Winter is the season of high incidence of respiratory diseases, and cough is the most common symptom of respiratory diseases. Once a child coughs, parents often get nervous – is it because the child is ill again? In fact, children “cough” do not necessarily have to take cough medicine immediately. It varies from person to person. Some children take medicine after coughing up phlegm.
Children cough belongs to physiological defense reflex
In order to stop children’s cough, many parents believe that “cough must take cough medicine”. In fact, this is a misunderstanding.
From a medical point of view, cough is a normal physiological defense reflex and the only way for the human body to remove respiratory mucus by itself. Coughing and expectoration can expel excessive secretions, inhaled foreign bodies and pathogenic bacteria from the respiratory tract, which can protect the respiratory system.
Children with weak immunity and cold may induce respiratory diseases, such as tracheitis and bronchitis. At this time, the child has a lot of sputum in his throat, but because the respiratory system is not yet well developed, he will not spit like an adult. Most of them will be swallowed directly and discharged through defecation or vomiting. If parents see their children cough, they will feed cough medicine. Although the cough stops temporarily, the sputum can not be discharged smoothly. Once a large amount of sputum and bacteria accumulate in the respiratory tract, it will lead to bacterial infection and then develop into pneumonia. Some have chest tightness, dyspnea, and even cause atelectasis and heart failure, which is life-threatening. The correct way is: the child coughs up phlegm before taking cough medicine.
Five tips to help children expectorate
Maintain indoor humidity: regularly open windows for ventilation and maintain indoor humidity, which is conducive to the moist state of respiratory mucosa and the swing of cilia on the mucosal surface, and is conducive to the discharge of phlegm.
Drinking water method: children with cough often have varying degrees of dehydration, which will aggravate respiratory tract inflammation and secretion consistency, so that it is not easy to cough up. At this time, drinking enough water to the child can dilute the viscous secretion and be easy to cough up. At the same time, drinking water can also improve blood circulation, so that the waste or toxin produced by the body’s metabolism can be quickly discharged from the urine, so as to reduce its irritation to the respiratory tract.
Take white fungus to dissipate phlegm: soak dry white fungus for one or two hours, change water, boil for three minutes, and then simmer over a low fire for more than half an hour until it is very soft or sticky. Three to four times a day, one small bowl each time (about 100ml).
Steam method: pour boiling water into the container, pick up the child and breathe his mouth and nose against the water vapor, which can dilute the sputum, facilitate coughing, reduce the congestion and edema of trachea and bronchial mucosa and reduce coughing. But be careful of burns.
Pat on the back: during the cough interval, let the child lie on his side or pick up his side, and the parents pat the child on the back. Clapping the back can promote the loosening of sputum in children’s lungs and bronchus, drain and discharge to the large trachea, promote the blood circulation of the heart and lungs, facilitate the absorption of bronchitis, and make the disease recover early.
Listen to the sound to distinguish the type of cough
Cough is the manifestation of diseases such as cold, bronchitis, pharyngitis, asthma and tuberculosis. The cough sound caused by different diseases is different. Parents can hear the sound to preliminarily judge the priority of the disease.
The sound with phlegm is suspected of common cold, which is manifested as: phlegm when coughing, not accompanied by asthma or shortness of breath, day and night.
The sound of wheezing is suspected of asthma, which is manifested as continuous cough and often accompanied by wheezing or wheezing. The cough lasts for more than 10 days. The condition will worsen at night or after activities, and the cough will worsen when children are exposed to pollen, cold air, animal dander, dust or smoke.
The hoarse voice is suspected of influenza. It is manifested as a slightly hoarse cough from the throat. It coughs every other period of time, sometimes dry cough, sometimes with phlegm.
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