Is your cough a symptom of cold or flu?
Our quick quiz helps you figure out if your symptoms point towards a cold or flu.
Check your symptomsA chesty cough occurs when our body expels any excess phlegm out of our respiratory system. This is often caused by an over-production of mucus due to viral infections such as the cold or flu. In this page, our immune system expert Dr. Jen Tan examines the symptoms and causes of a chesty cough, and recommends the best natural solutions to help ease the discomfort and manage your symptoms.
Chesty coughs are characterised by an excessive amount of mucus in the chest. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as mucus coughs.
Doctors classify chesty coughs as ‘productive coughs’ as the act of coughing brings up mucus from the chest. This is distinct from dry coughs and tickly coughs which are both ‘non-productive’ coughs resulting from irritation at the back of your throat or pharynx.
Oxygen is brought into our bloodstream via the lungs. The air we breathe moves firstly through the large and medium sized tubes known as the bronchi and bronchioles. These tubes are lined by mucous membranes, so-called because they produce a layer of mucus which covers the surfaces of the tubes.
This mucus lining has a purpose – it traps unwanted particles such as dust, bacteria and viruses entering the respiratory tract and in this way, helps protect the body.
When the common cold or flu viruses enter the respiratory system, more mucus is produced in an attempt to wash away the bugs and help fight off the infection. This increased mucus can gather in the respiratory system and a cough reflex is triggered to help remove the extra phlegm.
There are a number of health conditions and lifestyle habits which can give rise to excessive mucus production is seen in the respiratory system. These include:
Your chesty cough will most probably be the result of infection by cold and flu viruses and if this is the case, it is likely you will experience other symptoms of the cold or flu such as a blocked nose or fever.
However, you may experience other symptoms associated with a chesty cough including:
If a chesty cough has troubled you for less than 3 weeks, some simple home remedies may help to get your symptoms under control:
When it comes to chesty coughs, sometimes, mucus can feel ‘stuck’ in your chest and although you might feel like you a ‘chesty cough’, nothing comes up when you cough. In these situations, you need something to help break up or shift the mucus.
The herbs such as ivy and thyme act as expectorants and so are especially useful here - these have been used to treat chesty coughs for this reason for many years.
Bronchoforce combines fresh extracts of ivy and thyme and can be taken by adults and children over 12, up to 5 times daily to help treat the symptoms of a chesty cough.
If a viral or bacterial infection is at the root of the cause an extract of Echinacea, such as in Echinaforce, may work well in combination with Bronchoforce to help manage your symptoms and support recovery.
If your cough has persisted for more than 3 weeks, some conventional medicine may be required to help get your symptoms under control:
Please note, if you find medicine prescribed by the doctor isn’t helping it, you should return for further investigation. It’s important to help identify the underlying cause when it comes to chesty coughs.
Chesty coughs can also be caused by conditions other than cold or flu infections. It would be time to visit your doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16373990
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3256323/
Initial publication date: 18/07/2013 Update on: 17/08/18
Looking for a remedy to ease your chesty cough? Well, look no further than Brochoforce.
Made from freshly harvested Ivy and Thyme, this herbal remedy helps to expel mucus or catarrh from the chest and in doing so eases a chesty or mucus cough.
“Helped me so much. Will always have one at home. Great product.” Margaret Shea
To find local independent stores in your area that sell Bronchoforce, simply type your postcode below.
Our quick quiz helps you figure out if your symptoms point towards a cold or flu.
Check your symptomsAs the A. Vogel Immune System expert, I recommend Bronchosan Pine Cough Syrup to help ease the symptoms of coughs.
Learn moreA tickly cough is technically termed as ‘non-productive.’ This is because, unlike a chesty cough, tickly or dry coughs typically bring up little to no phlegm.
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