Why am i coughing

Most times we wonder why, out of no where we start coughing. Some persons start to panic while others begin to seek for self medication.

I want to deviate a little from my motivational write ups. As a health care personnel, health topics never leave our lips.

I would like to let you know that cough is not a disease but its a sign that there is an abnormality in the system.

Now let me tell you briefly what leads to coughing;

• Cold or flu: In cases where you've exposed yourself to a cold environment and you catch cold.

• Foreign particles/ mucous lodging in the respiratory tract.

• Sign of an illness, especially the ones related to the respiratory tract.

• Allergy: Exposure to chemicals or substance that irritate the respiratory tract.

Cough is a protective reflex action that occurs when there is an obstruction in the respiratory tract. Once the receptors in the tract are triggered we respond by coughing to push out those particles/mucous causing an obstruction.

So when next you cough bear that in mind. Do not panic, relax your mind and keep rehydrating. It has been shown that fluids(water) decreases the viscosity of mucous present in the respiratory tract.

Before seeking for self medication find out the etiology/cause of the cough.

There are cases where someone will be on ACEIs (antihypertensive drugs) and will develop a very dry cough but then without knowing it was caused by an ACEI will proceed to the Pharmacy to get a Cough syrup. The cough medication wont serve its purpose as long the Ingestion of ACEI is till there.

There are two types of cough

• Dry cough or unproductive cough: there is abscence of mucous. Here, the cough is usually tiring and affects the sleep pattern of the person involved. This particular cough is to be suppressed with medications called pharyngeal demulcents.

• Productive cough: Here mucous secretion is involved and it is unhealthy to suppress this cough. It is to be drained entirely with expectorants.

The more cough persists the more chronic it becomes. Now i'm not here to bore you, i just want you to always determine the cause of that cough before you treat. Better still, talk to a certified doctor or pharmacist if the cough persists.

Stay safe and stay healthy too.

I hope this helps someone today.