Tackling Cough and Flu : What works for you?
The bugs are in the air these days.
It all started with Anya some four weeks ago. Then Vai picked it up two weeks later.
They’ve seen the doctor, and they’re still taking their medicines. There was once a period too (about ten days) where they both used an Aerochamber (and inhaled Ventolin and Flixotide), so that the medication could effectively go straight to the lungs.
[Click HERE to read more about using the Aerochamber on little children]
By now, both kids are much better, but they’re still not yet 100% healthy. I can still see their slightly wet nostrils and hear their phlegmy cough once in a while.
And I. Well, I got it too.
I had a very mild cough since some three weeks ago, which I kind of ignored because it really was a mild one (read: I prefer letting the body fight the bugs first and not immediately take in medicines).
But last week, I started coughing really badly.
I coughed so frequently, especially at night time. My throat felt all tingly. I felt like there’s a trickle of phlegm in my throat that I just COULD NOT cough out! At times, I could be coughing nonstop till my eyes were all teary. And, I LOST my voice. I mean, there were days when I really sounded like a hoarse-voiced MAN and I couldn’t talk without feeling a painful strain on my throat.
And yes, I went to the doctor earlier this week and was prescribed some medicines (no antibiotics).
The interesting thing is, as I shared my coughing episodes and updates on my Facebook Status, people started sharing with me THEIR ways of tacking coughs and sore throat problems, and the different kinds of ‘methods’ that work for them in the past.
It was great!!
Here are some of them :
– Drink lots of warm water and spray those ‘chinese medicinal powder that’s commonly used to treat mouth ulcers, heatiness, etc’ towards your throat
– Drink Nin Jion Pei Pa Koa
– Drink lime juice mixed with sweet soya sauce
– Drink honey mixed with lemon and water
– Drink Woods’ Peppermint Cough Syrup
– Grind fresh ginger, mix it with hot water and drink it slowly(gurgling every one hour or so helps too)
…
And so I thought, how great and useful it would be if MORE tips are shared on my site! From everyone, and for everyone’s benefits!
So now, I hope to hear from MORE from people out there!
What works for you when you have a cough or a sore throat? Any particular drink or medicine that you usually take? Any home remedy? Any special mixture?
21 Comments »
Leave a comment!
Hi Leonny, try not to let the kids cry much, or flu virus invaded more easily. Thus emotion management is important. Somehow, kids fail to have this in control. However, as they grow older such as 7 years onwards, they are better in controlling emotion and tears, there often u see the improvements in them. If they are tearful suddenly or throw tantrum a lot on them particular day, try put them to nap or sleep early, it would help. rgds, pat
Linda :
THANKS for sharing the tips!
Dropped by your blog, oh I hope your two kids are well real soon!
……………………………………………………………………………………..
kkf :
uh oh .. dash got it too ? hope he’s well real soon ya..
……………………………………………………………………………………..
Karen Yee :
Thanks Karen for sharing !!
My mom’s all time chinese concoction she got from the Chinese Medical Hall: In cantonese its call “Kum Chou” with “Wu Mui”. Just simply ask for $2 each and you can divide it into about 5 to 6 portions. Each time brew both together with a mug of water for about 20 mins. Its very effective, esp when its the very initial stage. Just drink twice to 3 times and its all gone. It takes away the sore throat and removes the phlegm. Taste is rather sour. Not bitter at all.So keep your tummy filled before drinking.
dash is using the same thing for cough as your daughter!
nowadays virus really powerful. thanks for sharing the tips!
Try Manuka Honey. Swallow a teaspoon on empty stomach, Don’t drink water straight away. Instant relief when we have dry throat. Quick relief for mouth ulcer and toothache. Also said to be effective on cough and sorethroat. Even works when apply on cuts. I use Manuka Honey Active 30+. You can search about Manuka Honey in details on the web.
Andrea :
Hi there!
Such a big move for your family, coming down to Singapore all the way from Texas! Hope all the packing (and unpacking later) goes smoothly.
Do keep in touch … especially when you’ve reached Singapore! 🙂
Thanks everyone for sharing and writing in! Appreciate it!
Useful info indeed for everyone else!
Right now the kids and I are much better. Thank you. But … still not 100% back to health.
It’s a bit weird somehow because we hardly cough now, but when we do, it still is very very phlegmy. AND both kids can’t seem to get rid of their wet nostrils too!
Perhaps it’s also due to the haze (local bush fires) ?
… Anyway, hope every one of you is well and healthy!
Hai Leonny,
Maybe you can try First, DIFFLAM ANTI INFLAMMATORY LOZENGES, from Guardian Pharmacy..Result: GREAT!!! I recover from bad sore throat last 3weeks ago and I try to find any lozenges instead of drink medicine…Maybe you can try it, it’s very good.
Second, try Apple Cider Vinegar plus Honey as Meina mentioned from GNC.
Third, I bought Lozenges from Jakarta, named COLDYCIN, Natural Therapy with Ecucalyptus & Tea Tree Oil, to help Sootje Sore Throats, from Vita Health.
Forth, Drink a lot of Water and have a good rest..
Have a Good Day!
Leonny, Celin sempet kena gejala asma n gejala pneumonia, batuk sepanjang taun, trus tes alergi, ketahuan alergi macem, abis ga makan yg alergi mendingan d…sekarang Celin aku kasih colostrumnya gnc sama manuka honey n vit c…
kl lg batuk kita idupin Bel air, semacam aromaterapi, jadi malem tidur enak pada ga batuk meskipun seharian batuk, trus pk humidifier biar ga kering bikin tmbh sakit tenggorokan n kl batuknya kering…
good luck ya 🙂
Leonny,
For cough, you can buy those prepack “Lo Han Kuo” ready to make drinks, simply dissolve in hot water then add cool water to make it warm so its ready to drink. kids can drink too. It brings down the heat in the body, helps the itchiness and dryness in your throat especially when the cough start only when you’re sleeping.
Leonny! I hope you are feeling better! Pls take care of anya and vai too coz zy’s sickness started from cough and flu too till fever came along and then you-know-what-happened. The experience was really terrible. And now I really hate the flu bug!
And mails, yes I did not receive your mails! I am not sure what happened too coz I am receiving mails from other peeps everyday. Anyway, we can tag on each other’s blog since I pop by yours so often! HEhe!
Hope you are coping well!
Love,
Wynn
apple cider vinegar + honey
I take loads of vit c and regular doses of manuaka honey (with UMF) straight from the bottle.
only yesterday JL started having cough, runny nose and hoarse voice. dunno how long it’ll last. at the moment giving her pei pa kao. dunno if it’ll work. we shall see. if not, then i’ll try all your tips from various ppl one by one. thx for sharing
lozenges??? 😀
Hi Leonny,
My boys do take turns getting sick especially in winter and it is ANNOYING!! We keep passing it back and forth. Anyways, here’s what’s worked for us:
Vaporizer with Eucylyptus Oil. This humidifies the air (it gets quite dry here with heater on in winter and moist air helps the breathing) Guess you don’t really need that in Singapore! Actually, we sometimes use just normal saline vaporizer in hospitals to open up the airways. It helps with decongestion. Try sticking your (child’s!) head over a bowl of steaming water (ouch hazard!!!) ahhaah…
Manuka Honey with lemon…. yumm!
Someone told me to rub “vicks” on their foot?!?!?! I’ve never tried because I keep forgetting! Try it and see!
Becareful with the cough medicine (suppressors) because they stop the kids from coughing up the gunk in their airways and this would lead to more nasty chest infection. And remember most of the time, it’s a viral infection and antibiotics just won’t work/not needed.
Good luck!
Cheers,
Grace
Greetings from Texas! I ran across your blog recently and was happy to find it! We are preparing to move our family to Singapore this June. I will enjoy keeping up with your posts.
We live on the Texas Gulf Coast. I hear the climate in Singapore is much like the climate here. Hot and humid. We get coughs and sore throats frequently so I thought I’d chime in with what we do.
First thing we try to do is to not get overly tired. When our bodies are worn down, this is when illness is able to take hold.
If we do begin getting sick, we immediately begin to drink 2-3 glasses of orange juice (or any form of Vitamin C) a day and get as much rest as possible.
For a sore throat, my favorite remedy is to catch it early and gargle with salt water (cup or so of warm water with table salt stirred in). This is something my grandmother passed down to me. Do not swallow, just put the liquid as far back in your throat as you can and gargle for a while and spit it out. It’s not fun or easy for kids but it seems to kill germs, break things up in your throat and make recovery quicker.
Another thing I like for a cough and sore throat which is not a remedy but just for comfort is a peppermint candy. Not sure if you have them in Singapore but it soothes the throat. My kids don’t like cough drops and although I don’t like the sugar in their mouths from the candy, it helps the pain. It’s also a good thing to keep on hand if you’re out and a coughing attack sets in.
Hope you all recover very quickly!
Leonny,
Ethan inherited asthma since 8mths old, having sensitive nose, airways, lungs, skin.
I neber allow Ethan to use inhaler as I’m an end user myself since as old as 10! So, if asthma attacks Ethan….I bring him to Chinese Tui-Na(BB massage in Kembangan area) since he’s 3mths old (too much phlegms stuck in nose). Hence, Ethan is more comfy with Chinese medications than western medicines.
Nic’s proposal – Ethan’s chinese sinseh(doctor) did told me b4. Heaty cough = coughing during the day. Cold cough = coughs badly once sunset till the next day sunrise (will able to sleep well in the nites ). Ethan belongs to Cold cough !
Not sure if your have read that infant immunisation contain mecury to stabalize the virus to be injected into your child. Like all human bodies are created different, some will react to the mecury to some extent, while some will not. The medical practitioners will have you believe that it is for the common good of the vast majority. So what happens when your child is the unfortunate few who reacts to it?
Do share your thoughts on this.
Oops, forgot abt this – ‘heaty cough’/’cold cough’ are treated differently –
‘cold cough’~brew red apple+almonds (those bought from medical hall)
‘heaty cough’~brew green apple+almonds.
I hv nv tried it (seldom cough) but was told very very effective!
You may want to double check with the medical hall staff if I have mixed up the red/green apple for different cough respectively ya!
FYI, the chinese powder which you applies on ulcers contains malamine and is banned.
I think you have to really sleep, rest alot, no late nites, brew some cooling tea like chrysanthemum/barley.
Try cook this soup on a weekly basis – pork ribs+winter melon+barley – great to reduce heat 🙂