|
The classic cough due to a winter cold should be treated with a series of effective remedies. These preparations should always be kept on hand as a sort of first aid kit.
Minerals with an anti-infective action such as Copper (from 2 to 6 doses per day to be gradually decreased) or Oximix 1+ (4-5 doses per day to be reduced as symptoms improve).
Melaleuca essential oil (Tea tree oil) is a strong anti-infective agent to be taken orally as described in the video included in the left hand column.
Several homeopathic medicines can be used immediately like Antimonium tartaricum 30 CH (if the cough is dry) or Bryonia 5 CH (if the cough is productive). Use these remedies along with Orthohistaminum 9CH : take 3 granules of Antimonium or Bryonia and 3 granules of Orthohistaminum.
As far as cough syrups are concerned, we suggest Stodal (I tablespoon 4-5 times per day) or Corotuss (same dosage). In the case of a winter cough that is aggravated by pollution, a sulphuric preparation should be taken as well.
First Aid kit for the home
- Copper or Oximix 1+: 1 bottle
- Melaleuca essential oil: 1 bottle
- Stodal or Corotuss: 1 bottle
- Antimonium tartaricum 30CH, Orthohistaminum 9CH, Bryonia 5CH: 1 tube of granules
Coughing is our body's defense reaction in response to an irritating action on the trachea or on the bronchial tubes. It begins with a deep inspiration followed by a forced and explosive expiration that serves to expel or dislodge the irritant.
Therefore, a cough is not an illness but a symptom that warns us that something is not right in our respiratory system. It may be an infectious form (from a virus or bacteria), an allergic form (due to mites, pollen, but often foods as well ), a simple inflammatory form, a phenomenon related to intestinal irritation (as in the case of Reflux disease or intestinal parasites) or even a form linked to heart malfunctioning, as is often seen in elderly persons. As a matter of fact, there are various forms of cough that aren't solely related to winter, cold and pollution. In particular, the treatment of the chronic cough of an elderly person must take into examination the possible causes.
We can treat the same symptom (coughing) in a many different ways with a variety of natural remedies. We can use minerals such as Copper and Zinc, phyto-therapeutic remedies such as Black Currant (Ribes Nigrum) or Melaleuca essential oil, active mother tinctures such as Echinacea or specific cough preparations or sulphurous anti-oxidants that stimulate the defenses of the mucosa in the respiratory system.
In addition to those mentioned above, there are many homeopathic remedies that can be used for cough prevention and treatment.
Cough can be generically divided into:
Dry cough: typically occurring when the trachea or bronchial passages are irritated; dry cough is distinguished by an absence of phlegm or expectoration and is manifested by a dry sound that is often accompanied by a disturbance or itching in the throat, chest pain or headache; there are generally repeated or frequently occurring bouts of coughing as in the case of whooping cough, for example.
Productive Cough: represented by a deep-sounding cough, rumbling at the tracheal or bronchial level that reveal the presence of an excess of phlegm; it may be productive, that is, give rise to expectoration or the elimination of phlegm, or not.
Remember, as we explained in the section on Respiration, that the heart and lungs are a functional unit: they interact for proper body functioning
Therefore, a teenage boy who gets wet during a ball game at the stadium will surely have a cough due to cold, while an elderly person who begins with a little cough in the winter and continues to cough regardless of "cough treatments" should take into consideration the state of his circulatory and cardiac systems so as to exclude any surprises.
Another problem arises from the indiscriminate use of cough syrups composed of substances that inhibit the cough reflex. These medicines can be useful, for example when coughing gets to a point at which it completely impedes rest. However, even in this case, its use must be temporary because these substances only inhibit and impede that which the lungs are trying to do: eliminate the phlegm that has been produced. It‘s wrong to use these products on a continual basis or use them as a first product to stop a cough since it has a negative effect on the cure of the cough itself.
It is obviously a different matter for remedies such as syrups based on phyto-therapeutic and homeopathic preparations that aid in the physiological resolution of the symptom (see instructions for use).
A last problem relates to conditions in which there is a predisposition for coughing: although this usually occurs in children, many adults, too, complain of repetitive respiratory ailments.
In many cases these persons have altered intestinal conditions. It's as if they were affected by intestinal parasites, food intolerances or some form of gastro-esophageal reflux
A nutritional and respiratory study from an allergological standpoint
In recent years the clinical techniques used in the DRIA test have made it possible to identify important instruments for the therapy of recurring forms or those that seem difficult to resolve. The study of food intolerances allows us to identify the most appropriate diet for reducing inflammation within the body and for acting upon the inflammation threshold . All cases involve a form linked to an immunological reaction to food that maintains the body at an over-heated and irritated state.
By way of tests, some specific in nature like the Respiration DRIA or the Chronic rhinitis DRIA, we can obtain information on the concentration of the allergen (mites, fungus, yeast, pollen or foods) that could represent the individual therapeutic instrument (at low cost) for the cough treatment.
The treatment with these remedies, many of which are presently under study in cooperation with the Lombardy Region can be accompanied by minimal dietary adjustments in order to align the effect of the diet with that of the anti-allergic remedy; in this way an individual's habits are interfered with as little as possible.
Nutritional imbalances, just like intestinal alterations, can be an important concomitant cause in bringing about at least two disturbances: on the one hand the reduction of defense capability, resulting in recurring bronchitis; on the other hand the appearance of allergy-like symptoms, accompanied by asthma, laryngitis or dry and spasmodic coughs, etc.
In these cases, when there is the suspicion that the problem might originate in the intestine, one can perform an "intestinal cleansing", by taking a tube dose of Oxyurus vermicularis 200 CH during lunar phase changes.
The action of this remedy, in keeping with the law of similarity, is to clean the intestine as if it were infested with parasites. The probability of the presence of parasites is fairly low (roughly 30% of all cases), but the frequency of recovery from coughing or allergy-like forms is much higher.
Today, the possibility of intestinal contamination through food or water is frequent. For this reason it's a good idea to perform a cleansing treatment at least twice a year and in any case when the cough symptom starts to recur frequently or with spasmodic characteristics and pronounced dryness
The experiences of Marco and Giorgio: how to make the immune system function
Marco is a 16 year old whose life is made of soccer, television and friends. Of course he'd be able to enjoy all of this a lot more if he didn't always have to deal with a persistent cough that sometimes even keeps him up at night. It's always the same scenario: autumn arrives, he stays out in the cold after a match with his soccer team and the day after he's in bed with a high fever. Since the fever is so high, his doctor prescribes the usual cycle of antibiotics: the fever descends rapidly only to give way to a cough that lasts the whole winter.
If we just took a look at his nutritional profile, we'd see that Marco almost never eats raw or fresh substances. In a growing boy's diet, the proper quantity of fruit and vegetables is indispensable. In our clinical practice we always use a procedure that we jokingly call "raw, fresh and colorful" : in essence this means that you should eat a piece of raw and unseasoned fruit or vegetable before every meal (breakfast included). Just a bit of apple, a piece of carrot, a strawberry, a cherry, a slice of fennel, etc. is sufficient.
Diet has a major role in an illness like cough. As Brandt explained in his studies , many respiratory problems are closely related to personal dietary habits. It's precisely for this reason that, as a second clinical step, we investigated Marco's immunological profile with the DRIA test for food intolerances ( delayed food allergies). What emerged from this study was a hypersensitivity to yeast, milk and mites.
By inserting just two days per week of actual diet (the therapy shouldn't be worse than the ailment itself and this is even more important when it comes to adolescents) and using an oral low dosage hypo-sensitizing vaccine for mites, Marco's cough gradually decreased. We completed the therapy by giving him minerals that are closely involved in the modulation of the immune system like manganese, zinc, copper and selenium; all of which are essential for cough. Marco's cough is no longer a problem but, come to think of it, it wasn't so bad to stay home from school every once in a while.
Giorgio is 35, smokes 20 cigarettes a day and coughs. It's not hard to see the direct correlation between smoking and coughing, but Giorgio just didn't want to hear about it. He came into our studio almost by chance because of a problem with dermatitis. A study of food intolerances by way of the DRIA test revealed a positivity to yeasts and nickel sulphate. We formulated a therapy based on a rotational diet (in which there are days in which one must abstain from non-tolerated foods and others in which those foods are to be re-introduced) and an oral hypo-sensitizing vaccine for nickel.
When Giorgio came back for his check-up the dermatitis had improved greatly but to his surprise, even the cough had improved. All we had to do was explain to him that cigarette smoke contains a great quantity of nickel and Giorgio understood that what was happening to his skin was also affecting his bronchial tubes. He realized that he would probably have to pay attention to tomatoes (which contain nickel), as well as the cigarettes in order to help resolve the problem. With determination and will power, Giorgio stopped smoking, his cough went away completely as did the dermatitis.
;Generalized inflammation within the body is always searching for new outlets, but if we improve the inflammation level, we can obtain a great improvement in the symptoms connected with it, whether they be cutaneous or respiratory.
Homeopathy
All of the following remedies may be taken at a 7CH dilution, except when another dilution is expressly specified. The doses should be taken in the measure of 2-3 granules at brief intervals during the acute phase (as often as every 5-10 minutes), and then the frequency should be gradually reduced as the symptoms subside; the remedy should be suspended once the patient has recovered.
The treatment for children is described in the section on Fever.
In any case, one should consider all possible preventive actions that can be dealt with by homeopathic treatment (some are noted in the related topics section on the right-hand column). These actions can be obtained with what is mistakenly called the "homeopathic vaccine" by way of the use of preparations like Oscillococcinum 200 K.
The following are some of the remedies for curing cough forms:
Aconitum: dry, hoarse cough usually occurring in the evening after exposure to cold wind or dry cold; high fever may be present but the patient doesn't sweat.
Belladonna: dry, persistent cough accompanied by itchiness in the throat; the patient sweats due to fever, radiates heat at a distance and has dilated pupils.
Bryonia: dry, profound cough accompanied by chest pain while coughing; the cough develops gradually, usually occurs after exposure to a cold, humid environment; patient has an intense thirst for cool water.
Orthohistaminum 9CH: particularly recommended for all cough forms that are linked with allergies or are of an inflammatory nature; especially when the cough is still dry, grating and not productive.
Sambucus nigra: dry, sharp and suffocating cough; patient has difficulty breathing, and in order to do so must sit on the bed; patient is extremely pale; although sweating doesn't occur during sleep, upon waking it is quite intense.
Spongia tosta: dry, sometimes wheezing cough; patient has a scratchy throat accompanied by nasal dryness and a burning sensation in the throat that improves when a warm beverage is drunk.
Antimonium tartaricum: dry cough that gives the sensation of being unable to expel the phlegm that is formed in the bronchial passages; intense feeling of fatigue; skin is pale, cold and sweaty.
Ignatia amara: dry, annoying cough that worsens when coughing begins; improves when one moves around and is distracted from thinking about the cough.
Ipeca: spasmodic cough that soon becomes productive; abundant phlegm build-up in the bronchial tubes; cough is always accompanied by a feeling of nausea with copious salivation.
Pulsatilla: productive cough with dense, yellow phlegm. It's necessary to sit on the bed to improve breathing. Cough is productive during the day.
Drosera 9 CH o 15 CH: dry, spasmodic cough that comes about in spells, sometimes one after another, without giving the patient respite or the possibility to expectorate; worsens at night when one is lying down but doesn't improve when sitting; cough generates pain in the chest and in the abdomen causing the patient to press these areas with his hands.
Corallium rubrum: Violent and almost explosive cough; patient cannot impede it and is bothered by the cold air that provokes the coughing spells.
Cuprum metallicum: dry, pertussis-like cough; relief is obtained by drinking cool water.
Rumex crispus: generally dry cough, accompanied by a tickling sensation in the jugular zone, that worsens upon contact with cool air during breathing; it gets worse when patient lies down in the evening and upon waking.
Trace elements
Copper is to be used during acute phases, beginning with frequent doses and gradually reducing them (see "instructions for use"). Remember that copper makes the cough more "productive" and can cause an accumulation of phlegm in the stomach when it is swallowed ( especially in children); this may provoke a temporary feeling of nausea and/or cause vomiting, when it is taken for the first time.
This phenomenon usually doesn't occur with oxyprolinate minerals because they can be directly mixed into liquids or food and can therefore be given to children more easily.
For preventive treatment, Manganese-Copper-Zinc can be used at the dosages listed in the instructions for use. An alternative is Oximix 1 preparation (1 dose measure of 5 ml per day).
Phyto-therapy and drainage
There are many phyto-therapeutic substances that can have a beneficial action on coughing. For infective forms or those resulting from colds, the remedy for adults is Melaleuca (Tea Tree Oil) essential oil which has a natural antibiotic as well as anti-fungal action.
This remedy can easily be taken along with others such as Viburnum lantana 1 DH, or Ribes nero (Black currant) in glycerite extract or oil capsule form. Other preparations that are effective in cough treatment are Tiglio (Linden) and Thyme TM to be used at the dosage of 20 drops diluted in water, from 3 to 4 times per day.
For the preventive phase, one can take Echinacia in mother tincture or tablet form at the same dosage described above.
(At one time, Tussilago farfara TM was used, but today its use is discouraged because of possible toxic effects that have caused it to be recently removed from the market.
Vitamin therapy and nutritional supplements
The use of preparations with anti-oxidizing action combined with a stimulating effect on the bronchial and pulmonary mucosa is extremely important. These substances are called sulphurous anti-oxidants. They may be effectively used during the prevention phase as well as during therapy for an acute phenomenon. They are also quite useful in treating disturbances associated with pollution.
For information on nutritional supplementation, also see the section on Winter illnesses .
Suggested links
It's interesting to observe the flowchart dedicated to analyzing how a symptom like coughing can come to be defined as a first diagnostic signal (Cough: symptoms, diagnosis, self-care ). We would also like to call attention to the section dedicated to chronic cough by the Karolinska Institutet of Stockholm (Chronic cough ). Cough is also discussed in the Merck Manual and is considered as one of the most important symptoms to be investigated when treating a patient with a respiratory pathology (Cough ).
Doctor Attilio Speciani
Clinical Allergist and Immunologist
|
Illnesses A-Z 
