Cough is surrounded by numerous myths, like the ones saying that you should drink alcohol when you are suffering from cough or others. Here are ten interesting and REAL facts about this annoying thing and its treatments.
1. Cough is not a disease but rather a defensive repeatedly occurring reflex which helps to remove various unnatural particles from the respiratory tract, like smoke or dust. People also start coughing when they get infected with flu or cold. However, when cough becomes permanent, it can be called a symptom of the illness and may even cause a wide range of diseases.
2. Popular thought that cough is safe for human’s health and can be ignored is a true myth. Cough may cause serious troubles for your health if it lasts for a long time period, like a chest pain, headache, depression, vomiting and urinary incontinence.
3. Chronic coughing which lasts longer than eight weeks is not a normal thing and if you can’t find the causes of its appearance, you should see the doctor immediately. The long-term daily coughing is a sign that there is something wrong with your body.
4. According to your cough you can see if your illness is gone. If you still suffer from annoying cough, it’s likely that your disease is not over. Doctors recommend avoiding going out when it’s cold outside because it’s more difficult to breathe in the cold air and your disease may return.
5. People should definitely avoid smoking when they get infected with flu and start noticing reappearing cough. In most cases, respiratory tract diseases will take more time to heal if the person continues smoking.
6. Some people say that cough can be treated with alcohol. This myth is especially popular among men. However, doctors argue that alcohol gives only negative effects because it weakens human’s immunity and it is incompatible with many medicines used to destroy disease-causing viruses.
7. Cough is classified into productive and unproductive. Productive cough helps to remove the phlegm and, if it is not dangerous to the patient, it is a helpful thing. Nonproductive dry cough is often harmful to the patient, so it needs to be stopped.
8. Some people say that swallowing the sputum is harmful to human’s health. It’s not true. Maybe it’s not a very aesthetical thing, it won’t cause any risk to human’s health because stomach acids and enzymes will neutralize microbes.
9. Doctors advise to use products that help for the body to remove the phlegm. According to experts, coughing is the fastest way to get rid of it.
10. If the cough persists and natural methods fail, you should contact your doctor immediately. Such cough should be treated with drugs.