The Cough Conundrum

Since Covid has swept the world we have all become hypervigilant  of coughing, others and our own. Coughing is a common reflex action that's function is to clear the throat or airways of mucus or foreign irritants.

However it's not as simple as that and there so many different reasons, forms and causes as to why and what triggers a cough. One could write a book on this subject.

As a health professional, the 1st step is to identify the possible cause and there are plenty e.g. from the common cold, excess mucus, gastric reflux through to purely habitual. So it helps to try and understand why the cough is present. The cough maybe dry or moist.

Secondly and very importantly the duration. A cough lasting less than 3 weeks is termed acute and one lasting longer than 8 weeks is defined as chronic. If longer than 8 weeks, please see your health professional. Note that a cough can alert us to a problem.

Then thirdly, treatment strategies.

Here are some top tips to try at home, but again we advocate to see a health professional if the cough is interfering with daily living and is persistent or chronic.

Top Tips

• Nose breathe, mouth breathing causes dry harsh air to move through the airway and can serve as an irritant. Breathe low and slow in your belly, at low volumes. Relaxed breathing patterns allow for energy-efficient relaxed airways versus upper chest breathing at rest which causes energy-hungry and tense breathing patterns irritating the airways.
• Sip plenty of water. Hydration helps mucus move easier, plus helps a dry irritating cough. Pause between sentences when taking and swallowing to soothe the airways.
• Suck over-the-counter cough lozenges before telephoning/speaking for long periods.
• Suppress the desire to cough. At the first sense of a tickle swallow hard, then drop your shoulders and concentrate on breathing out. Then focus on breathing slowly for a few seconds. Repeat if necessary.

If you still have problems, see your chest physiotherapist to learn how to do an effective assisted coughing for a chronic dry cough or chest clearance for a chronic persistent wet cough.

Bradcliff Method Level 1 - ONLINE

13 Sep 2021 - 22 Oct 2021

Breathing is the most amazing tool we have to help us through life.

As we enter a new decade where many are searching for ways to improve health awareness, the breath is constantly popping up on social media and in the health sector. BradCliff will continue to share the knowledge, skills and techniques we have developed over the last 30 years. 

This evidence based programme, founded by world renowned leaders in dysfunctional breathing, will introduce you to the concepts of breathing dysfunction.

This online course is only offered to physiotherapists and respiratory therapists. Please enquire if you are unsure. If you are an allied health professional interested in future online learning, please email admin@bradcliff.com stating which profession you belong to and your interest in our courses.

Level 1 Course Concepts:

• A review of the respiratory/psycho/physiological alterations in the acute and chronic over-breather and the biomechanical/anatomical changes that sustain these poorly diagnosed disorders
• Assessment and  questionnaires, and goal setting
• Identification of triggers/stressors at all ages and stages
• Body mechanics, posture and breathing dysfunction
• Nasal health
• Treatment principles and techniques
• Physical coping skills for stress fatigue, anxiety and pain management
• Asthma, COPD, breathless patient breathing retraining guidelines
• Introduction to Inspiratory Muscle Training
• How to make BradCliff Method® a part of your practice

8 week online course: 2 weeks of pre reading, 6 weeks of online content.

Dates: 

Online lectures and webinar meetings starting 13th September 2021.
Completion 22nd October 2021.

Apply Now!

Treating Long Covid - Online Course

SELF-DIRECTED, ONLINE - start anytime, in your own time!

What you need to know and what you can do in clinical practice.

This international collaboration brings together physiotherapists who have worked in the field of Chronic Fatigue, ME, breathing pattern disorders and Breathing dysfunction for over 30 years, and now more recently, Long Covid.

CME hours = 13

Presenters:

Jess De Mars

Canadian Physiotherapist who is an International authority on Breathing Disorders, breathing dysfunctions and hyperventilation and now long haul Covid, Jess has been identified as one of the leading physiotherapists internationally leading the charge on the treatment and rehabilitation in this client group. More...

Todd Davenport

A tenured full Professor in the Department of Physical Therapy in the School of Health Sciences at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, where he teaches in and serves as Vice Chair of the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. He is a past clinical research fellow at the Warren G. Magnusson Clinical Center at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, where his work included construction and validation of function-based physical capacity tests for patients with chronic fatiguing illnesses. More...

Scott Peirce

Scott is an innovative and passionate physiotherapist, who is a world-wide expert in the diagnosis and treatment of Breathing Pattern Disorders. Scott completed his masters with ground breaking research looking at the thickness of the diaphragm in people with disordered breathing compared to normal breathers. He owns co-owns the Breathing Works Physiotherapy Clinics. More...

Tania Clifton-Smith

Physiotherapist Tania has 30 years’ experience in the field of breathing dysfunction, breathing pattern disorders and hyperventilation syndrome and physiotherapy. She co-foundered Breathing Works clinics 1998: the clinics have treated over 30,000 individuals with breathing pattern disorders & breathing dysfunction. She has worked alongside NZ leaders threating ME and chronic fatigue clients. More...

Apply Now!

Breathing is the most amazing tool we have to help us through life.

BradCliff continues to share the knowledge, skills and techniques developed over the last 30 years. World leaders in breathing re-education.