There some simple practical ways that help soothe throat irritation and ease a lingering cough. One way is to stay hydrated throughout the day.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdequate hydration maintains throat moisture, thereby reducing sensitivity to irritation and potential cough triggers. Taking small sips of water when experiencing the urge to cough can also serve as an effective strategy for suppressing coughs,\u201d said Dr Khor.<\/p>\n
Keeping a sugar-free sweet in the mouth can be helpful when coughing would be inconvenient, for example, during an important meeting or on a crowded train, as you cannot cough while swallowing, she added.<\/p>\n
Other measures include avoiding smoking, and reducing exposure to household irritants such as dust, fumes and strong cleaning agents as these can perpetuate cough hypersensitivity, said Dr Khor.<\/p>\n
According to Dr Mok, a common myth is that strong cough syrups are the best solution for calming a cough, when many provide minimal benefits. Hydration, honey and avoiding triggers often work just as well, he said.<\/p>\n
Dr Khor added: \u201cAlthough cough syrups may provide symptomatic relief, they can cause sedation which is especially concerning for older adults due to the increased risk of falls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Mok also cautioned against assuming that \u201cnatural\u201d cough remedies are always safe or effective. \u201cSome herbal remedies may interact with medications, or are unsuitable during pregnancy or for children,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As for steam inhalation, there is limited evidence regarding its effectiveness. \u201cIt may be considered due to its minimal side effects, provided appropriate precautions are taken to avoid burns,\u201d said Dr Khor.<\/p>\n
The doctors emphasised the importance of seeing a doctor, especially if the cough worsens or there are red flags highlighted previously. \u201cIt is important to first identify and manage any possible underlying causes of the cough. For example, chronic lung conditions such as asthma and COPD might need to be treated with inhalers,\u201d said Dr Khor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There some simple practical ways that help soothe throat irritation and ease a lingering cough. One way is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":240527,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[48428,134,111,139,69],"class_list":{"0":"post-240526","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-cough","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-new-zealand","11":"tag-newzealand","12":"tag-nz"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240526","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240526"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240526\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/240527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240526"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240526"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240526"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}