Coughs, especially uncontrollable coughing at night, should be treated with urgency. This is because night-time coughing affects our sleep, weakens the body’s immunity, and could spiral our health downwards further.
Treat Coughs Quickly
At the onset of cough, most people would try to alleviate it with cough drops. If the cough lozenges do not work, they may switch to over-the-counter cough medicines. If the cough worsens further, their final course of action would be to see the doctor for a stronger prescription. Does this sound familiar?
Coughing is simply our body’s natural defense mechanism to expel virus and bacteria in the throat, protecting the lungs from infection and inflammation. Hence, the longer we delay treatment for coughs, the higher the risk of the cough morphing into a stream of night-time coughing that steals our sleep.
Unfortunately, many of us are not aware that common coughs (during cold or flu season) are highly treatable at the initial onset with natural therapies such as Manuka Honey.
Honey Naturally Good for Coughs
One study shows that honey seemed to reduce night-time coughing and improved sleep among children age 2 and older with upper respiratory tract infections when they were fed with 2 teaspoons (10 milliliters) of honey at bedtime.
Interestingly, honey appeared to be as effective as dextromethorphan, a common cough suppressant found in cough medicines sold in pharmacies. Since honey is natural, it may be the preferred way to alleviate coughs for adults, not just children.
In fact, Manuka Honey mixed with warm lemon water is a faithful home-made remedy that soothes sore throat. Most of us would have drunk such a concoction since young.
Caution: Never give honey to children below 1 year old due to the risk of infant botulism, a rare but serious form of food poisoning.
Manuka: Powerhouse for Throat Protection
For singers and performers who frequently over-work their vocals and throats, surely they would know some good tips to protect their throats. And guess what? Manuka Honey has been identified as one of the natural therapies, this according to Backstage.
Manuka Health Benefits
For further details of the various health benefits of Manuka honey, refer to: