I have a nagging dry cough that has been lingering for almost two months. I'd love suggestions on how to get past this. Thanks in advance!

Hi Mykala, Are you feeling better?

There are different pathways to every dis-ease and therefore different ways to unwind/ unfold every dis-ease. Two people can have the same dis-ease, but a particular treatment may work for one and not the other.

There are plenty of questions that come to mind in assessing your ailment. With the little information you have given, it seems that your liver and immune system are compromised. Why... is a whole other issue.

What does your liver have to do with a 2 month cough?
The liver is your body's main toxin filter. When the liver gets overloaded with toxins it begins to send toxins off to other organs to deal with; the first two organs it diverts toxins to are usually the skin And the LUNGS.

How's your liver? Do you drink a lot? What's your diet like? I'm guessing you're Not a smoker, or this question would have had some obvious responses and answers.

For a quick remedy, purchase some Osha root. You can usually find it at a local herb store; get about an ounce of it. Once home, chop it up into chunks and boil it to make a tea. Osha is like ginger, it can be boiled several times before all of the constituents are released. Never put sugar in your tea; it disrupts the natural benefits of the plant. Osha has a natural sweetness like licorice root, so you likely won't need anything to sweeten it. Osha is great for high and dry coughs.
Make a ceremony of it where you sit, give thanks to the plant (Osha), ask your body about your ailment, and listen as you provide it with the tea medicine.
Your body will speak to you about the root and source; whether through bodily reactions- twitches, heat, or other sensations in parts of the body- or through random thoughts/ images that come to mind.

If your cough still persists, it's appropriate that you hire me, or one of the other amazing practitioners on this site for facilitating your healing.

All the blessed-

As Candace mentioned, a dry cough is usually caused by heightened Vata. Vata is a cold and dry body. Opposites heal, try eating warm and moist foods like oatmeal. Consider an ayurvedic consultation. There are practitioners on this site or visit NAMA's website, The National Ayurvedic Medical Assoc.

Have you ever explored Ayurveda? Ayurveda is an antient wellness lifestyle based on your specific body type and personality.

It works off balancing your bodies system with the opposite of your symptoms. So in the case of a dry scratchy throat, you might be prescribed less drying foods like corn, beans and raw foods and adding in more warm soups with a warming and soothing texture.

Maybe drinking some tea with raw honey regularly such as ginger or turmeric boiled in water.

There are many reasons for a persistent cough that can include medications or supplements you are taking, foods you are eating and energetic blockages caused by trapped emotions and inherited miasma although it is probably a combination of several of those. I can’t speculate without knowing more so you are invited to contact me for a free consultation.

I also recommend you to change your eating habit from highly inflammatory diet to low and anti-inflammatory diet which may relieve or even reverse your conditions permanently.

Hello, in Body Intuitive, we find out the story behind the symptoms. You cough could be created by an imbalance in your body which could be connected to some emotional issues. It could also be an allergic reaction to something that you are not aware of. Only your body can give us the answers. I would love to do a Body Intuitive session to see if you get any answers to your nagging cough. Please contact me and we can set up a remote session. I would like to offer this first session for free.

I'm sorry to hear about the nagging cough. There are lots of possibilities including but not limited to: allergies; postnasal drips; acid reflux; residual symptoms from upper respiratory infection; medication side effect especially blood pressure medications such as ACE inhibitors (lisinopril, enalapril, etc.); dehydration and so on. The treatment varies depending on the cause. Let me know or ask your healthcare professionals to determine what could be causing it. Best wishes.

I recommend drinking cranberry juice and chicken bone broth. And take a break from highly inflammatory food like gluten (wheat based bread and crackers, food contains wheat barley and rye), diary and processed sugar. When nothing else helps, this strategy always helps. You can get chicken bone broth from Whole Foods store freezer, or you can cook your own, simmer the chicken bones (after eating one chicken) for 12 hours on the lowest heat until you get a cup of bone broth.

I also had a nagging cough for 3 months! It started one evening with a sore throat then I awoke with stuffy nose and sinus drainage. Never would have thought the culprit was gluten, due to a sensitivity I was unaware I had. A Functional Medicine practitioner read the pattern on my hard palate and told me the from cough was acid reflux, it was especially worse at night when I lied down. When I asked about what causes acid reflux the Doctor replied "gluten can." First I took over the counter acid reflux med with famotidine... no luck. Then I tried the other popular acid reflux med with ranitidine and improved. Well this got my attention. I started an elimination diet avoiding gluten and hooray! The cough went away.I have been gluten free now for almost 4 years and no more bronchitis like coughs and my inflammation burden has improved.A few years later I had lab work confirming my non celiac gluten sensitivity.

It would be interesting to know if you live in a climate where air conditioning is necessary. Conditioned air can be very drying. Also, are there allergens present in your environment? In either case, a simple saltwater gargle may be very comforting to the immune tissue in your throat. Also, you may find sipping an immune-supporting tea, like Yogi teas "Throat Comfort," to help remedy the dryness.

All the best,
Sharon

Take out both dairy and gluten and see if this helps. It could also be reflux, so do not eat anything --3 hours prior to sleep. It could also have an emotional component...In the book "Messages from the Body".....it could indicate an inhibition of self expression. -The first step to take is to eliminate the dairy and gluten.

I always have my patients with chronic mucous take dairy out of their diet for a few weeks and this can clear excess mucous. Also Elderberry extract (sambucus nigra) is a good gentle lung tonic.

Often a cough is a symptom of gastritis. But there has been a lot of upper respiratory stuff that hangs on for some time.