Why is it so hard to cure a cough? What fruit is good for a cough?

The weather is cold in winter and the temperature changes greatly. It is easy to get influenza, headaches and coughs. People who do not keep warm in winter and those with weak constitutions are more likely to catch colds and coughs. They feel very uncomfortable after catching a cold and coughing. However, there are also misunderstandings about cough medicines. Did you know?

Contents of this article

1. Why is coughing so difficult to cure?

2. The difference between wind-heat cough and wind-cold cough

3. What fruits are good for cough?

Why is coughing so hard?

There are several reasons why coughing is difficult to cure:

Myth 1: Abuse of antibiotics

Cough is most commonly caused by colds, and the culprit of colds is often a virus. Antibiotics are mainly used to treat bacterial infections and are ineffective against viruses. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics for coughs will not only fail to improve symptoms, but will also encourage bacteria to develop drug resistance. When an infection actually occurs, the drug may lose its effectiveness.

Myth 2: One medicine cures all

There are many reasons for coughing. Chinese medicine divides coughs into hot coughs, cold coughs, cold coughs, internal injury coughs, etc. Therefore, Chinese patent medicines for coughs are also divided into cold, hot, warm, and cool. If the right medicine is used, the cough effect cannot be achieved. For example, products with a cold nature are not suitable for people with cold coughs.

Misunderstanding 3: Not taking medication in time

Many people think that coughs do not need treatment and will go away if you just bear with it. In fact, if you do not get timely and effective treatment at the beginning of a cough, it is easy to cause frequent coughs, leading to sore throat, hoarseness, chest pain, etc. For colds and coughs, you need to pay enough attention and use reasonable medication in time.

Myth 4: Ignoring Addiction

Centrally acting cough suppressants such as codeine have good cough suppressant effects, but long-term use can easily lead to addiction and dependence on the drug. After stopping the drug, psychological and physiological symptoms such as irritability, nausea and vomiting will occur. Therefore, its use is strictly controlled and must be purchased with a prescription. The most widely used cough suppressant in clinical practice is dextromethorphan preparations, which have a similar cough suppressant effect to codeine, take effect quickly within 15 to 30 minutes, and are non-addictive within the effective dose. It is recommended by the World Health Organization as an alternative to codeine.

Myth 5: Improper use of medication

When the human respiratory system is infected by pathogenic bacteria, the bacteria and sputum in the respiratory tract can be expelled from the body through coughing. For example, when suffering from diseases such as tracheitis and pneumonia, there will be a lot of sputum in the upper and lower respiratory tracts. At this time, it is not appropriate to use cough suppressants, otherwise the sputum will remain in the respiratory tract due to the cessation of coughing, causing the inflammation to spread; generally, expectorants should be used, such as ammonium chloride, potassium iodide, and Tan Ke Jing.

The difference between wind-heat cough and wind-cold cough

Wind-heat cough is a symptom caused by various reasons that lead to stagnation of heat in the lungs, failure of lung qi to flow, and coughing.

The main clinical manifestations are cough, coughing up yellow sputum or white sticky sputum, accompanied by dry mouth, sore throat, constipation, red urine, fever or wheezing, red tongue, thin yellow or greasy tongue coating, little fluid, slippery or fine pulse. This requires a Chinese medicine expert to make a clear diagnosis. Chinese medicine is effective in treating lung heat cough.

Wind-cold cough: It is mostly caused by the invasion of wind-cold evil, internal depression of lung qi, and failure of lung defense.

Symptoms: The main manifestations are coughing and sputum, with thin white sputum, itchy throat, often accompanied by nasal congestion, clear runny nose, frequent sneezing, chills and headache, sore limbs, thin white tongue coating, floating and tight pulse, clear runny nose, or fever, etc.

What fruit is good for cough

Pear - The glycosides and tannins contained in pears can eliminate phlegm and relieve cough, and have a good nourishing effect on the throat, especially the pear skin, which has a better cough-relieving effect. Pears also contain organic acids, B vitamins, vitamin C and rich water, which have the effect of clearing the heart and moistening the lungs.

Loquat - Loquat tastes sweet and sour, and is cool in nature. It has the effects of relieving cough and reducing phlegm, removing dryness and moistening the lungs, quenching thirst and relieving gas. Loquat contains amygdalin, which has the effects of clearing the lungs, moisturizing dryness and relieving cough. Amygdalin can also improve lung function and enhance the body's disease resistance.

Persimmon - Persimmon tastes sweet, astringent, and slightly cold. Fresh persimmons can moisten the lungs and quench thirst, remove dryness and heat, and improve symptoms such as heat thirst, cough, vomiting blood, stomach heat and stomach pain, and mouth sores. However, people with exogenous coughs, cold coughs, and cold phlegm should not eat them.