14

CHAPTER

253

Respiratory Diseases

No one looks forward to the cold season when many of us come down with a

sore throat, the sniffles, and a cough and feel utterly dreadful. A lot of chicken

soup and TLC usually is the cure. Chicken soup is not a drug but it does contain

a mucous-thinning amino acid called cysteine and is considered “grandma’s

remedy” for the common cold. Actually, time is the best cure and most people

feel better in 7 to 10 days with or without chicken soup.

The common cold is one of a number of respiratory diseases that can infect

our body. The common cold can be annoying. However, some respiratory dis-

eases—such as emphysema—are debilitating and can slowly choke the life out of

a person.

In this chapter, we’ll explore the more common respiratory diseases and

learnabout the medications that are used to either destroy the disease-causing

microorganism or to manage the symptoms of the disease.

A Brief Look at Respiration

Before learning about respiratory diseases and the medications used to treat them,

let’s take a few moments to briefly review the anatomy and physiology of the res-

piratory tract. This review will help you better understand the disease and treatment.

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