What’s All the “Whoop” about Whooping Cough?

What’s all the “whoop” about whooping cough?  Whooping cough, also known as pertussis, used to be primarily a childhood illness.  However, in recent years, whooping cough is on the rise among teens, young adults, and adults.  One of the theories behind this rise is the lesser effectiveness of the new pertussis vaccine.  While the side effects of the newer vaccine are also less than the older vaccine, the longevity of the vaccine is shorter.

Whooping cough symptoms are different in children and adult. Whooping cough treatment is generally symptom relief.  Early symptoms of whooping cough in adults and children include sneezing, runny nose, and coughing.  Children often make a “whooping” sound when catching their breath after a long coughing episode.  Whooping cough affects children worse than adults.  The vaccine is the best form of prevention.

Pertussis cough can last for a long time – at least two weeks – and can last for months.  Some experts estimate that 10% to 30% of long-lasting coughs in adults are due to whooping cough.  If you have a cough that won’t go away, it is very important for a Cough Doctor to identify the specific cause of your cough.  Dr. Mandel Sher is a Cough Doctor.  Cough treatment should NOT be a cookie cutter approach.  To optimize efficacy, Cough treatment must be targeted to the specific cause of your cough.

Contact Dr. Mandel Sher at Center for Cough: 727-393-8067. www.centerforcough.com

Dr. Mandel Sher is an internationally recognized Cough Doctor.  Dr. Sher will accurately identify the cause(s) and trigger(s) of your cough and help you get cough relief or cough resolution through an integrated and innovative approach.  Dr. Mandel Sher’s approach is based in traditional, evidence-based medicine.  It is Dr. Sher’s and the Center for Cough’s team approach to listening to each patient’s cough story, reviewing relevant medical history, and putting the cough puzzle pieces together that produce remarkable results.  Over 8 out of 10 cough patients treated by Dr. Mandel Sher and the Center for Cough demonstrate a measurable reduction in cough frequency and cough intensity and report an overall improvement in the quality of life. 

Thanksgiving Overeating and Triggering Your Cough

‘Tis the season…the holiday eating season is upon us.  As you gather with family and friends and share feelings of thankfulness, beware of Thanksgiving overeating and triggering your cough.  The wonderful distractions of  lively conversations and a bounty of delicious food set out as a feast table, are a recipe for Thanksgiving overeating and triggering your cough.  In addition to feeling uncomfortably full and lethargic during and after a holiday meal, Thanksgiving overeating may be triggering your cough.

There are many reasons you may be coughing after a holiday meal.  For those of you who are already suffering with a persistent or chronic cough, Dr. Mandel Sher suggests you control what you can control and in doing so, manage your cough.

If you are coughing for 8 weeks or longer OR if you have  treated your cough but are still coughing, then contact Dr. Mandel Sher:  727-393-8067. 

Dr. Mandel Sher’s and Center for Cough’s comprehensive cough treatment are  covered  by Medicare and commercial insurance payors.

Dr. Mandel Sher suggests the following tips for managing your cough during holiday feasts:

  • Take Your Time:  Be mindful. Enjoy taste & texture of each bite.
  • Use Smaller Plates:  Trick your brain into believing your belly is satiated.
  • Indulge with Portion Control:  Don’t deprive yourself; Use fist or tablespoon as a measure.
  • Limit Alcohol, Caffeine, Chocolate, Mint:  All can be green lights for reflux.
  • Be Hydrated: Water is filling and moisturizing in cold & dry climates and heated spaces.
  • Wait 20 Minutes:  Before getting dessert and/or seconds.
  • Move:  Avoid a comfortable sofa & expandable pants.  Help clean-up, walk the dog, move!

Most importantly, enjoy those around you and those you are missing and thinking about.  Don’t let the very temporary pleasure of indulging in Thanksgiving overeating spoil your good feelings that follow.

  Cough begets cough.  So, the best defense is an offense.  Control what and how much you eat and drink and manage your cough.

Dr. Mandel Sher and Center for Cough team wish you and yours a meaningful and healthy Thanksgiving celebration.  Please contact Dr. Mandel Sher for treatment that WILL resolve Your Cough:  727-393-8067. www.centerforcough.com.

Constant Throat Clearing: More Common Among Men Than Women?

“A-H-E-M …A-H-E-M!”  Your throat clearing is driving me crazy! Is throat clearing more common among men than women?  Dr. Mandel Sher was at a recent social gathering when a male friend started speaking with him about his constant throat clearing.  The very next day, a colleague of Dr. Sher’s friend had an initial appointment with Dr. Sher at Center for Cough to evaluate the causes of his constant throat clearing and begin treatment.  Of course, Dr. Sher did not reveal that just the evening before he had been discussing the same condition with this gentleman’s colleague.  Unknowingly, the gentleman (and now Center for Cough patient) mentioned to Dr. Sher that he and a colleague have regular throat clearing sound-offs.  Coincidence or easily explainable?

Throat clearing is a symptom of an underlying medical condition.  All throat clearing is not created equal.  Effective treatment and Resolution depends on knowing what’s causing your throat clearing.

Contact:  Dr. Mandel Sher: 727-393-8067.  www.centerforcough.com

Dr. Sher is a specialist in chronic respiratory and related medical conditions that have inflammatory, neurogenic, and behavioral  components.  He combines existing evidence-based approaches with innovative therapeutic techniques to resolve constant throat clearing.  Dr. Sher’s services are recognized by Medicare and most commercial insurers.

Many of us throat clear occasionally.  But when throat clearing becomes constant, a physician should evaluate the underlying cause.  Very often, throat clearing starts with a physical component and then becomes behavioral.  The more you clear your throat, the more you feel you need to clear your throat.  Throat clearing can, and often does, turn into a habit.  And, constant throat clearing can drive a colleague, spouse, partner, fellow church worshiper, or theater goer CRAZY!

Such an annoying medical condition!  But throat clearing usually responds swiftly to simple, do it yourself treatment.  The most important step in treating throat clearing is accurately diagnosing the underlying cause – after all, there are many reasons why someone may feel the need to constantly clear his/her throat.  Therefore, it is critically important that the cause of throat clearing be matched with a targeted therapy.

Red Tide: Unexpected Guest at Dr. Mandel Sher’s Daughter’s Wedding Weekend

Red Tide was an unexpected guest at Dr. Mandel Sher’s daughter’s wedding weekend.  Sometimes there’s no odor & no dead fish on shore.  Red Tide can be invisible and suddenly sneak-up on you when the wind conditions shift.  Dr. Mandel Sher and his daughter’s wedding guests experienced this firsthand on Friday, October 26th, 2018 as the rehearsal dinner began.  Months of planning, but Red Tide was an unexpected guest.  Gusty winds produced by passing tropical weather seemed to stir-up the Red Tide in the Gulf of Mexico along St. Pete Beach.

The Red Tide irritative Cough sound, funny feeling in chest and throat,  and burning eye sensation was almost immediate upon guests arriving at the beach location.  Dr. Mandel Sher took it upon himself to explain to affected guests that the Cough, burning throat, and irritated eyes were very likely not the result of something viral and contagious, but rather the result of Red Tide.  To folks from New York, Pennsylvania, California, and other destinations, Red Tide is a foreign phenomenon, and Dr. Sher wanted to relieve guests of undue concern.   

Generally, Red Tide produces uncomfortable, annoying, and short-lived consequences.  For persons with pre-existing respiratory conditions, such as Chronic Cough, Red Tide can have more serious consequences.

Effective remedies for Red Tide include:  avoiding affected geographic areas by remaining inside with windows and doors shut; sipping fluids; and sucking on a moisturizing throat and Cough lozenge. 

So, Dr. Mandel Sher and Mindy and Jacob’s wedding guests might now say they were treated to an authentic coastal Florida experience.  Thankfully, the wedding weekend went on to be beautiful blue skies and bright sunshine inside and out.

Dr. Mandel Sher is a Cough Specialist.  He takes care of Cough patients, leads Clinical Research Trials on Cough therapies, and is a frequent contributor to the medical community’s understanding of Chronic Cough.

Contact Dr. Mandel Sher: 727-393-8067, www.centerforcough.com.

At Center for Cough, Dr. Mandel Sher offers patients an innovative and integrated approach toward conquering Chronic Cough.  Dr. Mandel Sher’s approach is anchored in traditional medicine.  In fact, all of Dr. Mandel Sher’s services are covered by Medicare and commercial insurance.  The innovation comes from how Dr. Sher puts the pieces of the puzzle together and uses diet, voice exercises, breathing techniques, and medications to help patients achieve Cough resolution.

Many doctors take care of persons with Cough; Dr. Mandel Sher focuses on persons who are suffering with a Chronic Cough for 8 weeks or longer.  Many of these persons have seen other doctors and tried but failed cough therapies.  Dr. Mandel Sher has helped over 85 percent of patients who have been suffering with Cough for months, years, or decades achieve relief.