Remedy for a Bronchitis Cough
If you have bronchitis, you know that hacking cough is one of the worst parts of the illness 1. And if you have viral bronchitis, you have got to wait out the illness until the virus clears up 1. A bronchitis cough can give you a headache and keep you from getting much-needed rest, so it is important to do what you can to alleviate the coughing as your bronchitis begins to clear up 1.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
See your doctor. If you have bacterial bronchitis, you can take an antibiotic to help kill the bacteria, which will help you feel better faster 1. He may also be able to provide you with a prescription cough medicine to help break up the congestion in your chest and alleviate coughing. An inhaler may also be needed if you are wheezing and have trouble catching your breath.
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Hydrate yourself. The worst thing you can do to exacerbate a bronchitis cough is smoke, so if you are a smoker, you need to stop immediately 1. It is also important to hydrate yourself, so drink lots of liquids as you recover from bronchitis 1. Try opening up airways by using a humidifier, or trapping steam in the bathroom when you take a hot shower.
Make a home cough remedy. To ease coughing and break up congestion in your chest, try making a home cough remedy. Honey and lemon juice can soothe and help manage a cough, so mix together about a 1/2 tsp of each and take it a few times a day. You can also mix it into a hot drink for a soothing cup of cough comfort.
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Give it time. A cough from bronchitis can linger for weeks or even months after other bronchitis symptoms have subsided 1. Be persistent in your treatments, take medications as prescribed by your doctor and follow up with another appointment if your cough is persisting at least a month after your diagnosis.
Tips
Take it easy on activity and exercise, or anything that worsens your coughing, while you are recovering.
Warnings
Call your doctor immediately if you begin coughing up blood.
Related Articles
References
- NLM.NIH.gov: Bronchitis
- FamilyDoctor.org: Acute Bronchitis
- HolisticOnline.com: Common Sense Remedies for Cough
- Kinkade S, Long NA. Acute Bronchitis. Am Fam Physician. 2016;94(7):560-565.
- American Academy of Family Physicians. familydoctor.org. Acute bronchitis
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Bronchitis.
- American Lung Association. Chronic bronchitis
- Cedars-Sinai. Acute Bronchitis in Children
- Earwood JS, Thompson TD. Hemoptysis: evaluation and management. Am Fam Physician. 2015;91(4):243‐249.
- American Academy of Family Physicians. familydoctor.org. Chronic bronchitis
- Benscoter DT. Bronchiectasis, Chronic Suppurative Lung Disease and Protracted Bacterial Bronchitis. Curr Probl Pediatr Adolesc Health Care. 2018. pii: S1538-5442(18)30030-0. doi: 10.1016/j.cppeds.2018.03.003
- Mejza F, Gnatiuc L, Buist AS, et al. Prevalence and burden of chronic bronchitis symptoms: results from the BOLD study. Eur Respir J. 2017;50(5). pii: 1700621. doi: 10.1183/13993003.00621-2017
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Writer Bio
Diana Rodriguez is a Louisville, Kentucky-based full-time freelance writer who specializes in health and real-estate writing. Since 2008 her numerous articles have appeared on various news and health websites. She also specializes in custom Web content for a variety of businesses. She has degrees in journalism and French from Miami University of Ohio.