We don't like to cough. Coughs are irritating, and sometimes even painful. The terrible thing about coughs is that a lot of things can cause it, and in our polluted environment, more and more things have been becoming cough-inducing.
Coughs can be caused by a lot of things, and can be the symptom of a wide range of illnesses. Most coughs are harmless, but there are some that can lead to worse illnesses, or are signs of serious diseases. People cough when the brain involuntarily tries to clear something that's blocking or irritating your airways. It can also be because of infections, the flu, or even the cold.
There are two kinds of cough: chesty and dry. A chesty cough is when you cough and it brings up mucus or phlegm from your lungs. Dry coughs don’t produce that, though they’re generally more irritating. Some people, like smokers, have permanent dry coughs.
Chronic coughing, however, can lead to serious complications. There are some people who can even break their ribs because of constant coughing. If you've had chesty coughs for two or more weeks, it's time to consult your doctor because coughs that are because of the cold or the flu usually disappear after two weeks. If it's still there after that time, then it might be something more serious.
Doctors will usually ask you to get a chest X-ray to see what the problem is. Your coughing may be because of lung problems or it can be because of pneumonia. Your phlegm might need to be analyzed before your doctor can diagnose your illness, though the usual cure for cough problems is antibiotics.
Of course, the most common treatment that you can get for coughing is cough medicine, though these are usually just made of honey, sugar, and syrup, which relieves the irritation on the throat. There are also medicines that can be used for dry cough that keep the brain from making the signals that cause coughing, and are usually used as antihistamines or anti-allergy medicine.
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