India, Jan. 23 -- Clearing your throat once in a while may seem harmless - a reflex you barely think twice about. But when it becomes frequent or persistent, it can be your body signalling an underlying problem that shouldn't be ignored. In some cases, repeated throat clearing is linked to untreated acid reflux, which can quietly irritate the throat and oesophagus over time. Left unmanaged, this ongoing inflammation may increase the risk of more serious complications, making early attention and reflux control far more important than most people realise.

Kunal Sood, an anaesthesiologist and interventional pain medicine physician, is explaining why frequent throat clearing isn't as harmless as it seems - and why it should not be ignored. I...