Patient's question:
My baby has had a clear runny nose for five days. On the third day, she started coughing intermittently with phlegm. By the morning of the third day, she began to breathe a little heavily, and her breathing became more labored when she moved, sounding like a goose honk. When she lies down, you can hear the sound of wheezing. Her appetite has significantly increased, but her milk intake has decreased, and she doesn't sleep soundly...Doctor's answer:
A protective respiratory irradiation that can expel foreign matter (such as sputum) from the trachea, making the respiratory tract unobstructed. Therefore, mild coughing generally does not require medication, but if the cough shows signs of worsening, timely treatment should be administered. Personally, I don’t like taking the child to the hospital just because of coughing, because doctors often prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs or intravenous drips, and these medications can be very harmful to children. The medicine can only be temporarily administered for a few days, but it cannot treat the root cause.You can also pay attention to the baby’s condition and treat accordingly:
1. Coughing with white phlegm: Cold cough, usually due to improper care after a fever followed by a cold, and it is severe both day and night. Take Xiao Er Xiao Ji Qing Fei Oral Liquid.
2. Coughing with yellow phlegm: Heat cough, usually a sequelae of wind-heat fever, and it is more severe during the day. Take She Dan Chuan Bei Liquid. Coughing with fever should be combined with cold medicine, following the doctor’s advice.
In fact, if you can help the baby cough up the phlegm, the cough will not occur at all. The best medicine is plain water—make sure to drink plenty of it.
Additionally, there are some decoctions that can help reduce phlegm and relieve coughing:
1. Stewed pears with Fritillaria cirrhosa and rock sugar.
2. Stewed lean meat with apples and honeysuckle.
3. Decoction of Long Li Ye (available at traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies) for the baby to drink.
You can also take him to a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner in the later stages of the fever to get some herbal medicine for (regulating health).