What are the effective methods to treat children's cough?

Parents are the ones who worry the most when their children are coughing. Sometimes, when they see their children coughing non-stop, they really wish they could get sick for them. If you want to make your child's cough get better as soon as possible, you need to take appropriate measures. If necessary, you can also use medication for treatment. Of course, it would be best if you could stop the cough through some simple non-drug treatments. Here are some effective ways to treat children's coughs.

(1) Symptomatic treatment

When the phlegm is thick and difficult to cough up, you should drink enough water to dilute the phlegm. You can also use expectorants such as Qutanling, fresh bamboo juice and nebulization inhalation therapy to help expectoration. In case of severe cough, sedatives such as Phenergan can be used to stop the cough.

(2) Symptomatic treatment with Western medicine

Bacterial infections can be treated with sensitive antibiotics such as penicillin and cefotaxime. Mycoplasma infections should be treated with erythromycin drugs such as azithromycin. Viral infections can be treated with antiviral drugs such as ribavirin and acyclovir.

(3) TCM Syndrome Differentiation and Treatment

Generally speaking, in the early stage of cough, it is advisable to dispersing and clearing the lungs with pungent and spicy medicines; in the middle stage, it is advisable to resolve phlegm and clear the lungs; in the late stage, it is advisable to replenish qi and nourish yin. Infectious coughs are mostly treated according to the theory of febrile diseases, and allergic coughs are mostly treated according to the theory of internal injuries; coughs in the upper respiratory tract focus on clearing the lungs and relieving throat, while coughs in the lower respiratory tract focus on removing phlegm and relieving gas. It also focuses on the internal and external relationship between the lungs and large intestine, as clearing the bowels can purge the lungs.

(4) Raise your baby’s head at night

If your baby keeps coughing while sleeping, you can raise his head and the coughing symptoms will be relieved. Elevating the head is helpful for most coughs caused by infections, because when lying flat, the baby's nasal secretions can easily flow down the throat, causing throat itching and causing the cough to worsen at night. Elevating the head can reduce the backward drainage of nasal secretions. You should also change your sleeping position frequently, preferably alternating between the left and right sides, which is conducive to the discharge of respiratory secretions.

(5) Steam cough relief method

For babies who keep coughing, the symptoms will be relieved in an environment with room temperature around 20℃ and humidity around 60-65%. If your baby has a severe cough, let him/her inhale steam; or hold your baby in a steam-filled bathroom for 5 minutes. The humid air will help clear mucus from your baby's lungs and calm your cough.

(6) Hot water bottle on the back to relieve cough

Fill a hot water bottle with hot water at about 40℃, wrap it with a thin towel, and then apply it to the baby's back near the lungs. This can speed up the expulsion of cold and stop coughing quickly. This method is particularly effective for cough symptoms that appear in the early stages of colds.

(7) Hot drink cough relief method

Drinking more warm drinks can make the baby's sticky phlegm thinner, relieve the tension of the respiratory mucosa, and promote coughing up phlegm. It is best to let your baby drink warm water or warm milk, rice soup, etc. You can also give your baby fresh fruit juice. The fruit juice should be less irritating such as apple juice and pear juice. It is not advisable to drink citrus juice such as orange juice and grapefruit juice.