Men\'s Health Malaysia - Jun 2017

36 JUNE 2017

WHEN YOU CATCH A COLD, THE
runny nose and sneezing subside
after a few days. The coughing?
It just keeps coming, like bad
reality TV. The hack outlasts other
symptoms in seven out of 10 cold
sufferers, according to research
by Peter Dicpinigaitis, M.D., of the
Montefiore Cough Center. If you
also have chest pain, fever or blood,
or if you’ve been coughing for two
months or longer, see a doctor stat,
Dr. Dicpinigaitis says. Otherwise,
the barking is prob ably no big deal.
And you can defeat it once you know
how it works. “Coughing is a reflex,
just like an itch,” he says. Here’s
how to scratch it.

2/ Vagus Nerve

The irritated receptors

in your windpipe and

airway send signals to

your brain through the

fibres of this large nerve.

4/ Chest

Your cough centre tells

your chest muscles to

tighten as you inhale air.

The cough is coming!

Your chest may push up

phlegm, though most

post-cold coughs are

dry. Consistently hacking

up slimy stuff could be

a sign of bronchitis or a

chronic condition called

bron chiectasis, which

can damage your airway.

See a doctor if it persists.

5/ Mouth

and Throat

You open your epiglottis

(the windpipe’s entrance)

and force air out your

throat and mouth. The

cough can irritate nerves

in your throat, which may

send signals through the

vagus nerve to trigger

the whole process

again. To calm those

cranky nerves, swallow

a spoonful of something

sticky and sweet, like

honey. Or pop a cough

drop with menthol,

which may desensitise

receptors in your throat.

3/ Medullary

Cough Centre

Your brain has a hacking

HQ. It’s in your medulla, a

region that coordinates

involuntary actions.

When the cough centre

receives a signal from

the vagus nerve, the

cough reflex kicks in.

You could stop it with

dextromethorphan,

an over-the-counter

cough suppressant that

works by muting your

cough center. You need

at least 30 milligrams

to do the trick, and

many prod ucts are too

weak, Dr. Dicpinigaitis

says. And check for

drug interactions:

dextromethorphan

is dangerous when

it’s taken with certain

drugs, including some

antidepressants.

1/ Windpipe and

Lower Airway

These passages are

lined with sensitive

receptors. Invading

viruses irritate and

inflame them, and the

irritation can persist

even after your immune

system clears the

infection. Head this off: in

a study published in the

journal Medicine, people

who always washed their

hands before eat ing,

after using the toilet, and

after coming home from

community activities

were able to significantly

reduce their odds of

coming down with the

flu – a common cause of

coughs.

Why

Yo u

Cough

5

2

1

4

3

WORDS

JULIE STEWART

ILLUSTRATIONS

PETER AND MARIA HOEY

Health

Use our guide to send that

nasty hack packing

36 JUNE 2017