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.

When strands clog your shower drain or your brush looks full every time you run it through your hair, panic is a natural response. Hair loss, or alopecia, is not just a cosmetic concern; it often hints at something deeper. And yet, thanks to internet half-truths and old wives’ tales, myths about alopecia spread faster than a viral meme. On World Alopecia Day, we turn to experts to separate fact from fiction while spotlighting the hidden medical conditions that might be behind the hair fall.

It is Not Just "Shedding Season": Medical Reasons Behind Hair Loss

Autoimmune Disorders (Alopecia Areata):

Hormonal Imbalances (Thyroid Disorders and PCOS):

Nutritional Deficiencies:

The good news? “Early diagnosis and treatment of these conditions can help restore hair growth and prevent permanent damage,” he assures.

Wigging Out Over Myths

Myth 1: “Only men experience alopecia.”

“While male pattern baldness is more commonly discussed, women are equally susceptible to alopecia due to hormonal imbalances, thyroid issues, and nutritional deficiencies,” says Dr Gangurde. Yes, ladies lose hair too and not just from brushing too hard.

Myth 2: “Stress alone is responsible for hair loss.”

While stress is definitely not good for your scalp’s health, it is not the lone cause. “Alopecia usually has multiple triggers, including genetics, autoimmune conditions, and underlying medical issues,” explains Dr Gangurde. Translation: stressing about stress causing hair fall might make things worse.

Myth 3: “Alopecia is always permanent and untreatable.”

This one might be the most damaging myth of all. “Many forms of hair loss, especially those caused by hormonal or nutritional factors, are reversible with timely medical intervention,” says Dr Gangurde. PRP therapy, medications, and lifestyle changes can all turn things around if you act early enough.

Do Not Just Shed Tears, Seek Help

If your hair has been thinning or falling out in clumps, resist the urge to DIY it with oils, serums, or social media hacks. “If you experience sudden or persistent hair loss, consult a dermatologist or trichologist promptly,” advises Dr Gangurde. “Early intervention can address the root cause, prevent progression, and in many cases, restore healthy hair growth.” Remember that alopecia is not just a surface-level issue. And with the right diagnosis, it is often more fixable than you think.

The 2025 flu season has turned out to be unlike any other in recent memory. This year, the flu season is marked by record-setting infections, multiple viral peaks, vaccine mismatches, and an overstretched healthcare system.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this year’s influenza activity is the most intense since the 2009 swine flu pandemic, with over 80 million estimated illnesses and rising. What’s driving this intensity, and what should the public know about prevention and symptom management?

Let’s break down what makes this flu season so severe and what it means for your health.

A Season Like No Other: What Makes 2025 Different?

In most years, flu activity in the U.S. typically follows a predictable pattern, starting in October, peaking between December and February, and fading by April. But the 2024–2025 season has defied that rhythm.

Cases surged past the national baseline in December and then, unexpectedly, peaked again in February, a second wave that blindsided doctors and public health experts.

As of March 2025, the CDC had reported an estimated 37 million influenza infections, 480,000 hospitalizations, and 21,000 deaths. Hospitalizations, in fact, reached their highest levels in 15 years.

One key driver? A mismatch between circulating flu strains and this year’s vaccine. The dominant strains: H1N1 and H3N2, accounted for more than 99% of cases.

H3N2, in particular, is known for mutating quickly and evading immune responses, and only about half of circulating H3N2 samples matched well with vaccine antibodies, according to CDC surveillance data.

Post-Pandemic Immune Gap

Another reason this year’s flu is hitting so hard: our immune systems are still catching up.

During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, widespread masking, social distancing, and school closures suppressed not just SARS-CoV-2 but also seasonal flu and other common respiratory viruses. While that helped in the short term, it reduced community-level immunity over time, especially among children, who typically build natural resistance through repeated exposures.

“Young children who were toddlers or preschoolers during the pandemic missed early exposures to flu viruses,” explained experts at the nonprofit group Families Fighting Flu. “Now they’re in school, more socially active, and more vulnerable.”

The CDC reported a troubling spike in pediatric flu deaths this season with 216 fatalities, making it the deadliest flu season for children outside of a pandemic year. Neurological complications such as seizures and hallucinations also rose among young patients.

A Shift in Viral Dominance

Another unusual trend: COVID-19 has taken a back seat this winter

Unlike previous years when COVID-19 variants dominated respiratory illness charts, flu has surged ahead as the top driver of doctor visits and hospitalizations. This could be due to a shift in viral dominance, changing weather patterns, or differences in immunity buildup. According to the CDC, nearly 8% of all outpatient visits are currently for flu-like symptoms, much higher than what’s typical for this time of year.

Vaccine Fatigue and Gaps in Coverage

Vaccination remains the strongest tool we have to fight influenza, but uptake has been stagnant, or worse, declining, in key groups.

As of April 2025:

• Only 49.2% of children and 46.7% of adults had received the flu vaccine
• Among pregnant women, that number dropped to 38%
• Medicare beneficiaries aged 65+ had just 48.3% coverage
• And overall, nearly 9.2 million fewer doses were administered compared to the pre-pandemic 2019–2020 season

Barriers like vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare access, and fewer flu shot clinics in rural areas continue to widen the gap.

What Are the Symptoms in 2025?

The 2025 flu has shown typical but often more intense symptoms than in previous years. Here’s what to look out for:

• Sudden onset fever
• Severe body aches and chills
• Sore throat and persistent cough
• Nasal congestion
• Diarrhea and vomiting (more frequent in children)
• Extreme fatigue
• Headache
• In some children, neurological symptoms like confusion or seizures

These symptoms may overlap with COVID-19 or RSV, but tend to come on faster and hit harder in flu cases this season.

How Long Do Symptoms Last?

For most healthy people, flu symptoms begin 1 to 4 days after exposure and typically last about 5 to 7 days. However, fatigue and cough may linger for up to two weeks.

You’re considered most contagious in the first 3 to 4 days after symptoms start but can continue to spread the virus up to a week later. The CDC recommends staying home until you’ve been fever-free for at least 24 hours without medication.

Vaccinated individuals may experience milder or shorter symptoms, but those with underlying conditions, young children, and older adults may have longer recoveries and higher risk of complications.

Can the Flu Cause Serious Health Problems?

Yes, especially in people with weakened immune systems, chronic illnesses, or no prior flu immunity.

Possible complications include:

• Pneumonia
• Ear and sinus infections
• Exacerbation of asthma or heart disease
• Life-threatening conditions requiring ICU care

This is why experts stress that prevention remains the best medicine.

How to Protect Yourself and Your Family

Here’s how to lower your risk during the remainder of the 2025 season:

• Get vaccinated, even now. It may still protect against circulating strains
• Wash your hands often with soap and water
• Avoid touching your face in public settings
• Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing
• Stay home if you’re unwell to prevent spreading the virus

A lung cancer diagnosis shatters worlds. It thrusts patients into a whirlwind of fear, confusion, and uncertainty. What now? How will I cope? Is this the end? These questions are inevitable and urgent. Yet, amid the anxiety, many patients harbor a dangerous belief: that if cancer has taken hold, quitting smoking is pointless.

It's not just a myth, it’s dangerous. Newer studies show quitting smoking even after a cancer diagnosis can significantly improve survival, make treatments more effective, and alleviate symptoms. In other words: even after cancer strikes, letting go of cigarettes can save your life.

In many small towns across India, where awareness about cancer and tobacco risks is limited, patients often continue to smoke despite their diagnosis. “Some feel it is too late to stop. Others are too addicted or too hopeless to try,” says Dr. Ruchi Singh, HOD & Senior Consultant of Radiation Oncology at Asian Hospital. This is the kind of thinking that kills from the inside out.

The reality is the opposite. Dr. Singh emphasizes, “We try to explain … it is never too late. If they stop smoking, even after the cancer has started, the treatment becomes more effective. It is one of the most important things they can do for themselves.”

Every cigarette after diagnosis undermines treatment, weakens the body, and shortens survival. But should someone quit even late into their cancer journey their lungs begin to heal, treatments work better, and recurrence becomes less likely.

How Does Quitting Smoking Extends or Saves Lives?

Global research aligns with Dr. Singh’s clinical advise, a study by IARC and Russian oncologists followed 517 lung cancer patients who smoked at diagnosis. Those who quit within three months lived 22 months longer on average and had 33% lower mortality risk and 30% lower disease progression, regardless of stage or smoking intensity.

The Prospective cohort of the Annals of Internal Medicine confirmed quitting after diagnosis yields meaningful survival benefits.

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center. A Harvard study of nearly 5,600 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients found former smokers lived longer than current smokers, suggesting even pre-diagnosis quitting increases survival. Additional studies show quitting at or around diagnosis reduces mortality significantly and improves outcomes across all stages of NSCLC.

Smoking cessation isn’t just beneficial—it is one of the most powerful lifesaving interventions for lung cancer patients.

People tend to discount vaccines or preventive care because success makes the threat invisible. Lung cancer prevention has been a public health battle for decades. Policymakers and physicians worked to reduce smoking rates, and incidence fell. But once a cancer diagnosis arrives, all remission plans depend on a foundation of good habits—like quitting tobacco.

Tobacco smoke introduces toxins, weakens immune function, and diminishes treatment outcomes. Continuing to smoke after diagnosis:

• Lowers treatment efficacy
• Increases post-surgery complications
• Heightens the risk of recurrence or second primary cancers
• Shortens survival significantly
• Quitting reverses much of that risk—even post-diagnosis.

How to Quit Smoking After Lung Cancer Diagnosis?

Treatment regimens already overwhelm patients. Quitting smoking under stress and physical duress is tough—but not impossible. With the right support, patients dramatically increase their success odds. Here’s a compassionate roadmap:

1. Set your quit date now, delay weakens motivation and clarity.
2. Seek medical support, consult your oncologist or a specialist in Siliguri. Therapy, nicotine replacements, or counseling can double your quitting success.
3. Lean on loved ones, share your commitment and ask for accountability.
4. Identify your triggers- stress, discomfort, or routine can push you back. Replace smoking with walking, meditation, or tea.
5. Shift lifestyle habits and replace “smoke with morning coffee” rituals with alternative rituals—like stretching or herbal tea.
6. Build habits that support health- hydration, nutritious food, gentle movement and joy—these restore lung health and resilience.

Indeed, about 36% of tobacco-linked lung cancer patients manage to quit after diagnosis. Those are lives reclaimed.

Lung cancer still has a stigma. Many see it as self-inflicted. That stigma often delays help—including quitting support. But as Dr. Singh reminds us: “People think cancer means a death sentence. But many cases are treatable, especially if caught early. If someone quits smoking, we see real improvement such as better breathing, better recovery after surgery, and fewer chances of the cancer coming back.”

For patients, oncology teams, and families, smoking cessation after diagnosis isn’t optional—it’s urgent evidence-backed medicine.

A lung cancer diagnosis changes everything, but it does not define what comes next. Quitting smoking—even when the disease has already appeared—creates space for healing, response, and survival. It says, “I’m still here. I’m still fighting."

If you or someone you love is facing lung cancer- quit, today. It doesn’t erase the past—but it can extend the future. Numbers don’t lie: treatment plus quitting smoking can give us 22 more months, more energy, more peace, and a higher chance of beating this disease. Quitting is more than choice. It’s courage. And it is always worth it.