What's the matter with occasional dry cough

Disease is a very common situation in people's lives. Many factors in people's daily lives can cause the occurrence of disease. Some people will occasionally have a dry cough. Many people who have this situation do not know what causes this situation and do not know how to reasonably arrange their own treatment methods. So, what is the cause of the occasional dry cough?

First, what is the cause of occasional dry cough? Dry cough is one of the common symptoms of clinical lung diseases. The causes are complex, the condition is stubborn, and the treatment is quite difficult. Recent studies have shown that almost all chronic persistent coughs can be diagnosed etiologically. Based on the onset time and syndromic characteristics of the dry cough, we use a combination of Chinese and Western medicine syndrome differentiation and disease differentiation to treat the cause, and have achieved satisfactory results. The following is a discussion on the causes, syndromes and treatments of dry cough. Dry evil invades the lungs and the lungs fail to descend. This type of cough is common in the early stages of post-infection and occurs mostly in autumn every year. The lungs are a delicate organ that likes moisture and hates dryness, likes clearness and cannot tolerate cold or heat. Autumn is the dry season, and the dry evil invades the lung system, affecting the lung's function of dispersing and descending, and burning the lung fluid, thus causing this syndrome. The clinical manifestations are dry cough without sputum or little and sticky sputum, accompanied by dry throat, itchy throat, dry nose, thirst, red tongue with little fluid, thin white or thin yellow tongue coating, and floating and rapid pulse. The treatment is suitable for dispelling exterior pathogens, clearing the lungs, moistening dryness and relieving cough. The prescription is Sangxing Decoction with modifications, and the ingredients include: mulberry leaves, mulberry bark, apricot kernel, Adenophora australis, roasted loquat leaves, Fritillaria thunbergii, Gardenia jasminoides, light black beans, mint, and reed roots. If the patient has prominent symptoms such as nasal congestion, aversion to wind, and itchy throat, you can add perilla leaves, cicada shells, white silkworm pupa, etc. to dispel wind, open the lungs and relieve cough. Yin deficiency, lung dryness and dysfunction of clearing and purge are common in diseases such as chronic bronchitis, cough variant asthma, tuberculosis or lung cancer.

Second, clinical examinations are performed to confirm the diagnosis. It can also be seen in patients who have been taking heat-clearing and detoxifying medicines or antibiotics for a long time, with depletion of lung yin, insufficient body fluid, yin deficiency and hyperactivity of fire, and endogenous virtual heat. The clinical manifestations are dry cough without sputum, which is mild during the day and severe at night and persists; or the sputum is small and sticky and difficult to cough up; or blood in the sputum, accompanied by dry mouth and throat, hot hands and feet, weight loss, night sweats, red tongue with little coating, and a thin and rapid pulse. The method is to nourish yin and moisten the lungs, clear away dryness and relieve cough. The prescription is a combination of Adenophora and Ophiopogon Decoction and Qingzao Jiufei Decoction with modifications, including Adenophora, Scrophularia, Ophiopogon, Polygonatum, Lilium, Schisandra, roasted loquat leaves, Fritillaria thunbergii, mulberry leaves, and Morus alba bark. If the palms and soles are hot and there are night sweats, add Anemarrhena asphodeloides and Rehmannia glutinosa. If there is dry mouth and throat and blood in the sputum, add Phragmites australis and Imperata cylindrica as appropriate. Liver depression, qi stagnation, fluid accumulation and phlegm coagulation are common in laryngeal coughs. The main symptoms are dry coughs, or choking coughs with little sputum, accompanied by itchy throats as if ants were crawling, and a feeling of discomfort as if foreign matter and phlegm were sticking to the throat.

What is the reason for occasional dry cough? Coughing occurs when the throat itches, the coughing is continuous and does not heal, the mouth is dry and the tongue is parched, the chest and flanks are swollen or even dull pain, and it is easily induced or aggravated by emotional distress. The tongue is pale red, the tongue coating is thin white (greasy), and the pulse is stringy. The syndrome is liver-qi stagnation, accumulation of body fluid and phlegm, unfavorable Qi movement, and upward cough. The treatment is to soothe the liver and relieve depression, regulate qi and reduce adverse reactions. The prescription is Sini San combined with Xiebai San with modifications, and the ingredients include bupleurum, white peony root, aurantium, magnolia bark, perilla seed, mulberry bark, rehmannia root, jasmine butterfly, thunbergia thunbergii, platycodon grandiflorum, etc. If there is obvious dull pain in the ribs, add Toosendan fruit and Corydalis yanhusuo as appropriate; if there is obvious dry and sore throat, add Scutellaria baicalensis and Belamcanda chinensis as appropriate; if there is depression, discomfort, and irritability, add Anemarrhena asphodeloides, Cortex Moutan and Gardenia jasminoides as appropriate. Symptoms of liver-stomach disharmony and upward flow of qi are often related to gastroesophageal reflux, and 24-hour esophageal pH monitoring of patients is positive. The clinical manifestations are dry cough with little sputum, choking cough, easy to occur at night, often accompanied by heartburn and acid reflux, especially after eating, discomfort in the flanks, restless sleep, pale red tongue, thin white fur, and wiry pulse. Analyzing the etiology and pathogenesis, the disease originates from the stomach, then spreads to the lungs, and involves the liver qi. The syndrome is liver-stomach disharmony, disorder of qi movement, and upward flow of lung qi. When discussing and treating this disease, the lungs should be taken as the symptoms and the liver and stomach as the base; relieving cough should be the symptoms and relieving reflux should be the base. Therefore, the treatment is to soothe the liver and harmonize the stomach, reduce adverse effects and stop coughing. The prescription is a combination of Xuanfu Daizhe Decoction and Banxia Houpu Decoction with modifications, including ingredients such as Xuanfu flower, Daizhe stone, Pinellia ternata, Magnolia bark, Perilla seed, Curcuma aromatica, roasted loquat leaf, bitter almond, Coptis chinensis, Evodia rutaecarpa, and cuttlefish bone. Liver-yin deficiency and wind-shaking bell-ringing syndrome is common in cough variant asthma, and often occurs in spring. Clinically, it is often manifested as recurrent or continuous cough, which often occurs or worsens at night or in the morning, and is mainly characterized by dry cough, sometimes with a small amount of white sticky sputum, occasionally accompanied by wheezing, chest tightness, dull pain in the ribs, dry throat and thirst, red tongue with little coating, and a stringy and thin pulse. Most patients have allergic constitution and often have a personal history of allergies or allergic diseases such as urticaria, eczema, etc. Bronchial provocation test or bronchial relaxation test is positive. The syndrome belongs to deficiency of liver yin and blood, dry blood causing wind, yin deficiency causing wind movement, internal wind disturbing the body upwards, and ringing of the shaking bell. The treatment should be to soften the liver and extinguish wind, clear the lungs and reduce the adverse effects. The prescription should be allergy decoction with added ingredients, such as black plum, schisandra chinensis, bupleurum, saposhnikovia divaricata, white peony root, Uncaria rhynchophylla, earthworm, cornus fruit, magnetite, peucedanum chinense, and licorice. To sum up, dry cough is a symptom of many acute and chronic diseases. Its causes are diverse, involving multiple organs, with varying degrees of severity and treatment responses. Therefore, in the process of diagnosis and treatment, we should carefully study its etiology and pathogenesis, identify the location of the affected organs, distinguish between the symptoms and the deficiency and excess, combine syndrome differentiation with disease differentiation, and carry out targeted and specific treatment. Only in this way can we hit the mark and achieve effective results.