Managing Cough as a Defense Mechanism and as a Symptom

Almost everyone coughs sometime; some people cough a lot, nearly all the time.

There are many causes of cough.

While cough is sometimes just a minor annoyance, it can warn of a more serious problem.

Four ways to look at cough:

Cough helps us clear mucus and foreign material from our airways; in this respect, cough is useful and needs to be as effective as possible.
Cough can be a symptom of a disease or of a problem, such as a peanut stuck in the airway.
Cough spreads colds and other infections from one person to another.
Occasionally, in certain persons with heart trouble, cough can be lifesaving by helping restore normal beating in a heart experiencing abnormal beating or rhythm.




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