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.
A dry cough means it's tickly and doesn't produce any phlegm (thick mucus). A chesty cough means phlegm is produced to help clear your airways. Most coughs clear up within three weeks and don't require any treatment. For more persistent coughs, it's a good idea to see your GP so they can investigate the cause. Find out when to see your GP.
From that research, most people think they should be over a cough in 7-8 days. However, a cough caused by acute cough illness (ACI) commonly diagnosed as acute bronchitis, normally lasts upwards of 18 days. This research then details that if the cough lasts longer than what is expected, we self-diagnose with a more severe disease such as pneumonia.