Hillary Clinton started a Labor Day rally in Cleveland with a bad cough, which she blamed on her opponent, Donald Trump. “Every time I think about Trump, I get allergic,” she told her supporters to laughter and cheers.
Clinton had another coughing attack hours later on board her campaign plane. In fact, she has suffered from some serious sounding coughing attacks for over year, in front of a variety of audiences and during one primary debate. In Philadelphia last month, she constantly cleared her throat while delivering her acceptance speech.
Trump and his supporters have pounced on the cough, some suggesting it means she’s sick and dying. The gossip newspaper National Enquirer, which endorsed Trump, predicted a year ago that she would be dead in six months.
The truth is most physicians and health experts, when asked about chronic coughing, are not overly concerned, saying it’s often just old fashioned acid reflux.
“It’s not just cough, there’s some hoarseness, there some throat clearing, in fact there’s frequent throat clearing,” said Dr. Jonathan Aviv, an ear, nose and throat specialist who studied Clinton’s coughing. “When you have these trio of symptoms, you have to think of what I call throat burn reflux, which is acid reflux affecting the throat.”
Acid reflux is not going to kill Hillary Clinton, although she may become known as “President Coughy Clinton” in the future.
What we know from her doctors report, released last year, is that the 68 year old Clinton suffers from hypothyroidism, seasonal allergies and takes blood thinners as a precaution against clots.
“Her cancer screening evaluations are all negative,” said Dr. Lisa Bardack, Clinton’s physician since 2001. “She is in excellent physical condition and fit to serve as President of the United States.”
Clinton’s daily medications include the blood thinner Coumadin, as well as Armour Thyroid, antihistamines and Vitamin B12.
And, while Clinton turns to a humidifier and lots of juice over the next 65 days to help her cough, we still need more information on the 70 year old Trump’s health. This bizarre one-page note written by his doctor, while his campaign staff waited outside in a car, is more laughable than reliable.