Treating Chronic Cough and Bronchitis
A cough is one of the body’s ways to protect itself. It clears mucus, dust, and germs from the lungs. But when a cough won’t go away, it can leave you tired, disrupt sleep, and make daily life difficult. Chronic cough and bronchitis are particularly common during the cooler months. The good news: both Western and Chinese medicine offer effective ways to help you breathe easier and recover faster.
How Western Medicine Sees It
From a medical standpoint, a chronic cough often comes from postnasal drip, asthma, acid reflux, or chronic bronchitis. In bronchitis, the airways become inflamed and fill with mucus.
Your doctor may prescribe:
Bronchodilators to open the airways
Antibiotics, if there’s an infection
Mucus thinners or expectorants to help clear congestion
Steroids or anti-inflammatories to calm irritation
These treatments work well for symptoms, but sometimes inflammation or mucus buildup keeps coming back, as the cause may not have been addressed. This is where natural therapies can help strengthen the body’s healing response.
How Chinese Medicine Understands Cough
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), coughs often start not just in the lungs, but in weak digestion. When digestion is sluggish, the body creates excess “dampness” or mucus that can rise into the lungs. This is why Chinese medicine treats both the lungs and the digestive system (the “Spleen”) to stop coughs from returning. Studies in microbiome confirm that the mucus membranes of the respiratory and digestive tracts share similarities.
Dairy, fried or greasy foods, sweets, iced drinks, and raw salads make mucus worse. Foods that help include warm soups, cooked vegetables, rice or oats, and steamed fruits like pears or loquats. Garlic and ginger are excellent for warming the body and clearing the lungs.
Three Natural Therapies That Help
Acupuncture: Calms Inflammation and Opens the Lungs
Modern studies show acupuncture can reduce airway inflammation, balance the immune system, and relax tight chest muscles. By stimulating specific points on the body, acupuncture helps reduce swelling and mucus in the airways, relax breathing muscles to ease coughing and wheezing, and support the immune system to fight lingering infections. In clinical studies, acupuncture improved breathing, reduced cough frequency, and helped patients recover faster from bronchitis and COPD.
Chinese Herbs: Clear Mucus / Phlegm and Soothe the Lungs
Chinese herbs act like gentle plant-based medicines that target the root cause of chronic cough. Apricot Seed lubricates dryness, relieves cough and wheezing. White Mulberry bark - calms bronchial spasm, soothes cough and asthma. Aged Tangerine peel clears stubborn mucus and opens airways.
Studies show that Chinese herbal formulas, including these and other herbs, such as those in Immunity, Allergy Tamer, or Metal Element formula, can improve lung function and reduce flare-ups in chronic cough and COPD.
Herbs are customized to your needs and can safely complement antibiotics or other Western medications when clinically formulated by a licensed practitioner.
Cupping: Improves Circulation and Loosens Congestion
Cupping uses gentle suction cups on the back to draw blood flow to the surface, boost circulation, and relieve tension in the chest and back. By improving circulation and immune response, it can help warm and open the lungs, break up chest congestion, and speed healing.
When combined, topical herbs like wintergreen, eucalyptus, and fennel found in Tonic Oil are massaged onto the chest and upper back, temporarily relieving cough and asthma. Many patients find cupping helps loosen phlegm, relieve tightness, and promote deeper breathing—especially when done after acupuncture or with herbal therapy.
East Meets West: A Balanced Approach
Western treatments focus on quick relief—clearing infection, opening airways, and stopping inflammation. Chinese medicine focuses on long-term balance—strengthening the lungs, improving digestion, and preventing relapse. When combined, these two systems work beautifully: Western medicine treats the symptoms while TCM strengthens the root. Together, they reduce flare-ups, shorten recovery, and build lasting lung strength.
Chronic cough doesn’t have to drag you down. By blending modern medicine with the time-tested wisdom of acupuncture, herbs, and cupping, you can heal more completely and prevent future flare-ups. If your cough lingers, contact Tao of Wellness offices and our doctors will create an integrative plan tailored to your body—so you can breathe deeply, sleep soundly, and live fully again.