To minimize the health risks of a non-mainstream treatment. 1  Discuss it with your doctor. It might have side effects or interact with other medicines. 2  Find out what the research says about it. 3  Choose practitioners carefully. 4  Tell all of your doctors and practitioners about all of the different types of treatments you use.
1 Acute coughs usually begin rapidly and are often due to a cold, flu, or sinus infection. They usually go away after 3 weeks. 2  Subacute coughs last 3 to 8 weeks.  Chronic coughs last longer than 3 weeks.
By Mayo Clinic Staff. While an occasional cough is normal, a cough that persists may be a sign of a medical problem. A cough is considered acute if it lasts less than three weeks. It is considered chronic if it lasts longer than eight weeks (four weeks in children). Some causes of coughs include: