The Medical Manifesto

It's flu season! Aka coughing, sneezing and sniffling all around. What is a cough? A cough is a complex protective reflex. The purpose of this reflex is facilitating the clearance of aspirate, mucous, irritant, etc. from the airways. The reflex is initiated by an airway stimulant such as mucous. This initiates a 'signal' which travels through the vagus nerve, before dividing into a 'conscious' and an 'unconscious' pathway. The pathway involved in the cough reflex is the unconscious pathway, occurring with the absence of voluntary input. The resulting signal continues towards the spinal cord and then into the branches responsible for the innervation of the respiratory muscles, which become stimulated and lead to a cough. How do you know if your cough is more than just a symptom of a cold?  A cough will usually clear up on its own within 3 to 4 weeks, with no need to see a general practitioner (GP). You can help this process along by ensuring you get

Eating disorders are becoming increasingly prevalent throughout the world. They are responsible for more loss of life than any other mental health condition. Sara Ariel Wong for NPR For this reason it is crucial to increase the awareness of the  Symptoms of Eating Disorders. Spending a lot of time worrying about your weight and body shape Having a distorted body image Avoiding socialising when you think food will be involved  Feeling anxious or irritable around meal times Feeling 'out of control' around food Eating very little food or sudden changes in food preferences Deliberately making yourself sick or taking laxatives after you eat  Exercising too much Having very strict habits or routines around food (e.g. frequent trips to the bathroom) Changes in your mood Changes in clothing (e.g. baggy clothes to hide weight loss/gain) You may also notice physical signs, including : Feeling cold, tired or dizzy Problems with your digestion Your weight bein