Fact or Fiction: Is chocolate an effective Cough treatment or is it just too good to be true? Research compared cocoa-based Cough medicine to traditional Cough syrup and now internet posts suggest chocolate is an effective Cough treatment. Dr. Mandel Sher and Center for Cough team wish they didn’t need to be the bearers of disappointing news but put down that candy bar. Here is information directly from Dr. Mandel Sher’s esteemed colleague, Dr. Alyn Morice of the University of Hull and a founding member of the International Society for the Study of Cough. Dr. Morice co-authored an article about the research and reported that cocoa is “stickier and more viscose than standard cough medicines, so it forms a coating which protects nerve endings in the throat which trigger the urge to Cough.”

Dr. Morice clarified that a cocoa-based medication is certainly not the same thing as a chocolate candy or drink. “Drinking chocolate won’t have the same effect, as the cocoa isn’t in contact with the throat long enough to form a protective coating,” he wrote. “Slowly sucking on a piece of chocolate may provide some relief, but I think it is the way the chocolate compounds work with other ingredients in the linctus (syrup) which make it so effective.”

SPOILER ALERT: Put Down the Candy Bar & Call Dr. Mandel Sher: 727-393-8067.

Unicough, a cocoa-based Cough medicine available in the United Kingdom, was the subject of the study. Dr. Morice points out that Unicough did reduce Coughing “but it was largely due to the fact that it contained diphenhydramine – an antihistamine found in Benadryl and several other Cough and cold medicines.” Unicough also contains an expectorant.

In summary, Dr. Morice says that the assertion that chocolate is effective treatment for Cough is a “complete fabrication.”

Cough is a complex medical condition to treat and resolve. There are many factors that often contribute to the production of Cough. Dr. Mandel Sher is one of the nation’s leaders in Cough treatment, Cough research and development of novel therapies, and Cough education and advocacy. Cough that doesn’t go away within several weeks should be evaluated by a Cough Doctor. Dr. Mandel Sher often says, “Each person is a snowflake.” Dr. Mandel Sher and Center for Cough team will listen to your Cough story, review your history, and accurately identify the underlying cause of your Cough as well as contributing factors. Don’t settle for a trial and error approach and don’t learn to live with Cough. Dr. Mandel Sher will help you relieve or resolve your Cough.

Contact Dr. Mandel Sher and Center for Cough today: 727-393-8067. www.centerforcough.com