This statement is a bit confusing; "Phlegm is a slightly different substance. It's a form of mucus produced by the lower airways — not by the nose and sinuses — in response to inflammation. You may not notice phlegm unless you cough it up as a symptom of bronchitis or pneumonia;" searched "mucus vs. phlegm" on Google.
Therefore isn't a thickening of phlegm (a form of mucus) an increase in quantity, therefore we can say it increases?
The doctor who wrote the response in your link is saying "Phlegm is the thick, sticky mucus that drips down the back of your throat when you have a cold. Although drinking milk may make phlegm thicker and more irritating to your throat than it would normally be, milk doesn't cause your body to make more phlegm. In fact, frozen dairy products can soothe a sore throat and provide calories when you otherwise may not eat."
However as we just read: "Phlegm ... is a form of mucus produced by the lower airways — not by the nose and sinuses" - so it can't be a "Phlegm is the thick, sticky mucus that drips down the back of your throat when you have a cold."
So is the doctor wrong? Is Google's top result wrong with its "mucus vs. phlegm" answer?
Also that link you provided links to no scientific research. The quick search I did on other scientific research, the methods don't seem too sound for controls - likewise if mucus production is caused by inflammation - if that person is only removing say dairy from their diet, however their body already has significant or "maximum" inflammation (leading to them producing their maximum amount of mucus they otherwise would) then they're not going to have an increase simply by adding another inflammatory factor, unless they reduce inflammation "completely" first.
After looking into it a little more, I'm inclined to agree with you just because I couldn't get any definitive definition on the distinction between phlegm and mucus.
> Therefore isn't a thickening of phlegm (a form of mucus) an increase in quantity, therefore we can say it increases?
I don't necessarily agree with this. You can change the viscosity of water by adding gelatin, but you didn't add more water to make it thicker.
But I am most certainly not a doctor and I realize I have no idea what exactly phlegm is!
Therefore isn't a thickening of phlegm (a form of mucus) an increase in quantity, therefore we can say it increases?
The doctor who wrote the response in your link is saying "Phlegm is the thick, sticky mucus that drips down the back of your throat when you have a cold. Although drinking milk may make phlegm thicker and more irritating to your throat than it would normally be, milk doesn't cause your body to make more phlegm. In fact, frozen dairy products can soothe a sore throat and provide calories when you otherwise may not eat."
However as we just read: "Phlegm ... is a form of mucus produced by the lower airways — not by the nose and sinuses" - so it can't be a "Phlegm is the thick, sticky mucus that drips down the back of your throat when you have a cold."
So is the doctor wrong? Is Google's top result wrong with its "mucus vs. phlegm" answer?
Also that link you provided links to no scientific research. The quick search I did on other scientific research, the methods don't seem too sound for controls - likewise if mucus production is caused by inflammation - if that person is only removing say dairy from their diet, however their body already has significant or "maximum" inflammation (leading to them producing their maximum amount of mucus they otherwise would) then they're not going to have an increase simply by adding another inflammatory factor, unless they reduce inflammation "completely" first.