Many people who suffer from a persistent cough contribute it to chest ailments due to smoking, obesity, or a leftover cold. Yet recent studies show that many of these people may have acid reflux/heartburn or GERD (gastroesophogal reflux disease). But how do you know if you have this sort of ailment, or if it is indeed something that will fall by the wayside?

Prior to the last few years, the assumption by researchers was that coughing and asthmatic wheezing induced acid reflux. Yet recent studies clearly show that while in some small instances, coughing can cause a bout of acid reflux, it is indeed the reverse that is true. The opening up of the esophagus, the lower esophageal sphincter to be more precise, and the resultant stomach acids rising in the throat can and does contribute to asthmatic wheezing and coughing.

One study written in Gut magazine online clearly shows that the correlation between coughing and acid reflux is not coincidental. Nor is the previously held assumption regarding the reversal cause and effect true either. In this study, researchers monitored gastrointestinal activity and coughing in order to ascertain which came first. Over half of all the respondents either coughed or wheezed in that time frame, and the researchers measured the gastrointestinal activity at the same time as the coughing or wheezing bout.

In over half of the cases, the acid reflux episode occurred prior to the coughing, leading the researchers to conclude that previous assumptions regarding acid reflux were not true, and that the correlation between asthma and acid reflux were stronger than had been previously believed.

G.I. Motility online also contains a recent (2006) article that makes similar claims based on the scientific research of their contributors. GERD is cited there as being the second highest in terms of causal factors for chronic coughing demonstrating that between 40-70% of all cases of chronic coughing, GERD was the major causal factor.

These findings resulted in their recommendation that those who suffer from chronic cough would benefit from seeking natural remedies for GERD in addition to looking into other factors. Particularly, they suggest that in cases in which the reasons for the coughing are not ever-present, or remain a mystery to you or your physician.

But what does that mean for us? Well, when we suffer some sort of abnormality in our health, we generally want to fix it. That generally means that we need to get to the root of the issue. For GERD sufferers or those who think they may have GERD, adopting an acid reflux friendly diet may just put an end to the persistent coughing.