Do you frequently experience sneezing and runny nose with mild to severe coughing? Then you might be having whooping cough. This condition is a highly contagious respiratory system infection, caused by bacteria. This may be a dangerous condition, but you need not panic since there are a lot of ways to get rid of it. This includes the home remedies for whooping cough. Moreover, these home remedies are all surprisingly amazing and effective. To know more about this condition and its possible treatments, continue reading on to this article.
Whooping Cough: What is this?
The other term for the whooping cough is pertussis. This is actually a highly transmittable bacterial disease that is caused by the Bordetella pertussis. This bacterium infects the air route like the bronchi and trachea. It usually spreads quickly through sneezes and coughs of a person infected by it. This mainly affects small babies, however, some teenagers and adults aren’t safe from this as well.
Pertussis is quite difficult to diagnose because of its long incubation period. Typically, it takes about 2-3 weeks before the bacteria manifest fully. It is on this point where it may have infected many other people. It usually begins with common coughs and colds and will develop into a worse coughing.
Once you got infected by the bacteria, it will take about 8 to 10 days right before its signs and symptoms appear. However, sometimes, it takes longer before it appears. During the initial stage, the symptoms are actually the same, sneezing, common cold, runny nose, low fever, and mild coughing.
However, when not treated immediately, the cough becomes severe. The term whooping cough comes from the sound that patients create while trying to breathe in air. Furthermore, the condition may also make a patient experience vomiting.
The best way to preventing the contraction of the whooping cough is its vaccine. The vaccination actually occurs during the period of infancy. However, adults may also use it if they want to.
What Causes Whooping Cough?
The main cause of this infection as stated earlier is the Bordetella pertussis. This certain bacterium may infect the lining of the air route like the trachea and bronchi. Furthermore, this disease may spread rapidly, and babies are the ones that it attacks the most. However, it may affect adults as well.
Symptoms of Whooping Cough
Whooping cough actually has the same symptoms as the average type of cold. the following are the most common symptoms of it:
- Diarrhea, which may occur earlier
- Low fever, may reach lower than 103 Fahrenheit
- Mild coughing
- Runny nose
- Sneezing
Who’s prone to Whooping Cough?
The following are the ones that are prone to the condition:
- Adults that have a weak immune system.
- Children who are under six (6) months old
Whooping cough actually is dangerous, most especially for those children who are under six months. Thus, it is a must to bring the child to the hospital for quick medications. However, to prevent the illness, vaccination for it is needed.
Home Remedies for Whooping Cough
Here are some of the best home remedies for whooping cough:
Hydration. Constant coughing may cause the throat to get hurt, same with the lungs and chest. Consuming water or juice may help in relieving pain.
Garlic. The natural antibiotic properties of the garlic help in neutralizing the bacterial infection in the respiratory tracts and the lungs. This is while it promotes the repair of the inflamed and damaged throat.
Salt-water gargle. If water plus salt is used as a gargle, it can help in cutting right through the mucus and phlegm to make your breathing normal again. This is while it also helps in soothing the throat. This maybe is one of the coolest home remedies for a whooping cough.
Zinc. This essential mineral is essential for the protection of the health against various infections. This is effective in giving additional security to the body.
Oregano. The oregano leaves are essential for whooping cough because of its antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties. It helps in the reduction of the likelihood of painful dry coughing. Furthermore, it also helps in cutting out the irritation of the respiratory tracts.
Lemon. This fruit has citric acid that is beneficial in cutting through the mucus and phlegm. Furthermore, it also helps in improving the breathing and eliminating the whooping sound. Additionally, the vitamin C in the fruit is beneficial in boosting the immune system.
Honey. The antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiseptic properties of the honey help in coating the throat and reducing the inflammation. Moreover, it also helps in seeking out the bacterial infection and eliminates the illness rapidly.
Ginger. The expectorant properties of ginger help in eliminating the excess phlegm and mucus. Furthermore, it also helps in alleviating the chest congestion and improve the airflow of the respiratory tracts and the lungs.
