Why is coughing so inefficient?

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Probably a large misunderstanding of human anatomy but why does it seem that coughing is really inefficient at removing whatever the body is trying to expel from the lungs. As a comparison, vomiting, diarrhea, sneezing are all very forceful without really any effort on the part of us. However, coughs seem to barely expel anything without help from medication and continue WELL after the actual infection is resolved unlike those other body expulsion techniques mentioned above. I type this with a non-productive cough two weeks after a cold.

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Anonymous 0 Comments

The problem with coughing is that you breathe in and out through the same hole. So when you want to cough something out you first have to breathe in which tends to pull whatever you’re trying to cough out back.

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