Health
Ask a doc: 'When is a cough something to worry about?'
As respiratory illnesses surge this winter, there’s one symptom many patients hope will just go away: the dreaded cough.
“At this time of year, many people suffer from minor coughs due to common colds, allergies or sinus irritation with post-nasal drip,” Dr. Whitney Hardy, family medicine physician at Ochsner Health in New Orleans, Louisiana, told Fox News Digital.
One of the most common causes of a nagging cough is known as post-nasal drip, which occurs when the insides of the nasal passages become congested.
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Often, this stems from a viral infection or an allergy trigger, according to the American Lung Association’s website.
Eventually, the nasal discharge drips to the back of the throat, causing the body to cough reflexively.
One of the most common causes of a nagging cough is known as post-nasal drip, which occurs when the insides of the nasal passages become congested. (iStock)
In some cases, coughs can be very debilitating, but in other cases they can resolve on their own without affecting daily activities — so it’s not always easy to know when to seek medical attention.
Here’s what the experts say you should know.
Why do we cough?
“A cough is a natural reflex in response to things like excess moisture in the lungs, foreign objects and mucus-producing infections,” Hardy told Fox News Digital.
After the irritant tickles the throat or airways, it sends a message to the brain that there is something in the body that shouldn’t be there, according to Mayo Clinic’s website.
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The brain then sends a message to the chest muscles to cough in order to get the irritant out of the body.
It’s natural for people to cough from time to time — but if the symptom becomes severe or persists for too long, it can irritate the lung and induce even more coughing.
Too much coughing can lead to trouble sleeping, dizziness, headaches, vomiting, fainting, chest pain and even broken ribs, Mayo Clinic noted.
Too much coughing can lead to trouble sleeping, dizziness, headaches, vomiting, fainting, chest pain and even broken ribs, Mayo Clinic noted. (iStock)
“This mechanism is important when we have an active infection and need to remove pus or fluid that will create further damage in the lung if it persists,” Dr. Baljinder S. Sidhu, a pulmonologist and sleep specialist who is the partner of Pacific Coast Critical Care Group in Southern California, told Fox News Digital.
“Lingering cough is often caused by irritated lung mucosa with minimal triggers.”
What are the different types of coughs?
A cough that lasts less than three weeks is known as an acute cough, per Mayo Clinic.
“An acute cough typically occurs with a viral or bacterial infection, such as the flu or pneumonia,” Hardy said.
“Sometimes, this type of cough can last up to three weeks, even after infection symptoms clear,” she added.
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“Acute coughs are dry and get worse during the day, but almost completely stop at night.”
Lung irritants such as smoke, dust and chemicals are also common causes of an acute cough.
A subacute cough lasts between three and eight weeks, and often occurs after a lingering respiratory infection, experts say.
Always see a doctor if your cough lasts for more than eight weeks, as it may be necessary to get a chest X-ray to help diagnose the cause, according to the American Lung Association. (iStock)
A cough lasting for more than eight weeks is known as a chronic cough, according to the American Lung Association.
Asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and a blood pressure medication known as lisinopril can all lead to a chronic cough.
Some life-threatening conditions, such as lung cancer and heart failure (where fluid from the heart backs up into the lung), may also cause a chronic cough, experts warned.
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“Most coughs associated with a recent cold or viral illness will resolve on their own without additional treatment,” Liz Husted, M.D., a family medicine physician at Mayo Clinic Health System in La Crosse, Wisconsin, told Fox News Digital.
“A cough after a viral illness can commonly last up to six weeks; typically, no additional treatment is needed.”
When does a cough become worrisome?
“A cough is always a concern when accompanied by shortness of breath or chest pain,” Husted said.
“This is to be evaluated by a physician right away.”
Always see a doctor if your cough lasts for more than eight weeks, as it may be necessary to get a chest X-ray to help diagnose the cause, the American Lung Association states on its website.
See a doctor, experts recommend, if you experience severe cough, fever, difficulty breathing or wheezing no matter how long your cough lasts. (iStock)
Regardless of how long your cough lasts, experts recommend seeing a doctor if you experience severe cough, fever, difficulty breathing or wheezing.
Phlegm with pus (thick green discharge) or blood, chills, night sweats and weight loss are other red flags that indicate the need for medical attention.
Should you use home remedies?
Over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines are safe for adults to take for acute coughs, as long as the cough is not associated with any worrisome symptoms, according to experts. (Check with your doctor to be sure.)
“These over-the-counter medications are usually a combination of several medications, including dextromethorphan, guaifenesin, phenylephrine and/or Tylenol,” Sidhu said.
Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant that acts directly on cough receptors, the doctor noted.
Over-the-counter cough medicines are safe to take for acute coughs, as long as the cough is not associated with any worrisome symptoms, experts say. (iStock)
Guaifenesin works by making mucus thinner and easier to bring up so that less irritant is left behind.
“Phenylephrine is a decongestant that helps treat nasal congestion and postnasal drip,” Sidhu said.
Parents or caregivers should check with their pediatrician first before administering cough medications to children, experts advise.
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Also, OTC medications only treat the symptoms — not the underlying cause.
Past research has shown that they are no more effective than placebo medications in treating coughs.
“To help with an ongoing cough, use of a humidifier is recommended to keep plenty of moisture in your immediate atmosphere,” Hardy added.
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There has been a shake-up in the Make America Healthy Again movement regarding glyphosate, a widely used herbicide that has been the subject of significant controversy.
The debate follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump that ensures an adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides related to national defense.
MAHA supporters have previously pushed a pesticide-free agenda, warning of potential health harms caused by glyphosate.
Dr. Marc Siegel, Fox News senior medical analyst, said he believes there is sufficient evidence linking glyphosate to neurodegenerative diseases, including ALS, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis, to warrant limiting exposure.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order that ensures an adequate supply of elemental phosphorus and glyphosate-based herbicides related to national defense. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
“With Parkinson’s, this association appears to be due to the gut, vagus nerve and brain axis, where the exposure affects the microbiome in the gut, which then ascends slowly up to the brain, causing the neurodegenerative disease years later,” Siegel told Fox News Digital.
“There is also a growing association being found between high-dose glyphosate or occupational exposure and metabolic disorders, liver disease and some cancers, specifically lymphoma.”
He added, “Growing research backs this. I favor limiting it.”
“When we apply them across millions of acres and allow them into our food system, we put Americans at risk.”
Studies have shown that glyphosate, which is used in products such as Roundup, owned by Monsanto, could raise cancer risk.
In one University of Washington study published in the journal Mutation Research, researchers found that exposure to it increased the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma by 41%.
The nonprofit Investigate Midwest, which analyzed data from both the U.S. Geological Survey and the National Cancer Institute, also recently found that pesticides may contribute to cancer rates.
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Among the top 500 counties for per-square-mile pesticide use, more than 60% had cancer rates above the national average of 460 cases per 100,000 people, according to the report.
Investigate Midwest, which is based in Illinois, interviewed more than 100 farmers, environmentalists, lawmakers and scientists as part of a partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s StoryReach U.S. Fellowship.
Among the top 500 counties for per-square-mile pesticide use, more than 60% had cancer rates above the national average of 460 cases per 100,000 people, according to one study. (iStock)
Iowa, which used 53 million pounds of pesticides last year, holds the nation’s title for second-highest cancer rate.
Bill Billings, a resident of Red Oak, Iowa, was diagnosed with cancer in 2014.
“The cancer specialist said, very directly, (my) cancer is a result of being exposed to chemicals,” Billings said in the report.
Kelly Ryerson, founder of Glyphosate Facts and owner of the Instagram account @glyphosategirl, told Fox News Digital her journey researching the herbicide began with her own health struggles.
Ryerson, who is based in California, previously struggled with chronic illness and autoimmune issues, which she said improved when she stopped eating gluten.
Iowa, which used 53 million pounds of pesticides last year, holds the nation’s title for second-highest cancer rate. (iStock)
After attending a medical conference at Columbia University’s Celiac Disease Center, Ryerson began to question modern farming practices rather than the gluten itself.
“A lot of times, farmers are spraying Roundup on our grains right before harvest to facilitate an easier harvest,” she said. “After that easier harvest, because everything’s dry at the same time, those crops go directly to the mill and may end up in our food supply, at alarmingly high levels.”
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In 2015, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization framework, classified glyphosate as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
The classification was based on limited evidence of cancer in humans (notably non-Hodgkin lymphoma in some studies) and sufficient evidence in experimental animals.
“President Trump’s executive order reinforces the critical need for U.S. farmers to have access to essential, domestically produced crop protection tools, such as glyphosate,” a Monsanto spokesperson said. (Wolf von Dewitz/picture alliance via Getty Images)
A spokesperson for Monsanto told Fox News Digital it will comply with Trump’s order to produce glyphosate and elemental phosphorus.
“President Trump’s executive order reinforces the critical need for U.S. farmers to have access to essential, domestically produced crop protection tools, such as glyphosate,” the spokesperson said.
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HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has long been a vocal critic of Roundup, working with his legal team in 2018 to award $289 million to a man who alleged the weed killer caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma, according to reports.
Following backlash to Trump’s executive order, Kennedy said he supports the order but acknowledged that “pesticides and herbicides are toxic by design, engineered to kill living organisms.”
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“When we apply them across millions of acres and allow them into our food system, we put Americans at risk,” he posted on X. “Chemical manufacturers have paid tens of billions of dollars to settle cancer claims linked to their products, and many agricultural communities report elevated cancer rates and chronic disease.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
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Living near heavy traffic could negatively impact your heart health.
A European study, published in the journal Environmental Research, found that exposure to nighttime road traffic noise is linked to changes in the blood, leading to worsened cholesterol and cardiovascular risks.
The researchers considered data from the U.K. Biobank, Rotterdam Study, and Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, including more than 272,000 adults over the age of 30, according to a press release.
Nighttime road noise exposure was estimated at all participants’ homes based on national noise maps. Researchers also took blood samples to measure the participants’ metabolic biomarkers for disease, then mapped the link between nightly noise levels and existence of biomarkers.
Exposure to loud noise was associated with increased concentrations of cholesterol-related biomarkers. (iStock)
The study found that people exposed to louder noise at night — especially sounds above 55 decibels — showed changes in 48 different substances in their blood. Twenty of these associations “remained robust” throughout all cohorts.
Exposure to loud noise was associated with increased concentrations of cholesterol-related biomarkers, especially LDL “bad” cholesterol, IDL (intermediate-density lipoprotein) and unsaturated fatty acids.
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As noise levels increased, starting at around 50 decibels, cholesterol markers rose steadily, the release stated.
The authors concluded that this study “provides evidence that nighttime road traffic noise exposure from 50 dB upward is associated with alterations in blood cholesterol and lipid profiles in adults.”
Researchers noted a link between traffic noise and cardiometabolic disease. (iStock)
Study co-author Yiyan He, doctoral researcher at the University of Oulu in Finland, noted that in this type of research, small effect sizes are expected, and environmental exposures such as traffic noise are “typically modest.”
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“Despite this, we observed statistically robust and consistent associations across many biomarkers, especially those related to LDL and IDL lipoproteins,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“We also identified a clear exposure-response pattern starting at around 50 dB, suggesting that metabolic changes become more evident as noise levels increase.”
This aligns with public health guidance, as the World Health Organization recommends lower nighttime noise limits at around 40 to 45 dB, Yiyan He added.
“This finding may clarify the association between traffic noise and cardiometabolic diseases,” the researchers wrote. (iStock)
“The 55 dB level is often used as an interim benchmark associated with substantial noise annoyance and sleep disturbance,” she said. “In our study, we observed associations not only at 55 dB, but also indications of effects emerging at around 50 dB.”
The strength and consistency of the cholesterol-related associations were surprising, as these changes are usually “subtle.”
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“Instead, we found consistent associations across multiple large European cohorts, which strengthens confidence that the findings may reflect real biological patterns,” Yiyan He went on. “We were also interested to see that effects were minimal below ~50 dB, suggesting a possible threshold-like pattern.”
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The researcher noted that these findings were consistent across genders, education levels and obesity status.
The study was restricted to White Europeans, which posed a limitation. There was also a lack of information on the fasting status in the UK Biobank.
Changes in cholesterol levels were more severe than researchers expected. (iStock)
“Fasting can influence levels of certain metabolites, particularly fatty acids,” Yiyan He said. “However, based on UK Biobank documentation, fewer than 10% of participants were fasting for at least eight hours, and our main findings focused on cholesterol-related biomarkers, which are generally less sensitive to short-term fasting.”
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The researchers also lacked information on bedroom location, indoor noise exposure and time spent at home.
“These factors may introduce non-differential exposure misclassification,” Yiyan He said. “Additionally, noise exposure estimates were based on participants’ temporary residential addresses at the time of blood sampling, without considering the duration of residence.”
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“Many of these limitations would tend to bias results toward the null, so the consistent associations we observed remain noteworthy.”
Experts recommend taking measures to limit traffic noise at night. (iStock)
Based on this latest research, Yiyan He noted that nighttime noise is a “health-relevant exposure,” not just “an annoyance.”
“Our findings suggest that nighttime traffic noise may subtly but consistently affect metabolic health,” she said. “While the changes in cholesterol and lipid levels for any one individual are small, traffic noise affects a very large number of people, which means the potential public health impact could be substantial.”
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The researcher recommends taking measures like improving sound insulation, using noise-reducing strategies and placing bedrooms on the quieter side of the home when possible.
“Because sleep is a key pathway linking noise to health, protecting the nighttime sleep environment is especially important,” she added.
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