Sympathetic Cough

[Soroush Ebrahimi]

Dear Colleagues

The original question was - WHAT IS 'SYMPATHETIC COUGH'?

Thanks to all of you who replied.

As with a lot of colleagues, I thought that it meant coughing when someone
else coughed. But it seems this view is incorrect.

I am indebted to Dr Abdul Gafar and Dr. Mansoor Ali (info@similima.com)
[Visit http://www.similima.com]
This is NOT a MIND related cough symptom.
Sympathetic cough = cough with organic heart diseases
Ref : Docks& Kockelenberg - Comparative repertory to Kents's MM
This is where the sympathetic nerve is affected and the result is a cough.
From: http://www.swsbm.com/Ephemera/Transactions_1882-3.pdf

This is from 1883. (I am not sure whether they are talking about material or
potentised doses here)

"When the food undergoes chemical decomposition, and gas is evolved in large
quantities, Sanguinaria will generally change the action of the stomach, and
digestion becomes more complete. When the mucous membrane is congested, the
flatus formed by fermentation is retained by a spasmodic constriction of the
cardia. Its irritation is reflected upon the lungs, through the
pneumogastric nerve, exciting a feeling of tickling in the entrance of the
trachea, with sympathetic cough. This peculiar, dry cough does not yield to
expectorants, but often persists for hours, and is only relieved by
eructations. Aromatics and stimulants fail to expel the gas; they only
increase the erethism of the coats of the stomach.

The Sanguinaria affords a better resource. It not only relaxes the
constricted cardia, permitting the flatus to escape, but excites a
healthy reaction on the whole surface of the fauces, esophagus and stomach,
superseding the morbid state of a healthy one."-HUNT.

In this condition, where so many physicians resort to pepsin preparations, I
find Sanguinaria almost specific, and use it with
increasing confidence and pleasure year by year.

========
Just as a reminder: from
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultran ... P/PNS.html
The Sympathetic Nervous System
The preganglionic motor neurons of the sympathetic system arise in the
spinal cord. They pass into sympathetic ganglia which are
organized into two chains that run parallel to and on either side of the
spinal cord.

The preganglionic neuron may do one of three things in the sympathetic
ganglion:
* synapse with postganglionic neurons which then reenter the spinal
nerve and ultimately pass out to the sweat glands and the walls of blood
vessels near the surface of the body.
* pass up or down the sympathetic chain and finally synapse with
postganglionic neurons in a higher or lower ganglion
* leave the ganglion by way of a cord leading to special ganglia (e.g.
the solar plexus) in the viscera. Here it may synapse with postganglionic
sympathetic neurons running to the smooth muscular walls of the viscera.
However, some of these preganglionic neurons pass right on through this
second ganglion and into the adrenal medulla . Here they
synapse with the highly-modified postganglionic cells that make up the
secretory portion of the adrenal medulla.
The neurotransmitter of the preganglionic sympathetic neurons is
acetylcholine (ACh). It stimulates action potentials in
the postganglionic neurons.
The neurotransmitter released by the postganglionic neurons is noradrenaline
(also called norepinephrine).
The action of noradrenaline on a particular gland or muscle is excitatory is
some cases, inhibitory in others. (At excitatory terminals, ATP
may be released along with noradrenaline.)
The release of noradrenaline
* stimulates heartbeat
* raises blood pressure
* dilates the pupils
* dilates the trachea and bronchi
* stimulates the conversion of liver glycogen
into glucose
* shunts blood away from the skin and viscera to the skeletal muscles,
brain, and heart
* inhibits peristalsis in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract
* inhibits contraction of the bladder and rectum
In short, stimulation of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous
system prepares the body for emergencies: for "fight or flight".
Activation of the sympathetic system is quite general because
* a single preganglionic neuron usually synapses with many
postganglionic neurons;
* the release of adrenaline from the adrenal medulla
into the blood ensures that all the cells of the body
will be exposed to sympathetic stimulation even if no postganglionic neurons
reach them directly.

Hope this has been of use.

Rgds
Soroush
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