Like most Americans, I start my day with a steaming cup (or three) of coffee. But is this habit a healthy one? It seems like the headlines go back and forth all the time. Coffee is good for you! Coffee is bad for you! Just kidding, coffee is good for you again! Let’s dig a little deeper and see what’s really going on here.

Bronchitis refers to an infection or irritation of the bronchi—the passageway from the windpipe (trachea) to the lungs. This illness is much more common in the winter, as it usually follows an upper respiratory infection such as a cold. Chest, the official journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, reported in 2006 that “acute bronchitis is one of the most common diagnoses made by primary care clinicians and emergency department physicians.”