Much smoking kills live men
and cures dead swine.
George Dennison Prentice
What’s the cure for “smoker’s cough”? We might ask an 11 year old smart-aleck, a nosy aunt, an obnoxious uncle, or a no-nonsense grandmother. The answers will be obvious – and all the same.
Stop smoking. Duh.
What does modern medicine say about smoker’s cough? What is the cure, according to the best conventional medicine reference texts? I was over at the library yesterday, and I took some time to check Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, and Lange’s Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment and Winter Griffith’s Complete Guide to Symptoms, Illness & Surgery.
Smoker’s cough is not listed at all. Is there no cure for smoker’s cough because smoker’s cough is not a disease? The ICD11, the latest edition of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Diseases does not have a code for smoker’s cough. A search for smoker’s cough takes us to Simple Chronic Bronchitis.
What is the cure for simple chronic bronchitis? What do our most prestigious medical references say?
There are no cures for chronic bronchitis. “Treatments” are recommended by all, but none uses the word “cure“. Merck, in its discussion of Pulmonary Disorders advises “Treatment is management of the cause.” The word “cure” is never used. Winter Griffith’s Complete Guide to Symptoms, Illness & Surgery lists “Effect of Second Hand Smoke” as a cause of “chronic cough“, but not smoking. It too fails to use the word cure. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine advises “The cough of chronic bronchitis in long term cigarette smokers rarely leads the patient to seek out medical advice.” Technically, no medical professional can cure smoker’s cough. Of course none can cure smoking addiction either.
Not only that. If smoker’s cough is cured – no cure can be recognized. Smoker’s cough cured is not defined. No medical reference text contains a scientific definition of cured, much less a definition of “smoker’s cough cured”. The word cure is occasionally used in medical texts – but not consistent with any definition, because no definition exists.
Medicine claims to be a science. But, no scientific medical definition of cure exists. Medical science studies “treatments” to death, and ignore cures. Is curing not scientific?
Smoker’s cough is a non-communicable disease. A few cures listed in current medical references, but only for communicable diseases. Some bacterial infections, some fungal infections, some viral infections, and some parasitic infections can be cured. Cured is not defined for any non-communicable disease.
Smoker’s cough is a chronic disease. All chronic diseases are non-communicable diseases. Cured is not defined for any chronic disease. So there is no medical cure for smoker’s cough. Conventional medicine has no Theory of Cure.
Barron’s Dictionary of Medical Terms, Sixth Edition, 2013, defines “incurable” as “being such that a cure is impossible within the realm of known medical practice.” There is no “medical practice“, no treatment to cure smoker’s cough, so smoker’s cough is incurable in current medical theory. As a result, smoker’s cough is deemed incurable in current medical practice.
Maybe the Internet has an answer? But no… Healthline.com says, Smoker’s Cough: Everything You Need to Know “What causes smoker’s cough? Cilia are the tiny hair-like structures along your airways. When you smoke, the cilia lose some of their ability to push chemicals and other foreign materials out of your lungs.” Ah. It’s not smoking that causes smoker’s cough, it’s those little cilia, tiny hair-like structures, losing some of their ability to push chemicals and other foreign materials out. Healthline.com does not offer a cure? Instead, they suggest “Treatment options: A variety of treatments are available for smoker’s cough. These range from traditional treatments to alternative and home remedies.” We might ask all of these authors, “Which treatments, conventional or alternative, DOES NOT CURE smoker’s cough better?” It’s a nonsense question when we know how to cure. Smoker’s cough can be treated, but it seems – not cured. In the conclusion, they do say “Quitting smoking is the best way to stop a smoker’s cough and prevent any serious conditions.”
A WebMD search for “smoker’s cough” displays 6 advertisements of remedies for smoker’s cough, and the entry for Chronic Bronchitis, which advises “The “smoker’s cough” is sometimes a sign of bronchitis and COPD.” and “If you have chronic bronchitis related to smoking, the most important thing to do is to quit smoking to prevent ongoing damage to your lungs.” Many treatments are discussed, but the word “cure” is never used.
The Mayo Clinic provides a similar view. It asks the question: “What causes chronic bronchitis? Is there a cure?” and says “Since smoking is the most common cause, current smokers should quit… Typically, though, once a person stops smoking, the cough and the mucus production recede over time, although it may take several months.” But a cure? The only answer provided is “Although COPD cannot be cured, it can be managed.” The word cure is not used with smoker’s cough.
It’s possible to “stop” a smoker’s cough, “prevent” any serious conditions. The cough might and mucus production might receded over time, but a cure? The word cure is avoided. Cures, it seems, are forbidden.
How is it possible that an 11 year old smart-aleck, a nosey aunt, and a no-nonsense grandmother can tell us the cure for smoker’s cough, but no prestigious medical text can?
Health is the best Cure
Health is the best treatment, the best cure. The cure for smoker’s cough is healthy breathing. Healthy “not smoking”. Once the patient stops smoking, smoker’s cough fades and disappears. Cured. If the patient starts smoking again, they get a new case of smoker’s cough. Smoker’s cough is not some mysterious incurable monster. It is a normal illness, a consequence of specific actions, cured when those actions are stopped.
Conventional medicine prescribes medicines and medical treatments, not health. Conventional medicine recognizes a few cures, when they come from conventional medicines. But cures from health are not recognized.
So smoker’s cough, like many diseases, is incurable.
to your health, tracy
Author: The Elements of Cure
