Have you ever been in such a deep slip and ended up waking coughing? Chances are, you choked on your own saliva. Yes, it is very much possible. Saliva is a clear liquid produced by your salivary glands that play a crucial role in digestion and oral health. This is because it washes away bacteria and food particles. The body on an average produces about 1 to 2 litres of saliva daily, and a lot of it is swallowed unconsciously. However, when saliva does not flow smoothly down the throat, it can lead to choking, which can be uncomfortable.

Here's all that you need to know about what causes it, and how can you prevent it.

How to recognize the symptoms of choking on saliva?

This happens when the muscles that are responsible for swallowing weaken or malfunction due to health issues and the symptoms may include:

• Gagging and coughing without eating or drinking
• Gasping for air
• Inability to breathe or speak
• Waking up coughing or gagging

What are the common reasons? Why does it happen?

Some of the common reasons include:

Acid Reflux

Acid reflux occurs when stomach acid travels back into the esophagus and mouth, irritating the esophagus and increasing saliva production to neutralize the acid. This buildup of saliva can lead to choking.

Other symptoms of acid reflux:

• Heartburn
• Chest pain
• Nausea

Diagnosis and Treatment:

Acid reflux can be diagnosed via endoscopy or X-rays. Treatment includes antacids to reduce stomach acid.

Sleep-related Swallowing Disorders

When you are sleeping, some abnormal swallowing can occur during that time and it may cause saliva to pool in the mouth and flow into the lungs. This is what leads to choking. This condition is often linked to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which causes breathing to pause during sleep.

What are the treatment options?

CPAP machines to provide continuous airflow

Oral mouth guards to keep the airway open

Lesions or Tumors in the Throat

Growths in the throat, whether benign or cancerous, can narrow the esophagus and impede swallowing.

Symptoms to Watch For:

• Visible lump in the throat
• Hoarseness
• Sore throat

Treatment:

Treatment may involve surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy, depending on the nature of the growth.

Dentures That Don't Fit

Dentures can confuse the brain into perceiving them as food and it may trigger excess saliva production and cause choking. The best way to work this out is by consulting a dentist for proper fitting and adjustment of dentures.

Neurological Disorders

Conditions like Parkinson’s disease and ALS can impair the nerves that control swallowing.

Additional Symptoms:

• Muscle weakness or spasms
• Difficulty speaking

Treatment:

Doctors may prescribe medication to reduce saliva production or teach swallowing techniques.

Heavy Alcohol Use

Excessive alcohol consumption can relax throat muscles, allowing saliva to pool and cause choking.

Prevention Tip:

Moderate alcohol intake and sleep with your head elevated.

Talking Excessively

Speaking continuously without pausing to swallow can lead to saliva entering the windpipe.

Prevention:

Take pauses to swallow while talking.

Allergies or Respiratory Problems

Thickened saliva or mucus due to allergies or infections can obstruct the throat, especially during sleep.

Additional Symptoms:

• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Sneezing

Treatment:

Antihistamines, cold medication, or antibiotics may be prescribed, depending on the underlying cause.

How can you prevent choking from saliva?

In case of sleep apnea, sleep with your head elevated or on your side. You can also try and avoid lying flat right after eating and eat smaller meals to prevent acid reflux. It is also important that you sip water throughout the day to clear any saliva buildup. In severe cases, use over-the-counter medicines for allergies or consult a healthcare provider.

Bristol Palin, an American real estate agent, who was a former public speaker and reality television personality started experiencing facial paralysis over a tear ago. On March 9, her 35-year-old daughter Sarah Palin posted a video on her Instagram Stories that shared an update on her ongoing health struggles. The story revealed that she is now considering plastic surgery to fix her paralysis.

"I am going to have a consultation today with a plastic surgeon in Austin," she said. "I have read that she specializes in facial paralysis type stuff so we will see what she says."

She also said, "Prayers because maybe she can help mostly with this eye," while pointing to her left eye. "When I smile or when I am expressive, it closes. I don't really care about my crooked mouth but my eye...so embarrassing to me. I feel like I should wear an eyepatch or something."

She went on to say, "It looks crazy and I just feel like I cannot even smile because it just closes. So maybe she can do some Botox or maybe there is some options with surgery. So we will see. Maybe she ca help with this eye or just the overall symmetry."

She also said that she had just returned from Alaska, where she visited another specialist who does her facial nerve blocks to help her paralysis. She also posted another update on her Instagram Stories and said that her consultation went well and that she will be sharing the information with her followers soon.

What Happened To Bristol Palin?

It was in January 2025, when she revealed her facial paralysis on Instagram. "I woke up nine days ago with a little weird sensation in my face. My mouth was pulling this way and it just felt a little off. So I went, looked in the mirror. I'm like 'Wow. This is looking a little weird. I feel like everything is pulling to the left."

She said that hours later her condition got worse and the left side of her face was having a "delayed" reaction.

Read: Why Does Your BBL Smell? Doctor Explains 4 Reasons That Could Cause It

Can Botox Fix Asymmetrical Face?

As per a 2020 study published in the Indian Journal of Plastic Surgery, botulinum toxin (Botox) injections are helpful and are minimally invasive technique to restore facial symmetry. However, the study noted that a "surprisingly small minority of aesthetic injectors treat this condition."

The study also gives a case study of a patient with longstanding facial nerve paralysis after resection of an osteogenic sarcoma, before and after two weeks after first treatment with botulinum toxin. The improvements could be seen in mentalis synkinesis, more symmetrical smile, and improved eye apertures on animation.

What Is Botox?

It is an FDA-approved, injectable neurotoxin derived from Clostridium botulinum bacteria. It temporarily relaxes muscles by blocking nerve signals, commonly used to smooth dynamic wrinkles and treat medical conditions like chronic migraines, excessive sweating, and muscle spasms. Its effects last from three to four months.

Botox prevents the release of a neurotransmitter that signals muscles to contract, causing them to relax and soften wrinkles. Results typically appear in 3 to 14 days.

The US Food and Drug Administration approved leucovorin for cerebral folate deficiency in the receptor 1 gene, a rare genetic condition. However, last year, in September, this drug was noted as the possible and potential treatment for children with autism. The Trump administration noted that Tylenol may be triggering autism in children when is consumed by pregnant mothers. The same conference touted this drug as a potential treatment, while not enough scientific evidence was there to support the claim. Yet, many parents looked for the prescription to support their children.

Health and Me also reported a story of a mother who looked for the drug for her three-year-old son. Another case of four-year-old Jose Morales-Ortiz, who struggled to speak even two-word sentences. As per a CNN report, he was diagnosed with severe autism and rarely responded when someone called his name.

However, something changed, in early summers, he began telling his guardian Keith Joyce about the conversation with his classmates and answering follow-up questions. For Keith, it was a moment of joy. It was also the first time Keith had a conversation with him.

Joyce believes the change began after Jose started taking leucovorin, a medication originally approved to reduce the side effects of certain chemotherapy drugs. Now, researchers are investigating whether the drug may help some children with autism—particularly those with a condition known as cerebral folate deficiency.

However, scientists caution that while early studies are promising, the evidence is still limited and the treatment remains controversial.

What Is Leucovorin?

Leucovorin, also known as folinic acid, is a biologically active form of vitamin B9 or folate. Unlike standard folic acid supplements, it does not require the body to convert it into an active form before it can be used. Due to this very feature, it can bypass certain metabolic steps and deliver folate more directly to the cells.

It is a high-dose B vitamin, which is commonly used as a treatment to counteract the side effects of chemotherapy. It has been approved by the FDA for cerebral folate deficiency in the receptor 1 gene. The disease is rare and fewer than 50 cases have been identified worldwide. FDA Commissioner Dr Marty Makary called this approval "a significant milestone" for patients with the condition.

Doctors have used the drug for several purposes, which also include:

• Reducing toxic side effects of chemotherapy
• Enhancing the effectiveness of certain cancer treatments
• Treating folate deficiency caused by medications or disease

Recently, scientists began exploring whether leucovorin could also help certain neurological conditions.

Read: Leucovorin Approved By FDA But For A Rare Genetic Disease, Not For Autism

What Role Does Folate Play In Brain Development?

Folate is essential for brain development and neural function.

It helps in:

• DNA synthesis and repair
• Formation of neurotransmitters
• Development of neural connections
• Cell growth in the developing brain

During pregnancy, folate is so critical that many countries fortify foods with folic acid to prevent birth defects such as neural tube defects.

However, in some children, the issue may not be a lack of folate in the diet—but a problem with how folate reaches the brain.

What Happens In Cerebral Folate Deficiency?

In 2005, researchers discovered an unusual phenomenon in some children with developmental disorders.

Although their blood folate levels were normal, their brain folate levels were extremely low.

The reason appeared to be autoantibodies—immune proteins that mistakenly attack the body’s own tissues. In this case, the antibodies targeted folate receptor alpha, the protein responsible for transporting folate across the blood-brain barrier.

When these receptors are blocked:

• Folate cannot enter the brain efficiently
• Neural development may be affected
• Symptoms similar to autism may appear

This condition is called cerebral folate deficiency.

Researchers also developed a diagnostic blood test called the Folate Receptor Autoantibody Test (FRAT) to detect these antibodies.

How Does Leucovorin Work?

It could work in such a case because it is able to bypass the blocked folate receptors. It does not rely on the usual transport system and is able to enter the brain through alternative transport pathways, which allow neurons to access the folate they need. Scientists also believe that this could improve neurotransmitter production, support neural communication, and enhance brain metabolism in certain children.

Some clinical studies have suggested that leucovorin may improve language and communication skills in certain children with autism.

In small trials:

• Some children showed improvements in expressive speech
• Others improved in receptive language and social communication
• Benefits appeared strongest in children with folate receptor antibodies

However, the results have been mixed.

Some studies have found only modest improvements, and large placebo-controlled trials—considered the gold standard in medical research—are still lacking.

Because autism is a complex spectrum condition with many biological pathways involved, researchers emphasize that no single medication is likely to work for every child.

The growing interest in leucovorin reflects a broader shift in autism research: looking for biological subtypes of the condition that might respond to targeted treatments.

If cerebral folate deficiency proves to be one of those subtypes, leucovorin could become an important therapy for a specific group of children.

But scientists emphasize that autism is highly complex. “There’s no autism pill,” many researchers say.

California made it news for a disease that has no vaccination. This is the human metapneumovirus or the HMPV. While some of the symptoms of this virus are similar to that of any common cold or influenza like cough, fever, nasal congestion or shortness of breath, there are several symptoms that are unique to the disease.

Unique Symptoms Of HMPV - The Virus Without Vaccine

Unlike mild common colds, HMPV often presents with a high-grade fever, particularly in children. Some of the other symptoms also include persistent coughing, including dry or productive and may persist for a long duration.

Furthermore, it could cause wheezing, difficulty in breathing, which could also lead to severe lower respiratory tract illness like bronchiolitis or pneumonia. In children and older adults, it could also cause severe or often fatal bronchiolitis or rapid-onset pneumonia.

In infants, it could also exhibit irritability, poor feeding, or dehydration.

Other symptoms, which could resemble common cold like symptoms are:

• cough
• fever
• sore throat
• runny or stuffy nose
• body ache
• headache

What Is Happening In California?

As per the public database WasterwaterScan Dashboard, high levels of HMPV were detected across Northern California cities. The highest levels were reported in Redwood City, whereas elevated levels were found in San Francisco Bay Area and Napa's Wine Country. What's more dangerous is that this virus is without a vaccine.

The good news is that in other parts of country HMPV remains lower. However, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noted that data from October 2025 shows the cases are trending up, especially during winter and spring.

Read: Virus Without Vaccine Hits California; No Need To Worry, Say Public Health Officials

Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of the Clinical Virology Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, as reported by The Independent said, "In the late winter, early spring, it can account for five percent to 10 percent of all the respiratory infections that we diagnose in the United States. So it's definitely out there." Experts explain that other viruses like HMPV or influenza get a chance when COVID is quieter.

What Is HMPV - The Virus Without Vaccine?

HMPV was first discovered in 2001 and is part of the Pneumoviridae family along with the Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

HMPV most likely spreads from an infected person to others through:

• the air by coughing and sneezing
• close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
• touching objects or surfaces that have the viruses on them, then touching the mouth, nose, or eyes

In the US, HMPV circulates in predictable patterns each year, typically beginning in winter and lasting through spring.

Who Are At Risk Of HMPV?

People at risk include:

• elderly people
• children
• people with comorbidities

"The HMPV is not deadly, and there is no evidence of mortality or a severe transmission rate," former Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) scientist, Dr. Raman Gangakhedkar, told IANS, during the virus's outbreak in India in 2025.

“The virus may cause pneumonitis-like illness, but the mortality rates are almost unknown so far. HMPV has a global prevalence of about 4 per cent,” he added.