Many people have a cough in autumn and winter, especially at night, which affects their rest and is very distressing. It is not good for the body to take medicine all the time. Furthermore, it does no good to take an antibiotic if you have a viral infection. In addition, taking an antibiotic that isn’t appropriate for the specific bacteria causing your infection can even lead to the development of strains of bacteria that are drug-resistant which will make them very difficult to treat in the future.
3 kinds of fruit to stop a cough
1. Apples
Cooking apples and soaked snow fungus together in cold water, then adding wolfberries, dates, etc., can moisten the lungs to stop a cough. In addition, raw apple juice can prevent coughing and a hoarse throat.
2. Pears
Pears can produce saliva, relieve thirst, clear heat, and stop a cough. There are several ways to prepare them for the best results.
- Core the pear, add some fritillary bulb, rock sugar, and honey, and then simmer.
- Slice a pear with the skin on and put in a bowl. Add rock sugar and steam until the pear is soft. You can also add some honey after they are soft. Eat while warm to get the best effects.
- Cut a pear into pieces with the skin on and boil into a soup with papaya, honey, dates, and pork bones. This will clear the heat in the lungs and improve your appetite.
- Put soaked snow fungus and pears together in cold water to cook into a soup. According to individual tastes, you can add wolfberry or dates. You can also add rock sugar. This will clear your body’s heat and treat your cough.
3. Citrus fruits
Vitamin C has antioxidants and enhances the body’s immunity. If the patient consumes a large amount of vitamin C every day, the symptoms of a cold can be reduced and this can shorten the course of the disease. Citrus can quench your thirst, smooth your throat, and stop coughing. Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C. Just one orange a day can meet the daily recommended allowance making it a magic weapon for fighting colds.
Avoid these 4 foods when you have a cough
1. Cold drinks
It is very harmful to drink cold drinks when you have a cough. Cold drinks stimulate all organs of the body. If you have a lot of phlegm, it means the function of your spleen is in decline. Cold drinks further irritate the lungs and the spleen is further damaged, resulting in more phlegm.
2. Fried foods
According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), coughs are usually caused by heat in the lungs, and fried foods can make lung heat even worse and increase the burden on the stomach and intestines. People should eat light and nutritious food when they have a cough. Many people know that fried food is not nutritious and even harmful to the body, but fried foods are delicious. It doesn’t matter if you eat such foods once in a while, but if you are coughing, it is better to resist!
3. Sweets
Many people can’t resist candy even though it is not a healthy food. But why can’t you even eat sweeter fruits? Fruits are indeed very nutritious, and some fruits like citrus have the effect of relieving coughing and reducing phlegm. However, some fruits, like bananas, can generate phlegm. Phlegm is not easy to cough up, which can easily prolong the course of the disease.
4. Salty and spicy foods
Many people enjoy eating salty or spicy foods. Too much salt intake reduces saliva secretion and makes it easy for various bacteria and viruses to invade, which is one of the causes of upper respiratory tract infections and can lead to an aggravation of the condition. Therefore, it is important to eat light foods when you have a cough in order to help shorten the course of the disease.
Of course, you should not smoke when you have a cough. Smoking even under normal circumstances can damage the trachea. Continuing to smoke when you already have respiratory tract inflammation or non-inflammatory causes of local lesions can aggravate various existing issues. Smoking not only aggravates coughing, but it also prolongs the course of the disease, which may lead to secondary infections on top of the original one. It can even lead to bronchitis, tracheitis, and eventually pneumonia.
Translated by Patty Zhang
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