If you or your loved one is recovering from the COVID-19 infection, taking proper care for curing your COVID related cough is important. Currently, cough is one of the most common symptoms of the viral infection and can manifest in the form of both wet (productive) cough as well as dry persistent cough.

COVID Related Cough Needs Care!

I am sharing a few remedies that might help you deal with a COVID related cough. These supportive remedies are not meant to replace any medically prescribed cough medications, but to give you additional relief. If your symptom of cough worsens with difficulty in breathing, please report to your treating doctor at the earliest. 

Some of the emergency symptoms are:

• Difficulty in breathing
• Extremely high temperature, 103 F or above
• Chest pain or pressure
• Confusion
• Severe cough with choking
• Blue lips or face

Tips To Manage Wet Productive Cough

1. Water: Lukewarm water helps in loosening of phlegm and allows for an easy exit out of the system. Drink a generous serving of lukewarm water, sip by sip, throughout the day. For added benefit, throw in 5-7 leaves of fresh ‘tulsi’ in your water jug.
2. Steam inhalation: 3 times a day will help loosen up the phlegm congested in your lungs. Make sure to take deep breaths (with your eyes closed) when you inhale steam.     
3. Lie down on the right or left side: Lying in these positions helps drain phlegm from the respiratory tract. While intermittent proning will also improve breathing, do not lie down on your back which is not a cough-friendly resting position.

Tips to Manage Dry Cough

1. Warm liquids: Warm tomato soup, rice gruel, moong dal soup, herbal decoction (of dried ginger, clove and honey) or plain warm water may help you have an immediate relief from a dry cough. In case you don’t have any soothing drink around, swallow repeatedly.
2. Turmeric tea: Ingredients required- 1/4th tsp dried turmeric powder (Haldi), pinch of black pepper (Kali Mirchi), 1 spoon of jaggery (Gudh) and 1-2 drops of organic ‘ghee’. How to prepare? Boil a glass of water > add turmeric, black pepper and jaggery in it > allow to simmer till quantity reduces to half > Turn down the flame, strain the tea in a cup and allow it to cool > once warm add 1-2 drops of ghee before drinking. Adding few threads of ginger root and pinch of clove while boiling, makes it a more powerful antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agent while Ghee makes the curcumin from turmeric more bio-active in our body.
3. Gargling with salt water (1/4th tsp salt dissolved in a glass of water) is an age old remedy for cough and sore throat. You may also add a pinch of turmeric powder in your gargle water for a more antiseptic effect or gargle with a betadine solution dissolved in water (1part betadine in 3 parts water). Do not drink or swallow saline water or betadine.

Hope these remedies provide you some help in dealing with COVID related cough! We wish you and our nation a super speedy recovery! For more useful tips like these, check out Healthy Reads or tune in to LIVE sessions by experts on GOQii Play. 

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Stay home, stay safe and #BeTheForce