I am 32 years old and female. I have had problems with night-time coughing for more than ten years now. What kind of health check would you recommend for this?

I am sorry to hear that you have had problems with coughing at night. Two causes should be eliminated in the first instance. Your cough could be due to:

     1. Allergies to airborne particles and pollutants. In the spring, this can be manifested as hayfever, but for her, it could also be an allergy to house dust or animal fur. Coughing more at night can be an indicator of an allergy. If this is the case, we would recommend the anti-allergy medicine Pollinosan.

     2. Acid reflux can also  lead to tickly coughs. What seems to happen is that the acid contents of the stomach travel back upwards to the back of your throat, leading to irritation and hence the cough. This is more likely to happen if you are lying down on your back, for obvious reasons. For acid reflux, we would recommend the use of a mixture of herbs called herbal bitters.

There are of course, many other causes of coughs at night and the best advice I can give you is to seek help from your doctor in order to get to the cause of your problem, and also to eliminate other reasons for your cough not covered above.

Dr. Jen Tan