My 8-year-old son wants to ask why is it he coughs when he eats ice cream?

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, coughing (and sneezing) are reflexes, which means it’s something your body does “automatically.” These reflexes are controlled by the brain, specifically the medulla oblongata. In the early 1980s, a scientist documented that some people sneezing when they’ve looked at  light for a long time. He theorized that the reflex is a biological response to stop humans from staring at the sun so long that they damage their eyes. The coughing reflex is caused by an irritant in the trachea — something tickles your throat. That sudden feel of coldness is most likely creating the cough.

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