Understanding What Your Baby's Cough Might Mean | BabyGaga - BabyGaga

Posted: 28 Jun 2020 02:05 PM PDT

Many babies get coughs, and some coughs tend to linger. While many coughs do not require any special action, a cough can be distressing to your toddler, and you, too. According to Parents, coughing is typical because that is how the body gets to clear nasal airways of something irksome. Moreover, babies cough for the same reasons that adults do, and it is perfectly normal for your toddler to develop a cough when he or she has a cold.

Causes Of Coughs In Babies

The most prevalent cause of coughing is a viral respiratory contagion when it manifests as a sign of a cold or flu. Other causes include asthma and allergies, irritations from the environment, and bacterial respiratory tract contagions.

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According to WebMD, viral infections have to run their course but you should see your doctor if your baby develops other symptoms. Likewise, bacterial respiratory infections, asthma, and allergies require special treatment.

Decoding Your Baby's Cough

Baby coughs can be alarming to a first-time parent. Moreover, the coughs come in various forms and sounds, and it can be hard for a parent to treat the coughs if he or she does not understand what they mean. According to pediatricians, here are eight types of coughs and what they mean.

Barking Cough

A barking cough is usually caused by a swelling of the windpipe and the voice box. The condition goes by the name 'croup,' which causes the barky, hoarse, or raspy sound in your baby's cough. Toddlers younger than three years are at risk for croup because their nasal passages are quite narrow. Most croup cases start at night and are usually mild and can be treated at home.

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Cough With Fever

Some coughs can be accompanied by a mild fever, and sometimes a runny nose. Minor fevers are often an indication of a common cold. Other times when your baby's body temperature is at a high of 102⁰F, it can be due to pneumonia – particularly if the baby is lethargic and breathing rapidly.

Cough With Vomiting

Sometimes a baby can cough so much that it prompts their gag reflex causing them to barf. However, this is usually not a cause for worry, unless your baby cannot stop throwing up and develops a high fever. Look out for signs of dehydration if your baby is vomiting with his or her cough. Such signs include dry mouth, irritability, tearless cries, sunken eyes, and declining urine output.

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Dry Cough

Dry cough or hacking cough is triggered by residual mucus that will ultimately resolve. The mucus in swollen and narrowed lung airways causes the irritation that results in a dry cough. If your baby's dry cough occurs mostly at night that could be a sign that your toddler has asthma.

Nighttime Cough

Nighttime coughs happen during sleep when the secretions from your baby's nose and sinuses go down the throat. Also, coughs can be the result of asthma because the air passageways are inclined to being abnormally sensitive at night. The cough becomes a problem if it prevents your baby from sleeping.

Phlegmy Cough

Phlegmy or wet coughs are coughs that are productive or produce phlegm (mucus). Wet coughs are common with babies and can last for a couple of weeks. Home remedies for phlegmy coughs include the use of bulb syringes and nasal sprays to clear phlegm in babies who cannot blow their nose on their own. Warm baths and humidifiers can also help. The coughs are usually a sign of a bacterial respiratory infection, and if the coughing persists call your healthcare provider immediately.

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Wheezing Cough

Wheezing coughs have a croaky or whistling sound followed by a wheezing sound when your baby exhales. Wheezing coughs can be the result of asthma, viral infections, and if the lower air passage is jammed by a foreign object. If your child begins to cough after inhaling tiny food particles or a small toy, see your physician immediately.

Whooping Cough

Whooping cough or pertussis is a cough that comes together with a 'whooping' sound when your baby inhales. Other signs include runny nose and dry coughs, and it is a severe cough caused by a bacterial respiratory infection. Your baby may cough a dozen times in one breath in extreme cases.

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When To Be Worried About Your Baby's Cough

If your baby cannot stop coughing even after the airway has been cleared, or if the cough lasts for more than two weeks, call his or her pediatrician. Likewise, if your baby is not yet four months old, a pediatrician should diagnose any cough.

NEXT: Family Evacuated From Quebec To Paris Flight Over Fears Of Coughing Baby

Sources: healthychildren.org, kidshealth.org, healthline.com.

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Is honey healthy? | The New Times | Rwanda - The New Times

Posted: 28 Jun 2020 12:04 PM PDT

Honey is known for its sweet taste, but it serves many purposes, medicinal even. It is used as a substitute for sugar, others use it to treat cough or the common cold, among other things.

According to Dieudonne Bukaba, a nutritionist at Avega Clinic Remera, honey contains a number of antioxidants, including phenolic compounds like flavonoids.

The World Health Organization regards honey as a treasured demulcent for the treatment of cough. It is a viscous liquid with a complex chemical composition of carbohydrates, free amino acids, vitamins, trace elements, and flavonoids. It also contains compounds that function as antioxidants.

Some studies show that honey improves heart disease risk factors in people with diabetes. Nevertheless, it also raises blood sugar levels, therefore, it cannot be considered healthy for people with diabetes.

Another study shows that honey reduces cough symptoms and enhances sleep more than cough medication, and can act as a natural and safe cough suppressant.

Bukaba explains that consuming honey may lead to modest reductions in blood pressure, which is an important risk factor for heart disease, but also, honey has a helpful effect on cholesterol levels. It leads to modest reductions in total and "bad" LDL cholesterol while escalating "good" HDL cholesterol.

According to research-based evaluations on honey, it has been shown to decrease the harshness and the duration of diarrhoea. Honey also stimulates increased potassium and water intake, which is predominantly helpful when suffering from diarrhoea.

Bukaba notes that honey can also be a remedy to stress, weakness, sleep disturbance, vision problems, bad breath, teeth pain, in children over a year old, cough and asthma, hiccups, stomach ulcers, dysentery, vomiting, bedwetting, and frequent urination.

He adds that honey can also be medicine for high blood pressure, obesity, hangover relief, eczema, and dermatitis, burns, cuts, and wounds and arthritis.

"Honey has helped to reduce the risk of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD can cause inflammation, acid reflux, and heartburn," the health expert says.

According to Healthline, honey is confirmed to be effective as a treatment for Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) bacteria, though, a common cause of stomach ulcers. It's also a potent prebiotic, meaning it nurtures the good bacteria that lives in the intestines, which is crucial not only for digestion but overall health.

However, in addition to beneficial prebiotics and nutrients, raw honey can also carry harmful bacteria such as clostridium botulinum. This is particularly dangerous for babies. Raw honey should never be given to an infant less than a year old. Symptoms of botulism poisoning in infants may include: constipation, slow breathing, sagging eyelids, loss of head control, paralysis that spreads downward, poor feeding, and weak cry, states Healthline.

Researchers explain that honey contains specific nutrients that can make it a healthy addition to the diet. Natural honey contains amounts of vitamins and minerals, like niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, phosphorous and zinc.

Diabetic people or those on sugar-restricted diets are advised by health experts to take honey in moderation to avoid significant changes in their blood sugar levels. Pure honey has a glycaemic index (GI) of 58, which is why it has a medium effect on blood sugar levels.

Numerous studies have recommended that honey works well as a wound healing dressing. Honey is useful in wound healing because of its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. Some evidence also proposes that honey has antiviral and antifungal properties. Additionally, honey is acidic, which helps release oxygen from the wound, hence, encouraging healing.

editor@newtimesrwanda.com

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