Why do we cough?
We cough to protect our bodies by clearing the throat, chest and lungs from irritants such as, dust, mucous and phlegm.
A cough also protects our bodies when food goes down the wrong way, or during a chest infection.
A cough can be reflexive or deliberate
A reflexive cough protects our airway from foreign particles such as food or drink and irritants.
A deliberate cough or throat clearing occurs when you have the feeling that something is in your throat, and you cough.
What is chronic cough?
A chronic cough is a cough that lasts for longer 8 weeks in response to an irritation in the absence of something to be cleared from the throat, chest or lungs. Constant throat clearing and coughing may lead to a vicious cycle causing more irritation leading to more coughing.
How speech pathologist can help with chronic cough
Chronic cough can have a negative impact on a person’s quality of life.
The good news is a speech pathologists can help you identify triggers of your cough.
This is important so that you can reduce or avoid those triggers. A Speech pathologist can teach you strategies to gain
conscious control of your cough and supress the urge to cough.
These strategies help to break the coughing cycle that causes further irritation that leads to more coughing.
If you have any concerns regarding your chronic cough, please contact us regarding your concerns.
