How to Cure the 100 Day Cough (Adults) Holistically

Last Updated: March 16, 2022 References Approved

The “100 Day Cough” is medically known as pertussis or the whooping cough. For the first 1-2 weeks after you're infected, your symptoms will seem a lot like the cold or flu - runny nose, fever, and a cough. After 2 weeks the cough gets much worse and usually turns into coughing fits that sometimes result in vomiting. Coughing fits can last more than 10 weeks in some cases.^{[1]
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Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source} Pertussis is highly contagious and is easily spread from person to person.^{[2]
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Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source} Because pertussis is a bacterial infection, the best method of treatment is an antibiotic, but this must be done within the first 3 weeks of infection, after which the infection is usually gone and you're just left with the nasty cough.^{[3]
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Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source} There is no cure for pertussis. Your only choice is to let it run its course, but you can try one of several options to help relieve the cough.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Seeing Your Doctor

1
Make an appointment with your doctor. During the first 2 weeks of pertussis you will likely think you have a cold or the flu. Therefore it can be hard to determine if you should see your doctor at this point. However, if you know for a fact that you've been in contact with someone else who has been diagnosed with pertussis, see a doctor immediately when symptoms begin. Otherwise the timing of a doctor's appointment will need to be based on how you feel. If the cough gets worse, and turns into coughing fits, that may be a good time to consider seeing your doctor.
2
Quarantine yourself. Pertussis is extremely contagious, and can be fatal to infants. To be safe, not just for yourself but for everyone around you, expose yourself to as few people as possible. This means you should stay home from work and school, you should not attend events outside of your home, you should not have friends over just for socializing, etc. If you have children at home, make sure you stay away from them as much as possible, and that they're washing their hands often.

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3
Ask your doctor for an antibiotic. Pertussis is caused by a bacteria called Bordetella pertussis. This bacteria can be spread from person to person via liquid droplets in the air caused by coughing or sneezing. People who have not been vaccinated, and infants, are more susceptible to the disease. In the case of infants the disease could be fatal. The bacteria is normally in your system for the first 3 weeks after you've been infected, and it is during this time that you can also be contagious. Your doctor may decide that an oral antibiotic may help prevent you from passing the disease onto someone else. It will also help clear up the infection faster.
4
Consult your doctor about cough suppressants. In general, over-the-counter cough suppressants don't help the cough caused by pertussis, but there are alternatives your doctor may consider. Both corticosteroids and albuterol have been known to reduce coughing fits, but must be prescribed by a doctor.
5
Make sure you're up-to-date with your vaccinations. Vaccines in and of themselves do not offer a cure, but they help your body build the proper immunities to very serious diseases. This then helps to prevent you from getting those diseases in the future. Whether you got vaccinations as a child or not, it is still important to stay up-to-date with vaccinations as an adult. Consult your doctor to determine which vaccinations you may require.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Getting the Right Nutrition

1
Drink a lot of fluids. In general, adults should consume between 11 and 15 cups (2.7-3.7 litres) of liquid every day. This amount, however, includes the liquid (including water) that you receive from ALL sources, including food. The general guideline to ensure you're drinking enough liquids is to not allow yourself to stay thirsty, and to have a drink with every meal. Any type of liquid can be included in this daily consumption (i.e. soup, milk, tea, coffee, soda, juice, etc.).^{[4]
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Research source} While items like coffee, tea and soda are a form of liquid that will assist with your daily intake, you should try not to make them your only source.^{[5]
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Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
2
Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables, in general, contain a lot of vitamins and nutrients which can help keep you strong and healthy. When you're sick they may also be helpful as they contain a decent amount of water and may be more appetizing than other types of foods.^{[6]
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Trustworthy Source
Mayo Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
3
Take your required vitamins. Ideally you should try to consume 400-1000 mg of vitamin C, 20-30 mg of zinc, and 20,000 to 50,000 IU of beta carotene per day. You can sometimes obtain these amounts based on the foods you eat, but it is not always possible. To be sure you receive enough of these vitamins and minerals every day, you can take a multi-vitamin or individual vitamins.
- Multi-vitamins don't always contain enough of each type of vitamin and mineral your body requires. Make sure to check the ingredient label to ensure a multi-vitamin has enough of what you need. If not, purchase the individual vitamins you require.
- Always check with your doctor when taking vitamins and minerals, especially if you're on other medications, to ensure there are no side effects or interactions.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Using Herbs for Tea

1
Check with your doctor before using herbs. Some, but not all, herbs can interact with medications. If you are currently taking one or more medications, check with your doctor or pharmacist before using a herbal remedy. They will be able to provide you with advice on what herbs to avoid while you're taking that specific medication.
- There are no herbs that have been researched specifically for pertussis. But many herbs have been found to help strengthen the immune system and reduce coughing, which might be helpful if you have pertussis.
2
Sip tea made with echinacea. Echinacea is used to help strengthen the immune system. You may be familiar with it as a supplement you can purchase at the drug store and take if you feel the onset of a cold. But you can also make tea using dried echinacea.
- Add 1 teaspoon of echinacea to 1 cup of boiling water and letting it steep for 5-10 minutes.
- Once steeped you can drink 2-4 cups of the tea per day.
- If using the supplement version, follow the instructions on the bottle.
3
Make garlic tea. Garlic is known to strengthen your immune system, and a strong immune system can help you fight viruses and bacteria.
- Crush 2-3 cloves of garlic and add the crushed garlic to 2 cups of water in a saucepan.
- Allow the mixture to boil and simmer for 15 minutes, then remove the garlic pieces.
- Drink the cooled mixture. Add honey if you need to sweeten the tea.
- You can drink 2-4 mugs of garlic tea per day.
4
Sip hyssop tea. Hyssop is a herb that is also known for its expectorant properties, meaning it can help get rid of mucus. Hyssop leaves can be used to make a tea, which may have a similar taste to that of mint. Hyssop also has a smell similar to camphor, which is used to help unblock congested airways.^{[7]
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Research source}
- Place 1 teaspoon of hyssop in a mug of boiling water and allow it to steep for 5-10 minutes.
- You can drink the tea 2-4 times a day.
5
Steep anise tea. Anise is the herb used to flavour black liquorice and some liqueurs. If you don't like black liquorice or the associated liqueurs, then this is probably not an option you should try. Anise is considered an expectorant, which means it helps to get rid of mucus. Many over-the-counter cough medicines use anise in their formula.
- Add 1 teaspoon of anise to 1 cup of boiling water and allow to steep for 5-10 minutes.
- You can drink 2-4 mugs of anise tea per day to help your cough.
6
Make catnip tea. Catnip is a type of mint and the fresh plant does give off a nice minty scent, especially when you break the leaves or stems. Catnip is also an antispasmodic, which means it can help control or relieve the coughing fits brought on by pertussis. Fresh or dried leaves can be used to make a tea.^{[8]
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Research source}
- Put 1 teaspoon of catnip in a mug of boiling water and allow it to steep for 5-10 minutes.
- You can drink 2-4 mugs of catnip tea per day.
7
Drink chamomile tea. Chamomile is known as an antispasmodic, which means it can help control spasms and convulsions, like the coughing fits that pertussis is known for. Since there are many chamomile teas commercially available, this may be the quickest and easiest option. But you can also make your own chamomile using the dried or fresh herb.^{[9]
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Research source}
- Add 1 teaspoon of the herb to 1 cup of boiling water and allow it to steep for 5-10 minutes.
- Drink the tea 2-4 times a day to help your cough.
8
Sip thyme tea. Thyme is known as an antispasmodic, which means it helps relieve spasms or convulsions, which in the case of pertussis, would be the coughing fits. You can use dried thyme or the fresh herb to make tea.^{[10]
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Trustworthy Source
PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source}
- Add 2 teaspoons of dried thyme, or 1 sprig (slightly crushed), to a mug of boiling water.
- Steep for 5-10 minutes.
- You can drink 2-4 mugs of thyme tea a day.
- Do not consume thyme essential oil, it is toxic.
9
Consider trying other herbs. Many other herbs can be used to make a tea that might help to alleviate the cough of pertussis. Astragalus (immune system booster), elecampane (expectorant), mullein (expectorant), and indian tobacco (antispasmodic) have all been used to treat coughs.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Experimenting with Other Home Remedies

1
Swallow a spoonful of honey. Medical research has found that cough syrup works no better than honey. Chances are, you may prefer the taste of honey over the taste of cough syrup. If that is the case, swallow 1 tablespoon of honey up to 3 times per day to help coat your irritated throat and slow down or stop your coughing.^{[11]
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Research source
Reader's Digest, <i>Foods that Harm, Foods that Heal</i> (New York: The Reader's Digest Association, Inc., 2013), 112-113.}
2
Gargle salt water. Mix 1 teaspoon of regular, everyday salt into a glass of warm water. Make sure the salt is completely dissolved and then take a sip and gargle. Gargle for about 15 seconds and then spit the salt water out. You can continue to gargle until you've used up all the water in the glass. If you have a leftover salty taste in your mouth afterwards, just rinse with regular water.
3
Breathe in steaming water. Do you know that feeling of complete relief you get when you have a nice hot shower while you have a cold, and for those few brief moments you can actually breathe? This method is similar, but adds some soothing ingredients to help alleviate your cough as well. Put boiling water in a medium-sized bowl and let it cool down for about a minute. Add 3 drops of tea tree oil and 1-2 drops of eucalyptus oil and stir. Lean you face over the bowl, set yourself in a comfortable position, and just breathe! Put a towel over your head and around the bowl to help keep the vapours close to your face. You can do this for 5-10 minutes at a time, up to 2-3 times a day.^{[12]
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Trustworthy Source
Cleveland Clinic
Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
Go to source}
- You can also add 3-6 drops of your favourite essential oil to a humidifier or a bath to help relieve congestion.
4
Apply a castor oil chest paste. For this chest paste you'll need ½ cup of cold-pressed castor oil, 1-2 cloves of garlic (crushed), 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger, 3-4 drops of eucalyptus oil, and ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Add all the ingredients together in one bowl and mix thoroughly. Apply the finished mixture to your chest - ideally under an old t-shirt that you won't mind getting messy.
- Alternatively, you can just use castor oil without any other ingredients. Put the castor oil directly onto a soft cloth on your chest, and then put plastic wrap over top of the cloth. Then you can you place a heat source over the plastic wrap for 30-60 minutes. Castor oil is an anti-inflammatory, and, according to some research, an immune booster.
5
Eat dark chocolate. You're sick after all, you can eat whatever you want! Eating 50-100g of dark chocolate will actually help to reduce a cough due to the ingredient theobromine. While milk chocolate also contains theobromine, it doesn't contain as high a concentration and therefore won't work as effectively as dark chocolate.^{[13]
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Trustworthy Source
PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
Go to source}

Warnings

All the suggestions outlined in this article are recommended ONLY for adults. Do not try any of these suggestions on children without first speaking to your paediatrician.

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Always discuss your other prescription and non-prescription medications with your doctor or pharmacist when you're prescribed a new medication.

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