What causes chronic coughs?
A chronic cough is defined as a cough lasting longer than 8 weeks for adults and 4 weeks in children. Even if the cough only comes at certain times of year or appears in the morning or night, it could still fall into the chronic category if it doesn't resolve. This is a call from your body that it needs healing to take place on a deeper level.
Coughing is normal and helps the Lungs and passages stay clear of foreign matter, free mucous that can disrupt breathing and even release energy stagnation. In TICM, a cough occurs when Lung energy fails to move downwards and rises instead. As said, this could be due to many factors like pathogens being in the way, as the Lungs are quite delicate. A chronic cough has more underlying factors, however. Weakness in the Kidney or Stomach, organs that are closely related to Lung function can play a large role. This overlaps with Western medicine which lists conditions such as acid reflux and asthma as causes of chronic cough.
If the cough comes with a wave of nausea, that could be a sign of a Stomach imbalance. If the cough is accompanied with the urge to urinate, it signals an imbalance in the Kidney organ system, specifically the Bladder. If the ribs are sensitive while coughing it may be a signal from the Liver organ system. A yearly cold that manifests in the fall is a direct correlation to the Lung organ system as autumn is the corresponding season with the Lung. If the cough persists into Winter, which is the season related to the Kidney system, it is likely the Kidney system doesn't hold enough vital energy to heal the cough.
Many times, cough suppressants are taken, pushing the problem deeper into the the body. This will often lead to another condition surfacing later, the skin condition eczema is one common example of this pattern. There are many pathways for this specific disorder and a highly individualist approach to treatment with TICM to heal. Trace your symptoms to expose the root organ(s) that is dealing with an imbalance.
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