It's the feeling we all have experienced at some point: that stubborn lump in your throat. You don't really know how the phlegm got there, but it's annoying, persistent, and clearing it seems like a gross chore. Whether it's the result of a cold, allergies, or something else, you know it's there, and it's uncomfortable. But before you go into full panic mode, it's important to understand that mucus has a purpose-it's helping protect your respiratory system. Now, let's dive into what you can do to clear it out and get back to feeling like yourself.

What Is Mucus and Why Does Your Body Produce It?

Mucus, or phlegm when produced in excess, is your body's defense mechanism. It’s made up of water, salt, and antibodies and serves as a protective layer that captures unwanted microorganisms, including bacteria, allergens, and dust. Even when you’re feeling fine, your body naturally produces about a quart of phlegm each day to prevent these harmful elements from entering your lungs. But when you’re sick or battling allergies, your body ramps up mucus production to trap and clear out these invaders.

Mucus is produced in the nose and lower airways as a response to inflammation. It's secreted by mucous membranes that run from the nose down to the lungs. In excess, it is coughed up as phlegm, which can be very uncomfortable and even irritating, especially if settled in your throat.

Common Causes of Mucus in the Throat

Several factors contribute to excess mucus buildup:

1. Acid Reflux and GERD

When stomach acid flows up into your throat, it irritates the mucous membranes and causes an increase in mucus production.

2. Allergies and Sinusitis

Pollen, dust, and other allergens can cause your body to produce more mucus to trap and expel these irritants.

3. Respiratory Infections

Colds, flu, or sinus infections can cause mucus to thicken, making it hard to clear from your throat.

4. Asthma and Chronic Respiratory Diseases

Conditions such as asthma or chronic bronchitis cause inflammation in the airways, increasing mucus production.

5. Smoking and Environmental Irritants

Cigarette smoke and pollution can irritate the lungs, leading to excess mucus production as your body tries to expel these harmful particles.

Environmental and Lifestyle Factors Contributing to Mucus Buildup

1. Dry Air

A dry indoor environment can make your throat feel dry, which encourages the body to produce more mucus in an attempt to lubricate and protect the airways. Using a humidifier can help relieve this.

2. Dehydration

Failure to hydrate will cause mucus to thicken and become sticky, thus hard to clear. It is important to hydrate to thin mucus and ease its expulsion.

3. Overconsumption of Dehydrating Beverages

Beverages like coffee, tea, and alcohol will contribute to dehydration, which means you will also have increased mucus production that will not be easy to expel.

4. Medication

Some drugs, like ACE inhibitors or birth control pills, will cause overproduction of mucus. Consult your doctor if you suspect that this is one of the contributing factors.

Natural Remedies for Mucus Removal in the Throat

There are several effective ways of clearing mucus in the throat naturally.

1. Honey in Hot Drinks

Honey soothes the throat and can help in reducing the thickness of the mucus, thus easing the expulsion. It has also antibacterial properties that help strengthen the immune system.

Note: Honey is not safe for children under 1 year old.

2. Herbal Remedies

Some herbs such as eucalyptus, thyme, and ivy extract may help in the clearance of airways. Before you use any herb, make sure to consult your doctor.

3. Hot Soup

Warm liquids, such as chicken soup, can keep you hydrated and thin out the mucus in your throat so that it can be expelled.

4. Humidifier

Humidifier puts moisture in the air so that the throat is not dry, and mucus will not be so thick.

5. Refrain from Smoking and Airway Irritants

Cigarette smoke and other pollutants can worsen mucus production. Quitting smoking and minimizing exposure to pollutants can significantly improve mucus clearance.

Why Drinking Water is Important?

Staying hydrated is one of the best ways to manage mucus. Water helps thin mucus, making it easier for your body to expel. Aim to drink plenty of fluids, especially if you’re dealing with a cold or allergies.

What to Avoid

Drinks such as caffeinated beverages and alcohol can dehydrate you, thickening mucus and making it harder to clear.

When to Seek Medical Attention for Mucus Buildup

Most mucus buildup can be cleared with home remedies, but there are times when you should consult with a doctor:

1. Persistent Symptoms

If the mucus doesn’t clear after several days or keeps coming back, it may be a sign of an underlying condition that requires medical intervention.

2. Coughing Up Green or Yellow Mucus

If your mucus turns green or yellow, this could indicate a bacterial infection. See a healthcare provider if you’re coughing up large amounts of colored mucus.

3. Blood in Mucus

Blood in your mucus may indicate a serious problem like a lung infection or other breathing condition. Seek medical help right away.

4. Pain or Tightness in the Chest or Breathing

Difficulty breathing or tightness in the chest or sharp pain when coughing could be symptoms of a more serious lung disease and should be seen by a healthcare provider.

As we today observe the World Dance Day, let us look at what dancing can help us with. Of course, the physical benefits are there. When you move your body, do any sort of physical activities, you are working out in some form and it helps you stay fit. Like everyone have their fitness regime, your dance routine can also help you stay fit. In fact there are certain fitness regime, including Zumba that keeps you fit through dance.

However, the benefits go much beyond just physical fitness, dancing can actually help you live a stress free life.

TikTok Dances For Mental Health

In one of the latest trends in TikTok, people are bringing back pangs of nostalgia to the internet with their 90s dance on rapper Doechii's song 'Anxiety' from the "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air".

Why is this trend important? With big names also jumping in and dancing to the rhythms, including Wil Smith and Tatyana Ali, experts say that this is helping ordinary people normalize anxiety.

Certain anxiety disorders are marked by persistent, or excessive worry. It could be fear about situations. As per the Mayo Clinic, these moments of anxiety can include panic attacks and sudden episodes of intense fear or discomfort

Research suggest that creative activities, including dancing can help relieve this stress. Dancing also engages multiple areas of the brain and demands full attention, which can then shift the focus from anxiety feelings. Supporting this idea, a 2021 study from UCLA Health found that conscious dance led to mental health improvements in a large majority of participants, particularly those dealing with anxiety, depression, or a history of trauma.

Dancing: A Complete Stress Buster

Dance involves full-body movement and coordination. This kind of physical activity stimulates the release of endorphins—natural chemicals in the brain that act as mood boosters and stress relievers. During a panic attack, when anxiety can feel overwhelming, these endorphins help calm the body and mind.

Engaging in dance also activates deep breathing patterns, especially in structured styles like Indian classical dance. This is important because panic attacks often lead to rapid, shallow breathing or hyperventilation. The breath control involved in dancing can help slow things down and regulate the body’s response.

In addition, dance improves body awareness. When someone is in the middle of a panic attack, they often feel disconnected or dissociated from reality. Focusing on movement—on the placement of your arms, the rhythm of your steps, the tension in your muscles—can bring attention back to the present. This grounding effect helps reduce the intensity of the attack and prevents it from escalating.

Dance as a Distraction and a Mindfulness Tool

Experts explain that one reason dance can be so effective is because it serves as a powerful distraction. Instead of spiraling into anxious thoughts, the brain is forced to concentrate on movement, rhythm, and coordination. This temporary shift in focus can prevent panic from taking over.

Dance also builds mindfulness, a practice often recommended in therapy. Whether it's through a slow classical routine or a high-energy freestyle session, dance requires attention to the now. The combination of mental focus and physical release gives the body a chance to reset and relax.

Last year in June, when a woman collapsed on an escalator at Buffalo's airport, and Phil Clough, who is an experienced emergency medical responder knew exactly what to do. He and a bystander, as the Washington Post reported, quickly laid the woman flat on her back. They checked her pulse and breath. Her pulse was faint and her breathing was shallow and erratic. A few moments later, she stopped breathing altogether.

Realizing she might be experiencing a cardiac arrest, Clough immediately began performing chest compressions. He pressed hard and fast on the center of her chest while other bystanders called 911 and fetched an automated external defibrillator (AED). Within seconds of receiving a shock from the AED, the woman opened her eyes. By the time the airport rescue team arrived, just minutes later, she was conscious and able to speak.

Clough’s quick actions saved the woman’s life, but he credits his preparedness to a life-changing incident several years earlier. After witnessing a woman collapse at his gym and feeling helpless, he took a college course to become certified as an emergency medical responder. This training allowed him to respond with confidence when faced with a life-or-death situation.

The Challenge of Cardiac Arrest

The woman in Buffalo was fortunate that bystanders knew how to respond. Unfortunately, most people who experience cardiac arrest do not receive immediate help.

According to the American Heart Association, more than 350,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of hospitals in the U.S. annually. Tragically, 90% of these individuals do not survive, often because help arrives too late. For each minute that passes without intervention, a person’s chances of survival decrease by 10%. However, with prompt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and an AED shock if necessary, survival rates can double or even triple.

Despite the importance of swift intervention, fewer than half of people who suffer cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting receive immediate assistance. This lack of action is often due to a lack of training and preparedness. Cardiac arrest can happen anywhere, but with public access to AEDs and trained bystanders, survival rates could improve dramatically.

The Role of AEDs in Saving Lives

A crucial part of treating cardiac arrest is the use of an AED, a portable device that delivers an electric shock to the heart. The AED analyzes the heart’s rhythm and guides the user through the steps to apply a shock if needed. Although many states require AEDs to be available in public places such as airports and malls, they are not always easy to find. A study spanning 2019 to 2022 revealed that in public settings, AEDs were used only 7% of the time, and CPR was performed 42% of the time after a cardiac arrest incident.

To address this issue, PulsePoint, a nonprofit organization, has registered 185,000 AEDs in 5,400 U.S. communities, reports the Washington Post. The group’s goal is to help communities build their AED registries and integrate them with local 911 services. In addition, PulsePoint’s mobile app alerts trained CPR responders about nearby cardiac arrests and identifies the closest AEDs, enhancing the chances of saving a life.

Overcoming Barriers to Bystander Intervention

While CPR and AED knowledge can save lives, many people hesitate to intervene during an emergency due to fear of making a mistake, lacking confidence, or worrying about legal liability. However, all 50 states and Washington, D.C. have “Good Samaritan” laws that protect individuals from legal consequences when they provide help in a medical emergency.

Lack of CPR training is another significant barrier. A study found that only 18% of people had received CPR training within the last two years, which is crucial for skill retention. Although many people have received CPR training at some point in their lives, the skills may be outdated or forgotten.

To address this, some states have made CPR training mandatory for high school graduation, and countries like Denmark and Norway have implemented similar requirements. In the U.S., CPR courses are widely available online and in-person, and many take just a few hours to complete. These courses teach individuals the basics of CPR, which involves performing chest compressions at a rate of 100 to 120 per minute and a depth of at least two inches.

You may have heard people say that they are allergic to things, whether it is gluten, soy or peanuts. These people avoid these items, even going as far as not dining in certain places where there is a possibility of cross contamination.

While it may seem like an overreaction, allergy symptoms can range from just a few rashes to cause of death. There are many people who did not and still do not take allergies seriously. As one of the most common allergies, many people who have close ones with peanut allergy, many places have opened “nut-free” zones including schools, offices and many public spaces.

While there is no cure for allergies, a new clinical trial results show that exposure therapy with peanut allergies has proven successful.

Why Do We Need Exposure Therapy?

The research team reported in the journal Allergy, April 2025, that a significant majority of the participants, more than two out of every three (67%), were able to eat at least five peanuts without triggering an allergic reaction after undergoing the treatment. This marks a positive step forward in managing this common and often severe allergy.

Seeing as expansive as the risk associated with allergies is, researchers have continued working towards proper cures and treatments. While there are precautions like avoiding the allergens, reducing exposure, when a person with a sever, allergy is exposed to the allergens, the chances of them going into anaphylaxis is a lot, so many people care EpiPens or epinephrine shot that can counter allergic reactions for a while.

How Does Exposure Therapy Work For Peanut Allergies?

The way exposure therapy works is pretty simple but needs to be done carefully. People who are allergic to peanuts are given very, very small amounts of peanut protein every day. Over time, the amount is slowly increased. It's like gently introducing the body to the thing it's allergic to, little by little. This helps the body learn that peanuts aren't actually a threat, and it starts to react less strongly. It's a gradual process, but the goal is to build up a person's ability to handle peanuts without having a dangerous allergic reaction.

In this study, 21 adults who were allergic to peanuts took part. Every day, they ate a small amount of peanut flour mixed in with their food. The goal was for them to be able to eat a small amount of peanut flour every day for at least a month without any problems. After that, they were tested to see how much peanut they could eat. The researchers were very happy with how well the treatment worked, saying that the results were similar to what they've seen in studies with kids.

The study showed some really impressive results in how much more peanut the participants could handle after the treatment. The researchers mentioned that on average, the amount of peanut they could eat without a reaction went up by a hundred times!

Why Are Researches Like This Important?

What makes this study really important is that it's the first-time scientists have specifically looked at how well exposure therapy works for adults with peanut allergies. Usually, this kind of treatment is done with kids because their bodies are still growing and changing. However, this new research shows that even adults, whose bodies are already fully grown, can still become less allergic to peanuts with this type of treatment. This opens up a whole new possibility for adults who have lived with this allergy for many years and haven't had many treatment options before. Many said that the treatment was "life-changing" and they no longer lived in constant fear of their allergy.