Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Snake Doctor]

Thread disclaimer: I am going to the doctor on Monday, I've just been really busy. Got an appointment. So there.




So I got a new A/C wall unit for the bedroom a few months ago, because last couple of years were scorching in July, and the living room A/C doesn't really reach the master bedroom that well...

I started out using the dehumidifier option, on a timer - it would shut down about 4am.

Then I started using the A/C option about a week ago. For the past 2 weeks though, I've developed a dry, consistent cough that will NOT stop. I wake up at the same time (2-3AM) every night coughing for an hour, drink warm water or liquids and it finally subsides after an hour or more.

I have tried cough medicine, Nyquil, cough drops, and NONE of those will quell the cough.

Like I said in my thread disclaimer, I'll be going to the doctor on Monday. I'm just curious if you vets know if this is what Koreans call "A/C sickness"

BTW, I got the same thing last year - doctor put me on antibiotics and a breathing machine, and it was cured inside of 10 days.

The only difference is that my sinuses were seriously affected last year, but this year - only the cough....so I'm hesitant to make the assumption that it's the same thing.

Since I'm up at 3:30AM on a Sunday because every time I try to lay down I start coughing, I decided to start this thread and hear what you guys have to say about it.

Thanks in advance, lifers-who-know-everything-about-all-things-Korean.


OH, and I KNOW you're thinking, "Why would a guy who calls himself a snake doctor be asking US for advice"....

[bassist33]

I don't claim to be a doctor, but I have lived in homes with air conditioning for years. The Korean idea of "A/C sickness" is probably an old wive's tale, but there is some reason behind it. If your room is cold and your air is dry from the air conditioning, you can be creating a climate for bacteria and viruses in your lungs by breathing that air all night. If you have allergies, the dust, pollen, etc. in the room is only being kicked up by the constant circulation caused by the A/C. There isn't some chemical being emitted or strange effect being caused by the use of an A/C as Koreans seem to describe, it is simply the climate you are creating by using the air conditioning so much. Try setting the A/C lower, especially at night. Also, keep your room clean and perhaps clean out the filter in your A/C if there is one. Finally, take vitamins if you can find them and be sure to get fresh air during the day. That's about all I can tell you. Good luck!

edit: after rereading your post, you said that you started developing this problem about 2 weeks ago, but you didn't start using the A/C until about a week ago. This alone rules out the idea that the A/C is the cause of your problem, though I'm sure it isn't helping. Illnesses are caused by viruses and bacteria, environmental factors only serve to create hospitable climates for them. I would recommend trying the humidifier at night if you have a dry cough, and see a doctor.

[Snake Doctor]

It's a brand new A/C wall unit.

I have a maid, she steam cleans the house once a week.

We keep our house really clean, we're anal about cleanliness.

What I was thinking was that I developed this cough because I was using the de-humidifier option on the A/C. Takes the moisture out of the air, and maybe caused the dry cough? Dunno...

Another thing...I only cough heavily for about an hour or two after I wake up. I occasionally cough throughout the day...

Thoughts?

[Kikomom]

The first thing I thought of was Legionnaires Disease that is attributed to a bacteria found in institutional-size A/C systems.

The other mysterious lung disease that came to mind is Desert Lung which comes from a fungus found in the ground of the American Southwest. Been to Arizona lately?

Good luck with the doctor visit.

[cdninkorea]

I very rarely get sick- a cold that lasts a few days once a year is the norm. Last week I started using my a/c, and now I have a pretty nasty cold.

I know it's completely unscientific, but just in case I'm not using it right now and just sleeping with a fan pointed at me. I've never cleaned the filters in my a/c unit because I don't know how (it's an ancient machine and I can't figure it out) so perhaps the dust contributed to a weakened immune system? Sounds plausible to me, but again, probably unscientific.

[Snake Doctor]

[eamo]

Stop smoking!!

[Snake Doctor]

[Yaya]

The Korean term for what you have is naengbang byeong, or cool room syndrome. I hear people in Hong Kong or Singapore also get this because it's like a sauna outside but a fridge once you go inside.

[Snake Doctor]

[aznguy]

wow, i just got this dry cough about a week ago, too. i attribute mine to jogging outdoors last sunday, it was a bit muggy, hazy and full of smog. i'll be making a trip to the clinic to see what it is since its been a persistent cough.

i was wondering if its worse in cooler or warmer air? for some reason i start coughing like crazy in a space that is air conditioned. anyways hope it aint serious.

[milkweedma]

Don't sleep directly in the blowing air from the air-cond or you will develop agitated sinuses and extra phlegm. You can get you eyes caked in 'sleep' as well and even develop full blown sinusitis from the damn machines like i did in Taiwan. Bronchial inings in your lungs become inflamed as do the nose, sinuses and blockages occur is the nose is always stuffed up. It it get quite nasty if you ignore the warning signs with headaches etc.

[Snake Doctor]

Just an FYI on my situation. No sinusitis this time, no cold, no phlem, no headaches, just a dry, persistant cough that hits me at 3am every day, and lasts about an hour, then occasional dry cough the rest of the time...nothing too bad, but incredibly bad when I wake up at 3am.

[kittykoo]

The pollution levels in Korea produce different reactions in different people and I have found that the best way to deal with this generic allergic reaction to pollutants is the Chinese medicine route. There are various herbal teas that are specific remedies for laryngitis and respiratory ailments in general. I found a tea and cough drops in mainland China called "Golden Throat" that cures laryngitis in one day and Puerh tea (available in Korea, but can be very expensive) when drunk regularly prevents respiratory infections and also has a calming effect on the nerves.

[eamo]