a small amount of honey, taking a healthy and tasty drink before bedtime.
- Licorice root has an expectorant effect and, if properly cured, will quickly help in the treatment of bronchitis and ease the child’s condition. Licorice has a positive effect on the condition of the child, has anti-inflammatory effect.
- Althea root due to the content of a large amount of essential oils and ascorbic acid allows you to quickly remove a dry cough.
Mustard plasters
It is necessary to use mustard plasters very carefully, since they can cause an increased formation of sputum, which can provoke inflammation in the bronchi. In addition, mustard vapors are quite caustic - inhalation can cause burns to the mucous membranes.
Also, do not use them when:
- skin diseases;
- allergies;
- elevated temperature.
Inhalation
If you persuade the child to do the procedure, then you can get rid of dry cough quickly, because this procedure is much more effective than the most well-known pharmaceutical preparations.
The main thing is to use natural ingredients for the procedure, adding two drops of rosemary or tea tree oil to the water. This will not only alleviate the symptoms, but also relieve headaches.
Compresses
Compresses - quite an effective folk remedy. When applying compresses to the chest tissue quickly warms up, they have an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect.
They can be oily, alcoholic, wet, dry or hot.
Before using them, you should make sure that the baby does not have a very high temperature.
What medicines should be used
It is worth noting that folk remedies are not always as effective as we would like, for example, they are unlikely to cope with too neglected disease. In this case, you should pay attention to pharmaceutical preparations, while you should consult a doctor in advance.
Syrups
Thanks to the development of modern pharmaceuticals, you can buy any product, choosing the most suitable both in terms of cost and impact, dozens of different drugs are on sale.
Before you buy a syrup, you should carefully study the instructions, where contraindications are prescribed. Drugs have different effects:
- Antitussive, for example, Sinekod. Copes with croup, whooping cough.
- Mucolytic - Ambrobene. Thins the sputum, softens cough.
- Antispasmodic - Pectolvan Ivy, which relieves painful symptoms.
Dry potions
To get rid of obsessive cough, doctors usually prescribe dry potions: they need to be diluted with water in the right proportion and taken orally. The advantages include: natural composition, a wide range of effects, convenient dosage.
Allergic Cough Remedies
It is best to first remove the cause of the allergy. For example, dust, animal hair, the use of certain washing powders. If this does not help get rid of cough, you should buy in a pharmacy a suitable means to suppress this reaction. In this case, it is very important to consult a doctor, do not need to engage in self-treatment.
Other drugs
If the child has pneumonia, inflammation, laryngitis, the doctor may prescribe cough powders. The most famous can be called the ADC tool, upon which the effect will be visible on the second day.
Treatment methods according to Dr. Komarovsky
Doctor Komarovsky is a famous doctor who is popular for his non-standard, but very effective methods of treatment.
In his opinion, in the fight against dry cough, you need to act on the cough center. Here drugs with codeine will come to the rescue, but it is strictly not recommended to take them without a prescription.
There are also more benign remedies that are as safe as possible for the child. The most effective include:
- Mukaltin;
- Bromhexine drops;
- Ambroxol.
The scheme and the period of their admission should be prescribed only by a doctor.
You should also carry out preventive measures that will help the child recover faster. For example, according to Komarovsky, moist indoor air is one of the important conditions for recovery, since the composition of air directly affects the amount of sputum excreted. But the dry air in the apartment, on the contrary, leads to increased cough.
Hence the conclusion: constantly air in the room, but rather buy special humidifiers for air. In addition, the temperature in the room should not be more than +20 degrees.
Another important recommendation - the absence of dust in the apartment, because the more of it, the higher the risk of drying out mucus. Because it is so important to regularly carry out wet cleaning, and without the use of household chemicals, as it can, on the contrary, provoke a cough.
Do not neglect other tips from Dr. Komarovsky:
- Drink as much liquid as possible - water, herbal teas, healthy drinks. Moreover, the water temperature should be the same as the body temperature, this leads to a rapid dilution of sputum. To understand whether a child drinks enough liquid, you just need to follow how it goes to the toilet - if the baby visits the toilet every 3, -3.5 hours, then there is enough liquid.
- It is also recommended to keep feet warm. If the temperature is low, you can make mustard baths, wear warm socks — you can even add a teaspoon of mustard to them. In the same period, mustard plasters will be useful.
To ease the condition of the child, you need to take walks - so says Komarovsky. But only in the absence of high temperature. Help and folk remedies:
- a glass of milk and honey before bedtime;
- raspberry tea;
- cranberry warm drink.
Banana puree also helps to alleviate the symptoms: mash one fruit, add a small amount of warm water to make the puree more liquid, and give it to the baby. You can cook broths or teas based on viburnum, because it contains a large amount of vitamin C.
In the absence of temperature, you can do light warming massages, apply compresses on the back and chest.
Now you know for what reason a dry cough may appear, how to treat it properly and what advice the famous Dr. Komarovsky gives. By following the tips given here, you can quickly heal a child.
