What is a cough?

A cough is most commonly caused by an irritation in the respiratory air passages. We cough to help clear these passages.

A cough is your body’s way of keeping your lungs and throat clear¹.

Coughing is one of our body's important defence mechanisms.

Coughs can be caused by a wide variety of factors:

Viruses

Viruses are responsible for colds and flu which are the most common causes of chesty, tickly and even dry, irritating coughs.

Protect yourself from getting an illness that causes coughing^{2, 4} by:

1. Washing your hands⁴
2. Trying to avoid people who have a cold or flu⁴
3. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables²

Smoking

Smoking is usually associated with chesty coughs as cigarette smoke inflames the lungs.

Hayfever

Hayfever and other allergies can sometimes lead to a cough, because they evoke an inflammatory response in the respiratory system.

Medications

Medications, such as ACE-Inhibitors, can cause a cough after ingestion.

Different Types of Coughs:

There are two types of coughs which you may experience: wet cough and dry cough^{2 3}

Dry cough:

You feel a constant tickle in your throat, but when you cough, there won’t be any mucus

Wet cough:

When you cough, you may cough up mucus. Coughing helps to remove the mucus³

DOKTOR MOM^® helps the lungs secrete mucus more efficiently and offers anti-inflammatory support⁵. DOKTOR MOM^® helps the body's natural defence against infections, to relieve coughs.

^®Trademark ^© Johnson & Johnson (Pty) Ltd 2017

References:

1. Medline Plus®. Cough. Available at Https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/cough.html . Accessed on 10 November 2015.
2. a. b. c. WebMD. Cold, Flu & Cough Health Center. 8 Natural Tips to Help Prevent a Cold. Available at http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/11-tips-prevent-cold-flu . Accessed on 10 November 2015.
3. a. b. Meredith Corporation. Cough Symptoms and Treatment – Identify different types of coughs (wet, dry, croup, and whooping cough) and how to give soothing treatment. Available at http://www.parents.com/health/cough/cough/ . Accessed 4 December 2015.
4. a. b. c. d. WebMD. Cold, Flu & Cough Health Center. Coughs, Age 12 and Older – Prevention. Available at http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/tc/coughs-prevention . Accessed on 10 November 2015.
5. Yang R. et al. The antiviral and antimicrobial activities of licorice, a widely-used Chinese herb. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4629407/ . Accessed 28 November 2015