According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, parents should not give over-the-counter cough medicines to children younger than 4. Parents can teach their 3-year-old simple steps to avoid catching cold and cough, such as hand...
Dry and throaty, wet and chesty, intermittent or unrelenting: children's coughs may possess a variety of qualities. When they interfere with daily life or keep the family up all night, some kind of remedy is necessary. Parents should contact their...
Strong over-the-counter cold medications help people make it through the cold and flu season, but some drugs can raise blood pressure. Individuals with hypertension or heart disease should choose medicines by the cold symptoms that they treat....
Codeine is used as prescription cough medicine and is also used as a painkiller. It's an opiate, which puts it in the same family as morphine, opium and heroin. That means it can be taken and abused as a recreational drug. Symptoms include a slow...
Prescription drugs have their place in our medically advanced society. There are many diseases people would die from if not for prescription drugs, and some prescription drugs seem to make life easier when you have a small ailment such as the flu...
A cough occurs as an involuntary reflex to protect the airways from foreign substances and excessive mucus. The airways contain tiny hair-like projections known as cilia. When the cilia become irritated, it stimulates the nerve endings and...
Coughing is the body's response to irritation in the throat or lungs according to Health911.com. The two kinds of coughs are congested and dry coughs, which are caused by colds, bronchial infections, smoking and allergies. Dust, pollen and...
When a nasty cold lingers and carries a respiratory infection to the lungs--that's when bronchitis can set in. Smokers and people who are exposed to smoke increase their risk of having a cold turn into bronchitis. A persistent, hacking cough that...
We often hear about cold and cough medicine recalls and safety warnings, such as the 2009 safety warning issued by the Food and Drug Administration for prescription cough medicines containing hydrocodone. Because of concerns about the potential...
The lungs secrete mucus to trap small particles and germs. Hair-like projections in the airways and coughing clear lung mucus in healthy patients. Certain medical conditions and diseases cause an accumulation of lung mucus that may interfere with...
Even though most coughs go away on their own, a persistent cough is nagging and disruptive. Cough medicines are intended to reduce coughs related to respiratory tract infections. They are two kinds of cough medicine, each treating a different kind...
Teenagers abuse all sorts of drugs, including, but not limited to, alcohol, inhalants, cold and cough medicine, prescription drugs, marijuana, acid and cocaine. HelpGuide.org suggests a number of warning signs that can help identify teen drug...
Cough is one of the most pervasive cold symptoms. Some prescription medicines suppress or relieve cough symptoms. Medications prescribed by a doctor are generally stronger and longer lasting than over-the-counter anti-cough medications, which come...
Serotonin is a naturally occurring brain chemical that helps brain and nerve cells communicate. But when too much builds up, it can cause toxicity and even death. This usually occurs when people take two or more medications that increase the level...
Cold and flu season are prime time for all sorts of upper respiratory illnesses. Avoiding disease-causing bacteria and viruses in the first place is the best way to keep from getting sick. However, if you do become ill, home remedies are available...
Sometimes you want a gentle, natural way of stopping a cough without drugs and their accompanying side effects. There are several herbal remedies purported to relieve minor coughing associated with allergies or an upper respiratory infection. You...
The inside of your mouth is lined with three pairs of salivary glands -- the sublingual, submandibular and parotid glands. There are also hundreds of tiny ones tucked under the lining of your mouth, which makes it all the more baffling if you...
The body responds to irritation and inflammation in the throat and upper respiratory tract by coughing to clear and relieve itching, tickling and phlegm. Allergies from pollen, dust or animal dander, the flu, colds, bronchitis, pneumonia and a...
The flu is a viral infection that affects the respiratory system. Called seasonal influenza, the peak time of year for flu is between November and March. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that every year anywhere from 5 to...
While sodium is an essential mineral, Americans consume about 20 times more than their bodies need, according to the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. The prevalence of elevated sodium levels in most processed foods is...
Children experience tiredness from time to time, especially during their developmental years when they have growth spurts. Generally a nap and some rest will help to cure fatigue. If your child has an overwhelming need to sleep even after adequate...
Zolpidem, also known by its brand name, Ambien, is classified as a non-benzodiazepine sedative-hypnotic. According to the manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis U.S., it is used for short-term treatment of insomnia. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine...
Coughing could be due to a cold or the flu, but the reason for a cough isn't always clear. Even your doctor may have trouble determining the exact cause. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments of a cough in this video.
