In 2011, two Louisiana residents died after using a neti pot and tap water. Their deaths were caused by the “brain eating” amoeba N. fowleri. Once the amoeba enters the nose, it travels to the brain and this bacterial infection is almost always fatal. These residents had symptoms similar to meningitis but within a week both were dead.
A cough is a protective reflex that works to clear mucus and foreign matter from the back of the throat, the voice box, windpipe and lungs. Although the cough reflex is there to help us — and often the cough is benign — the sound of a cough can be frightening and for good reason.
Most coughs are minor and do not need the assistance of a physician. However, any cough with blood is a red flag. Consider Bob, a 47 y/o bus driver who has been a smoker since he was a teenager.
Some home remedies have proven to be less costly and work better than medications for that nagging cough. A cough that lingers is an annoyance to you and can be to those around you — “Why doesn’t he do something about that cough?”
Whether it’s 2’o’clock in the afternoon or 2 in the morning, parents will worry, “Why is my child coughing?” Can I ignore the cough? Does he need medication? Is it necessary for my child to be examined by a doctor?
Hypertension is known to be an important risk factor for cardiac events and stroke. Identification of the ideal target has fluctuated over the years. Overzealous control of blood pressure may itself lead itself to stroke and syncope (fainting) presumably due to hypoperfusion.
Coughing can present itself in various disguises. Doctors often look at coughing through the eyes of their own specialty. To an allergist, it’s a tickle in the back of the throat and a symptom of post nasal drip. To a gastroenterologist, coughing is due to reflux disease; to a psychiatrist it’s a nervous reaction. The infectious disease specialist wants to know if the cough could be due to HIV.
Coughing is a common, somewhat perplexing complaint with a variety of causes. It’s a symptom – not a disease. Coughing can be a reaction to “cold air” or it can make the clinician suspicious of cancer. It can appear to be the only presenting symptom or in association with illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis.
Have you ever notice people in the theater or in some other venue lining up to rent a listening device to improve their hearing? Some are wearing hearing aids, others are not. What are these listening devices? Why do people with hearing aids need them?
Individuals at times complain: “People mumble all the time. They don’t speak up.” Or they might say, “I can hear you, but I can’t get a grip on the words.” Adults can voice their disappointments but small children are dependent on alert parents and physicians to recognize their loss of hearing.