A cough is a sudden and often repetitively occurring, protective reflex, which helps to clear the large breathing passages from fluids, irritants, foreign particles and microbes. The cough reflex consists of three phases: an inhalation, a forced exhalation against a closed glottis, and a violent release of air from the lungs following opening of the glottis, usually accompanied by a distinctive sound. Coughing is either voluntary or involuntary.
Frequent coughing usually indicates the presence of a disease. Many viruses and bacteria benefit, from an evolutionary perspective, by causing the host to cough, which helps to spread the disease to new hosts. Most of the time, irregular coughing is caused by a respiratory tract infection but can also be triggered by choking, smoking, air pollution, asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease, post-nasal drip, chronic bronchitis, lung tumors, heart failure and medications such as ACE inhibitors.
Treatment should target the cause.[1]
We use various naturopathic principles to treat the cause and look for the disharmony in your body and mind to bring your body back to balance. Please see below a brief treatment (Rx) protocol and reference guide, with choices to help improve your health and wellbeing. Click on the headings and links within for more treatment information.
If you are experiencing these conditions, I can guide you into wellness – BOOK NOW for a Naturopathic Consultation.
Tissue Salt Rx
Calc Phos:
Suffocating cough, better lying down. Any mucous is like raw egg white.
Ferr Phos:
Will often cut short an attack which begins with a short, dry, tickling cough with no expectoration. Inflammation of nose and respiratory mucosa.
Kali Mur:
Hoarse, croupy sounding cough with white tongue and mucous. Congestion and blockage of respiratory passage.
Kali Sulph:
A rattly cough with yellow, shiny mucous, worse in a warm room and evening; better in cool, open air. Prevents yellowish, lumpy discharge.
Mag Phos:
A Cough that sounds like whooping cough but with no discharge of mucus. A spasmodic cough leading to dyspnoea.
Nat Mur:
Clear, watery, salty discharge which may come from eyes, nose or mouth, always accompanies a cough. Acrid discharge.
Nat Sulph:
Thick, yellow-green mucus, worse in damp weather; pain in chest on coughing.
Silica:
Thick, yellow-green mucus, worse from cold drinks and in the morning.
Nutritional Medicine Rx
Use Food as Medicine! Nourish your body and mind with fresh seasonal, whole foods. Clean unprocessed & unadulterated foods like nature intended. Support a back to the basic natural approach to eating. Visit your local farmer markets and buy organic produce where possible. Go vegetable crazy! Love your greens.
Food Sensitivity Testing is an easy way to take the guess work out of what may be contributing to you feeling unwell, suffering digestive problems, inflammation, bloating, skin conditions, asthma etc. A whole food natural diet is excellent to follow but what some people don’t realise is one man's food can be another man’s poison. Give your digestive tract a break and feed your body with food that heals. A stressed and inflamed digestive tract (gut) suffering dysbiosis needs help to build up a good microbiome balance. It is not only important for your ability to absorb and utilise nutrients but your gut health and immune system are inextricably linked. Seventy to eighty percent of your immune tissue is located within your digestive system and ninety percent of serotonin is made in the digestive tract. Serotonin is a key player in mood, anxiety, fear, and the general sense of happiness and wellbeing.
The intestinal microbiota (gut flora) helps in proper development of the host immune system, which in turn regulates the homeostasis of the microbiota. Good nutrition promoting good gut health microbiome promotes a healthy immune system.
The gastrointestinal tract is also sensitive to emotion. A troubled intestine can send signals to the brain, just as a troubled brain can send signals to the gut. Therefore, a person's stomach or intestinal distress can be the cause or the product of anxiety, stress, or depression.
Don’t diet! Listen to your body. Eat mindfully in a relaxed environment and choose quality, not quantity. Enjoy fuelling your body and treating it well.
Flower Essence Rx
- Bach Flower Essences
- Australian Flower Essences
- Futurplex
Lifestyle Medicine Rx
Exercise and Fitness Management:
Select an exercise activity or sport you enjoy. Choose something that works for you and aim for the 80/20 % approach and always listen to your body.- Walking is a wonderful activity for all ages, shapes and sizes.
- Build up slowly but aim for 10,000 steps a day.
- I recommend investing in a motivational health monitor like ‘Fitbit’ and or an app like ‘MyFitnessPal’ to motivate you to have a go and strive to improve your fitness and maintain a healthy weight.
Hydration:
Aim for 2 – 4 litres of clean, filtered water a day. One of the easiest ways to improve your health is to stay hydrated as your body is made up of 60% water and it needed by every cell of the body. Sugar, Salt and Coffee is dehydrating for the body. Often if you feel thirsty this is an early sign of dehydration. Make it a habit and drink throughout the day. Benefits include:- Natural Detox – a naturally hydrated body purges the cells, eliminating stored toxins and bodily wastes.
- Digestion and Elimination – eliminates constipation, boating and helps improve general digestive disorders.
- Speeds Metabolism and helps with weight loss.
- Combats Fatigue – water is an important source of energy for your body.
- Reduces High Blood Pressure and Lowers Cholesterol.
- Speeds up Joint and Cartilage repair.
- Skin Health – improves Acne, Dermatitis, Eczema, Psoriasis and Premature Skin Ageing.
- Slows the Ageing Process.
Sleep Hygiene:
- Aim for 7 – 8 hours quality sleep.
- Turn off all electronic devices and avoid technology and hour before bed as this allows your brain to switch off and make it easier to fall asleep.
- Keep your bedroom just for sleeping & loving. Fresh Air – open a window. Light can make or break a good sleep cycle. Darken your room as much as possible.
- Don’t eat late in the night. Avoid caffeine and stimulants.
- Set your alarm to get to bed and wake at the same time every day.
- Night Cap: – Drink a warm lemon drink, herbal green tea or Golden Milk (Almond & Coconut Milk with beneficial spices) – “Turmeric Latte”, before bed.
- Create a nice environment with indoor plants, aromatherapy diffuser, soft relaxing music and anything that helps you promote a routine to wind yourself down to get much-needed sleep.
Fun:
Life is about balance and taking time out to play and enjoy activities you like with friends and family as it has a huge benefit on your health. Laughter is the best Medicine. Having fun and enjoying activities that you like has the benefit of reducing stress and lowering the hormone cortisol. Cortisol is known as the “stress hormone” and spikes to unhealthy levels when you are continually stressed with one of the side effects being weight gain. Having fun increases serotonin, which is the hormone that regulates sleep patterns, body temperature, memory and mood. When you do activities you enjoy, that help you to relax and connect with people the body will naturally increase serotonin levels. Research has proven that making time to relax, engaging in activities you enjoy, spending time with people that make you happy improves positive emotional, mental health and overall wellbeing.Conditions We Treat
- Abscess
- Aching Feet & Legs
- Acidity & Heartburn
- Anaemia
- Anxiety
- Appendicitis
- Asthma
- Backache
- Birth – Labour
- Bites & Stings
- Boils
- Brittle Nails
- Bronchitis
- Burns
- Catarrhal – Mucous Inflammation
- Chicken Pox – Varicella
- Chilblains
- Circulation – Varicose Veins
- Cold
- Cold Sores – Herpes Labialis
- Conjunctivitis
- Colitis
- Constipation
- Cough
- Cramp – Muscle
- Croup
- Diabetes
- Diarrhoea
- Digestive Disorders
- Dysentery
- Ear-Glue Ear
- Ear – Middle Ear Infection
- Ear Infection – Chronic
- Eczema
- Eyes – Stye
- Eyes – Blocked Tear Duct
- Eye Strain – Poor Vision
- Feet
- Fever
- Fits – Epileptic Seizure
- Fractures
- Glands Swollen
- Growing Pains
- Hair Health
- Hay Fever
- Headache
- Head Injury
- Heartburn & Acidity
- Hepatitis
- Hernia
- Hives – Urticaria
- Hydrocele – Swollen Testicle
- Immune Booster
- Indigestion
- Infants Teething Pain
- Infection
- Influenza
- Jaundice
- Legs – Circulation
- Leucorrhoea
- Measles
- Menstrual Pain – Dysmenorrhea
- Menstruation – General Health
- Mouth Ulcers
- Mumps
- Muscular Pain
- Nails – Health
- Nappy Rash – Diaper Dermatitis
- Nasal Congestion
- Nervous Debility
- Nosebleed – Epistaxis
- Pain
- Peripheral Circulation
- Piles – Haemorrhoids
- Pimples
- Pneumonia – Lung Infection
- Pyorrhea – Periodontal Disease
- Pregnancy Health
- Psoriasis
- Rheumatic Fever
- Rheumatic Pain
- Rheumatism & Gout
- Ringworm – Tinea
- Rubella – German Measles
- Scabies
- Scarlet Fever
- Sciatica
- Skin Health
- Sinusitis
- Sleep – Insomnia
- Sleep – Nightmares
- Sprains – Muscular
- Stomach Upsets
- Strains
- Sexual Health & Performance
- Stress – Emotional Health
- Stretch Marks – Striae
- Teenage Health – Puberty & Pimples
- Teeth – Teething (Babies)
- Teeth – Toothache
- Thrush – Candida Albicans
- Thyroid Health & Disorders
- Tonsils – Enlarged
- Travel Sickness
- Urinary Tract Infection – Uti – Cystitis
- Warts – Human Papillomavirus
- Whooping Cough – Pertussis
- Worms – Parasites
- Wounds – Healing
