My 3-year-old child has had a persistent cough for two weeks. I heard that drinking honey soaked with male papaya flowers helps treat coughs. Is this remedy effective? (Thanh Thao, 26, Lang Son)

A 10-year-old boy experienced coughing and difficulty breathing after a traffic accident; doctors discovered a broken tooth had fallen into his trachea, nearly obstructing his airway.

Coughs from respiratory illness are often prolonged and productive, while heart failure typically causes a dry cough with little phlegm.