Postnasal drip is responsible for 50 percent of lingering coughs that last more than three weeks, according to "Kelley's Essentials of Internal Medicine."

MayoClinic.com states that adult ear infections are uncommon and are treated similarly to childhood ear infections. The New York Times reports that 15 to 30 million doctor visits are the result of ear infections annually.

An extremely dry nose can be very uncomfortable, even painful and embarrassing. When your nose is dry, there's a general lack of moisture inside your nasal passages. That can be caused by environmental conditions, certain medications or a medical condition.

Smoking can lead to illness in many parts of your body, but your throat is particularly vulnerable. Each time tobacco smoke is inhaled, the throat is exposed to more than 7,000 chemicals, notes a 2010 report from the U.S. Surgeon General.

Ear pain may be caused by a variety of noninfectious conditions. Trauma, tumors and jaw disorders may provoke ear pain. A through physical examination of the ear along with a careful history of the onset and nature of the ear pain are important for an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan.

At first glance, a sore throat and heart disease may seem to have little to do with each other. However, sore throats can introduce bacteria into the blood stream, leading to certain types of heart disease, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Spikes in insulin production are a normal function of the endocrine system that usually occur after eating. In a healthy person, the insulin spikes, does its job and the levels return to normal.

Any illness can throw your workout schedule into disarray, but inner ear infections can disrupt an element essential to many physical activities: your sense of balance. Complex activities rely on feedback from your inner ear to give you positional awareness.

Tinnitus is the medical term for ringing sounds in your ears when no outside source is present. It affects one in five people, and may be caused or worsened by age-related hearing loss, earwax buildup, loud noise and various medical conditions. Tinnitus that occurs after eating may be influenced by your food choices.

Inner ear and brain are the main components of the vestibular system. However, disease or damage to these organs can occur due to genetic or environmental factors and can lead to vestibular disorders such as benign paraoxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), labyrinthitis, and secondary endolymphatic hydrops.

The tonsils are two small pieces of tissue located on either side of the back of the mouth. They are part of the body’s immune system and help defend the body against infection—especially germs in the air or food. Tonsillitis is a medical condition in which the tonsils become infected due to a virus or bacterium.

Both seasonal allergies and sinus infections can make you feel congested and miserable, and sometimes it's difficult to tell them apart. In addition, allergies and sinus infections are linked; nasal blockage caused by allergies can increase risk of sinus infections.