Always clearing your throat? What to do

By Marcelo Campos, M.D. Ahem! Ahem!

Ever feel the need to move the mucus that annoyingly sits all the way at the back of your mouth? Most of us do at one time or another. The sensation usually lasts for just a few days when dealing with symptoms of a common cold.

But what happens if throat clearing lingers for weeks or months? That nagging feeling may be uncomfortable for the person who has the problem, and might also bother friends and family who hear the characteristic growling sound.

What causes all that throat clearing? There are many causes, but let’s focus on four of the most common culprits. Keep in mind that throat clearing lasting more than two to three weeks deserves an evalu- ation from a medical professional.

Post-nasal drip

Post-nasal drip is probably the most common cause of throat clearing. Your nose makes nasal mucus to help clear infections and allergens, or in response to irritants such as cold weather.

A frequently runny nose can be quite disturbing. Just as mucus can drip toward the front of the nose, some mucus may also drip from the back of the nose toward the throat, sometimes getting close to the vocal cords. If the mucus is too thick to swallow, we try to force it out with a loud AHEM!

Solutions: The best solution to this prob- lem is to treat the cause of post-nasal drip. An easy way to do it without medications is to try daily nasal irrigation with a neti pot.

If you notice no improvement, different types of nasal sprays may help. It is best to discuss these options with a health professional, because some sprays may cause your symptoms to worsen. The key is to understand what is causing excess mucus production.

Stomach acid reflux

Another common cause of throat clearing is laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). Acid in your stomach helps digest food. But excess stomach acid sometimes flows backward up the esophagus that links throat to stomach. This may splash on the vocal cords or throat, causing irritation and throat clearing.

Not everyone with acid reflux experiences a burning sensation in the throat. Nor does everyone have heartburn, which is a classic sign of a related condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Some people merely feel an urge to clear their throat or have a persistent cough.

Solutions: Eating an anti-reflux diet and not lying down shortly after eating may help in some cases. Often, people have to use medications for several weeks or months to lower stomach acid production.

Certain medications

A common class of heart and blood pressure medicines can also cause throat clearing. These are called ACE inhibitors. The funny thing is that these medications can trigger the urge even after years of people taking them daily without experiencing that symptom.

If that’s the cause, there is an easy fix. The sensation should be completely gone after stopping the medication, although in some cases it can take several weeks to abate.

Note: It is very important to talk to your doctor before stopping a prescribed medicine, so you can switch to something else.

Nerve problems

Damaged nerves responsible for sensation around the throat area is another possible cause. These issues are more difficult to treat, and are usually diagnosed after most of the other possibilities are ruled out. People often have this type of throat clearing for many years.

Solutions: A multidisciplinary team with neurologists and ear, nose and throat doctors (otolaryngologists) may need to in-

Avocados linked to heart health

The creamy, pale green flesh of an avocado is full of nutrients closely tied to heart health. Now, a long-term study finds that eating at least two servings per week is linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Study co-author Dr. Frank Hu, the Frederick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH), puts this finding in perspective: “This study adds to the evidence to support the benefits of healthy fat sources like avocados to help prevent cardiovascular disease,” he said.

A key take-home message is to substitute avocados for less-healthy foods such as butter, cheese and processed meats.

Clearing throat

From page 12 vestigate the problem. Medicines that change how a person perceives sensation can help.

There are many other reasons for throat clearing. Some people, for instance, just have a tic of frequently clearing their throat. Noticing any clues that point to the root cause can help. Maybe constant throat clearing happens only during spring, pointing toward allergies, or perhaps after drinking coffee, a reason to consider reflux.

The study included more than 110,000 people involved in two long-running Harvard studies: the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Most of the participants were white; they ranged in age from 30 to 75, and were free of heart disease and cancer when the study began.

Researchers assessed the participants’ diets via questionnaires given at the start of the study and then every four years. One question asked how much and how often people ate avocado. A serving was considered a half an avocado or one-half cup, cubed.

During the 30-year follow-up, researchers documented 9,185 heart attacks and 5,290 strokes among the participants. Compared with people who never or rarely ate avocados, those who ate at least two servings each week had a 16% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 21% lower risk of experiencing a heart attack or related problem due to coronary artery disease.

An observant eye and jotting notes in a diary may help shine a light on the problem and its possible solutions. Very often, when the cause remains elusive, your primary care doctor may recommend a trial of treatment as a way to diagnose the problem.

© 2022 Harvard University. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Research shows that replacing foods high in saturated fat (such as butter, cheese and meat) with those rich in unsaturated fats (such as avocados, nuts and seeds) helps lower blood levels of harmful LDL cholesterol, a key culprit in coronary artery disease.

One serving of avocado also provides up to 20% of the daily recommended dietary intake of fiber, a nutrient that’s often lacking in the typical American diet. Fiber-rich diets may lower heart disease risk as much as 30%, probably because fiber helps lower not only cholesterol, but also blood pressure and body weight.

—Harvard Heart Letter

John Schieszer is an award-winning national journalist and radio and podcast broadcaster of The Medical Minute. He can be reached at medicalminutes@gmail.com.

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