What’s Your Khasi? Types of Cough This Winter & How to Combat Them

What’s Your Khasi?

It is winter in India, and we have started to feel a chill in the air. Our sweaters are out, mornings mean wearing socks in the house while the fan is on low speed, and we all know one person who is down with a cold. We are all blaming the La Niña, pollution and lifestyle in general, but the absolute truth is: We are all down with a cold or a cough that just won’t quit!

So, if you are like this author and down with a cough that refuses to leave, please read on how I managed to get myself healthy with a few simple additions to my winter routine.

Before we start, coughing serves a useful purpose. It’s our body’s automatic response to mucus, dust, pollutants, and other irritants in the throat and lungs. Think of it as a reflex, like sneezing. Nerves in your lungs and airway detect irritants and send messages to your brain, which triggers your chest and abdominal muscles to cough out the irritating particles or mucus. In this way, coughing helps protect the lungs.

While an occasional cough is normal, but a cough that won’t quit is not.

Here are the different cough types, read to find which khaasi are you?

Chronic cough: If a cough lasts longer than eight weeks, it’s what we call a chronic cough. This is when I would say, you don’t need this blog, you need a doctor.

Seasonal Cough: This personal downfall of this author, come winter, I am always having a cough that comes back like an annoying villain that refuses to let the leads have a happy life.

Allergic cough: If your cough is caused by allergies, you might cough more at certain times of year, when pollen is in the air or depending on what you are allergic to dust, pets, or pollen in air (during spring) and this may need you to either find ways on avoiding your triggers or using anti-allergic medicines. Here, this author is guilty of being allergic to dust, pets; mold!

Acid reflux, including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): This occurs when stomach acids flow back up into the esophagus, causing acid reflux or heartburn. In such cases you might have a hoarse voice, cough and may clear your throat a lot.

Effective, author approved ways to calming your khaasi if your cough is due to seasonal change & allergies. The rule of cough is – WWQ – Warm, wet & quiet (let it heal!)

Follow these simple steps and you shall be cough-free sooner rather than later:

Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of warm fluids like water and clear broths to soothe your throat and thin mucus.

Inhale Steam: Inhaling steam from a bowl of hot water or using a humidifier adds moisture to the air and helps relieve congestion.

This was a game changer! This author is a ‘Kadha enthusiast’ but hear me out, Fast&Up Lung Detox is a lung cleanser that is made with clinically proven ingredients such as N-Acetylcysteine and Vitamin C to support lung cleansing, better breathing and improved respiratory and liver functions. This product made me cough out the mucus from first use itself! It really helped to cure the congestion fastest it's ever been for this author, and I consider myself as a khasi veteran, after having gone through seasonal cough for more than 3 decades!  

Rest: Ensure you get enough sleep to allow your body's immune system to fight off the infection. 

Quiet: Use your cough as a reason to not engage with mindless communications and call it self-care! 

Remember to seek medical attention if your cough persists more than 3 weeks, please seek medical attention. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, high fever and yellow sputum. Please take care dear readers and remember - Summer will be here soon!