On the approach of a cough are some misunderstandings prevail. So many people think that they are always ready to seize cough syrup to the disease as quickly as possible. They are wrong because of coughing is a natural way the body to the airways clean. By coughing removes mucus you, smoke particles and dust from the throat, trachea or lungs. Suppresses the cough, then you prevent the mucus and the associated germs leave the body. The mucus may accumulate in the airways, which is an inflammation and bad breath can result.
The cough can be caused by an infection (flu, colds …), through contaminated air, by many cough, many scraping of the throat or hypersensitivity of the airways. If coughing hardly mucus released, called a dry cough or tickling cough, such as smoking, dry air, air conditioning, exhaust, etc. Also inhaled medicines for asthma and some drugs for high blood pressure can cause a dry cough.

What can you do?
• Drink plenty of liquids gives temporary relief. (Eg water, fruit juice, warm tea …). A cough with mucus, makes the mucus fluid, which facilitates its disposal. In a dry cough that prevents drinking dry mucous membranes.
• You should not smoke. Avoid smoky rooms.
• Ensure good ventilation.
• Sucking on a cough candy, the already much reduced.
• When does a spoonful of honey tickling cough relief. Do not give honey to children under one year. In honey, bacteria can sit where babies sick can be.
• A dry cough is recommended that the humidity to increase (eg containers with water to the radiators to hang).
• The inhalation of warm, moist air (“steam”) may take some relief. You put a towel over the head and bends over a steaming bowl of water with about one liter. Inhale the vapors deeply for ten minutes. Repeat steaming five to six times per day. Do not add vapor agents such as menthol, eucalyptus and so far. Danpen is not suitable for children under 6 years.

What do you not better?
• Avoid frequent scraping of the throat. It irritates the throat and a cough can give.
• Most medicines for cough (lozenges, cough syrups …) have little or no sense. The operation of cough inhibitors is insufficient evidence, they can be a lot of side effects (such as drowsiness, dizziness and breathing problems) and they have serious illnesses such as asthma and reflux mask so that sometimes late noted.
Cough inhibitors in our country banned in children under 2 years. The Belgian Centre for Pharmacotherapeutic Information says cough inhibitors should not be used in children younger than 6 years, and recommends them for children between 6 and 12 years. For older children, the physician should decide, but they are under the BCFI not recommended. The Drug Commission of the Federal Drug Agency (FAGG) recently recommended that all cough syrups to prohibit children under 12 years.
If you do a cough syrup to take take up to 600 mg daily in 2 or 3 doses, most immediately after eat.
• Almost all infections are caused by a virus. Because antibiotics only help against bacteria, they are rarely given to respiratory infections.

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