If you have a cough, it is tempting to think nothing of it. Many people simply soldier on even when they have a cough with phlegm or a persistent cough. They simply take a cold medication and get on with things.
Sometimes this approach is OK, if you are young and strong and take the right medication you will quickly cure your cough. If you are older, you will need rest as well as medication to recover from a chronic cough. The important thing is not to simply leave a cough untreated. This is especially important if your cough is accompanied with green mucus.
A Simple Cough Can Develop into an Infection
The main reason you need to treat a cough is that an untreated cough can quickly develop into a worse infection. Once established an infection can work its way deep into your lungs and develop into something more serious. Once you have a lung infection it will take a lot of time to shift. For the very young or the elderly, a lung infection can be very serious. It can even result in death, so not treating a cough is very unwise in these age groups.
You also need to bear in mind that coughs spread infections. By leaving your cough untreated, you are spreading germs to other people, which is another reason you should treat a cough as soon as you can.
It makes sense to have a general cough treatment in your medical cabinet, so you can begin treatment as soon as possible. A persistent cough will soon give you a sore throat, so you do not want to get caught out and have to spend the weekend with an untreated hacking cough.
When to see a Doctor
In most cases over the counter treatments will be sufficient. They will ease the discomfort, stimulate your body’s immune system and attack the underlying cause. However, if a cough does not respond to this treatment within three weeks you need to see a doctor. The elderly or children should see a GP sooner, if it sounds like the infection is spreading to their chest.
To learn more about coughs and find the right treatment for a chronic cough visit the Mucus Management website.