Persistent Dry Cough Cures and Remedies

First of all, if you are having persistent cough it is best to see your physician immediately. The internet can't really diagnose if ever you have a serious underlying condition. In this article, I will just be talking about my own experiences with dry cough (which I currently have right now) and talk about the different medicines and remedies I have for dealing with the symptoms and making myself better.

Whenever I get cough it usually lasts very long. I have been very sickly recently and noticed that I get sick very easily so I really have to watch my Vitamin C intake because it shows that my immune system is very weak. It's funny that I only think about Vitamin C when I'm already sick which means I'm already too late. This time though, with this article as testament, I plan to add more fruits into my diet and at the same time take Vitamin C supplements.

I'm guessing it's the weather that made me sick (or more prone to be). It could be that or it could also be because there are a lot of renovations going on in the house and it's getting very dusty with all the cement particles in the air. I'm sure these factors really contributed a lot to my current condition. Whenever I get cough, it usually lasts long. Longer than the average person, I would say.

A friend once told me symptoms will only be expressed long after the bacteria or virus has been inside your body. They even have colonies of some sort and many different kinds of infections helping each other and attacking when the body is most vulnerable. And another interesting thing is that scientists aren't really sure whether to categorize viruses as alive or not because they remain dormant before getting into the body so technically it's more of a protein or something like that.

I'm guessing it's pretty much the same for my cough. It's most likely a virus. The thing with having the different kinds of cold virus is that they mutate and change form eventually and that's why it is currently impossible to create a vaccine against these sicknesses.

For this whole article, since it's on the internet I will be using generic terms so I won't isolate the topic just for people here in my country if ever I mention local brands.

The most common that I've encountered is Carbocisteine, very well marketed and has a lot of TV commercials. It's supposedly perfect for dry cough as the ads say. Also, because of that same reason, I usually buy it whenever I have cough. I don't know really how effective it is. Cough or cold medicines don't really deal so much with symptoms, in my opinion, as compared to pain relievers that can really reduce headache or fever. I just mean that the effects for pain relievers are just more apparent and noticeable.

Next would be Guaifenesin usually mixed with other stuff like DXM (this is the notorious one that's usually an issue for abuse), but also sometimes sold alone. Guaifenesin comes from a plant, if I remember correctly. DXM on the other hand is not very popular because of the abuse potential I've mentioned.

Then there's the herbal ones like Lagundi leaf, something that's very local here in the Philippines and supposedly really helps. I'm really a big fan of herbal and other forms of alternative medicine. So usually whenever I have cough like now, it's something I can take along with the other medicines and won't really have a reaction or whatever.

Then there's also Ambroxol, something that's not so popular. The reason I know about it is because my doctor prescribed me that before. You don't really need a prescription for it but all I'm saying is that it's not so popular. I guess it's really strong because I was advised to take it only once a day. It's over the counter but it's not so popular. I'm not really sure about the exact differences but surely it's something you can ask your physician.

Vicks, some sort of menthol and camphor rub is one amazing way of relieving symptoms. It's really very relaxing when applied to your forehead, back, chest, neck, and others. Plus, it's really very soothing with the heat coming out of it and also the vapor of smell. Personally, it's something I love to apply whenever I'm sick especially when my body is expressing flu-like symptoms. It's really so relaxing and helpful for those who are sick.

I've already mentioned Lagundi leaf. I'm not really familiar with any other kind of alternative treatment but I'm sure acupuncture or special massage can also help with cough or colds or any other kind of flu symptoms.

Try Benadryl. Not only is it good for allergy related cough or colds, it also induces sleepiness. In fact, in the US it is sold as Sleep Aid, a medicine brand that is for helping those who have a hard time sleeping. Benadryl with its active ingredient diphenhydramine, is what they put in medicines like Ibuprofen PM or Tylenol PM that people usually take for headaches or other symptoms that might give a person a hard time sleeping. So basically this is an over the counter solution to your problem. But be sure to consult your physician first and be very careful before mixing it with other medicines. There's a good chance of dependency which might just make your insomnia or hard time sleeping worse.

I'm really so sick and I have to wake up early tomorrow. I just thought I'd write here first and talk about my experience and how I'm planning to get better. It's better that I blog and earn money at least I'm doing productive instead of just being all sick here. Also it's a perfect for my HubPages 30-day challenge.