Master Feng, who is nearly 50 years old this year, is a well-known smoker . He usually spits involuntarily. His children have told him countless times, but he just can't help it. Master Feng also expressed his helplessness: "I have an old problem. There is a lot of phlegm in throat. I feel like I can't finish no matter how much I vomit. I can't swallow it in my stomach, right?"
Master Feng's daughter Xiao Feng I was also worried, "This is the old Mao Bin who smoked. It might be worse if swallowed in the stomach. Let's go and have a look and try both Chinese and Western medicine."
So recently Xiao Feng took his family there After taking part in the physical examination, it turned out that the whole family was in good health, but Master Feng was diagnosed with chronic bronchitis . The doctor suggested putting down the cigarette pole immediately. After a period of time, under the "enthusiastic" supervision of his family, Lao Feng followed the doctor's advice, and his phlegm cough improved.
No matter what age you are, from the elderly to children under ten years old, you may have phlegm. So where does so much phlegm come from in the body? Today the doctor will talk about the problem of expectoration and teach you some tips to prevent and relieve the symptoms of excessive phlegm to avoid embarrassment.
Where does the phlegm in the body come from?
First of all, we need to know where the phlegm in the body comes from? In fact, both Chinese medicine and Western medicine have explanations in this regard.
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that phlegm in the body is a pathological product caused by water-liquid metabolism disorder, which is mainly related to lung, spleen, kidney dysfunction. Traditional Chinese medicine also divides phlegm into two types. The first type is visible phlegm , which is the phlegm spit out after illness. Traditional Chinese medicine also believes that there is a second type of phlegm, namely invisible phlegm . These phlegms will not Drained, but there it is. Such as some phlegm caused by deformation of the joints of the hands and feet due to madness, rheumatism, etc.
Traditional Chinese medicine also treats phlegm syndrome with appropriate medicines and conditioning, such as using some drugs that warm and moisten the lungs, spleen, and kidneys.
Western medicine believes that under normal circumstances, the glands in the respiratory tract will continuously secrete mucus and form a thin mucus layer. The mucus layer can moisten the dry air that comes in, and adsorb inhaled bacteria, microorganisms, dust and other substances, which can protect the lung function.
When mucus is mixed with dust and microorganisms in the air, it will form a viscous liquid, which is what we call phlegm. The phlegm produced in the human respiratory tract will be discharged to the throat as the bronchial cilia swing. At this time, the human body will feel the phlegm, and then it will choose to cough up or swallow .
Normal expectoration is a manifestation of our body's own cleaning function . We will often find that when we wake up in the morning and wash our face and brush our teeth, we always feel phlegm. This is because the respiratory tract will also produce mucus at night, and breathing will also lead to the production of sputum. The number of coughs at night will be relatively reduced, so the sputum will remain in the trachea. When you wake up in the morning, you will find that there seems to be more phlegm. . Normal people secrete about 100ml of phlegm every day, , so a little phlegm is normal.
But if, like Master Feng, you feel like you have too much phlegm to spit out, you need to pay attention. If there is a lot of phlegm, it means there is something wrong with the body, which may be caused by a disease.
Excessive phlegm may be caused by these diseases!
Excessive phlegm may be caused by some infectious diseases. For example, patients with upper respiratory tract infection, pneumonia, pulmonary abscess, pulmonary tuberculosis and other respiratory system infectious diseases will have symptoms of excessive phlegm, cough, and fever.
If you suffer from upper respiratory tract infection, in addition to the above symptoms, you will also experience runny nose and increased sneezing; if you suffer from pneumonia or lung abscess, you will also experience chest pain.
Suffering from some non-infectious diseases such as chronic bronchitis suffered by Master Feng, alveolar cell carcinoma, left atrial failure and other diseases can also cause cough and phlegm .Chronic bronchitis mostly occurs in winter, with recurring episodes and a long onset time. It may last for more than three months, and some may even cough up phlegm for many years.
These diseases are usually caused by a variety of factors. The most common cold can easily cause bronchitis, leading to excessive phlegm. Working for a long time in a dusty environment with poor hygienic conditions can easily lead to infectious diseases; some bad behavioral habits in life can also cause some diseases and lead to excessive phlegm, such as staying up late for a long time, smoking, and drinking alcohol can easily lead to excessive phlegm. . Among these, it is particularly important to note that smoking habit is a major cause of non-infectious diseases that lead to excessive phlegm.
If in addition to excessive phlegm, you are also accompanied by other symptoms such as cough and fever, you should be careful that the excessive phlegm is caused by a disease. Different diseases will cause different phlegm. Doctors also summarized the diseases that different sputum may indicate, which you can use as a reference .
● Purulent sputum , such as green or yellow-green sputum, may also appear as blood deposits and emit a fishy smell. This kind of sputum is common in lung abscesses and purulent bronchiectasis.
● Mucous sputum is usually gray-white or colorless and transparent. This kind of sputum is mostly seen in patients with bronchitis. This kind of sputum can also be seen in the early stage of pneumonia and the attack stage of bronchial asthma.
● bloody sputum is generally seen in bronchiectasis , lobar pneumonia, emphysema patients and patients with amoebic lung abscess.
● Foamy sputum , usually pale white, is more common in patients with chronic bronchitis.
● Pink sputum is seen in patients with pulmonary edema.
If you have excessive phlegm, abnormal phlegm color, or are accompanied by symptoms of some of the above diseases, the doctor recommends that you go to the hospital as soon as possible to clarify the cause and promptly receive treatment according to the doctor's instructions. Secondly, everyone should pay attention to protecting the throat in daily life, because excessive use of the throat will cause irritation and damage to the throat, and can also lead to excessive phlegm.
Now that we know the cause of excessive phlegm, some people are still worried about whether swallowing the phlegm without spitting it out will have an impact on the body? Next, the doctor tells you the answer.
I have a lot of phlegm, will it be a problem if I swallow it?
In fact, you don’t have to worry about this problem. The bacteria, microorganisms, dust and other substances in the phlegm will not have an impact on our bodies after being swallowed.
We sometimes swallow the phlegm we spit out due to occasion or embarrassment. This phlegm will pass through the digestive tract and enter the stomach just like food. The bacteria and microorganisms in the phlegm will be killed by strong gastric acid. The intestines and stomach also have gastrointestinal mucosa to resist bacterial invasion, so you don’t have to worry about the dirt in the phlegm. Will affect the gastrointestinal tract. If there are indigestible substances in the phlegm, they will be turned into feces along with the food residue and excreted from the body.
Therefore, even if you are sick and have phlegm, as long as there are no serious gastrointestinal diseases, such as gastric ulcer, gastric bleeding, etc., the phlegm swallowed will generally not affect the body, and the body's own immune system can fully cope with this situation.
But spitting is not a good habit. If you feel that you have a lot of phlegm, you can carry a tissue with you. Do not spit anywhere to avoid affecting your image and easily spreading bacteria.
Finally, doctors have to give advice to patients with excessive phlegm. Teach you 3 tricks that may cut off the "source of phlegm".
teaches you 3 tricks to cut off the "source of phlegm"
. Ensure a light diet and eat more to dispel dampness foods
Regardless of whether the excessive phlegm is caused by disease or not, in addition to timely examination and targeted treatment, you should also adjust your diet. It can also help treat illnesses and eliminate phlegm.
When you adjust your diet after excessive phlegm occurs, you must first pay attention to a light diet and not continue to follow your heart. Patients with excessive phlegm should reduce their intake of high-fat and high-calorie foods to avoid lung heat producing phlegm. Patients with excessive phlegm should eat as little as possible leeks, longans, dried lychees , oranges and other phlegm-producing foods.
Secondly, patients with excessive phlegm should also pay attention to eating more foods that can dispel dampness and reduce phlegm, such as Sichuan clams, loquat, snow pears, yam, white radish, etc. Among them, yam and white radish both have the effects of strengthening the spleen and replenishing qi, benefiting the stomach and digestion, clearing away heat and promoting fluid production.
In addition, when the season changes, you can try Sydney pear soup in order to prevent phlegm, clear away heat and reduce internal heat. It is easy to make and suitable for all ages.
. Exercise more and drink more water
Frequent coughing and phlegm are often regarded as a sign of poor health, and this is also true. Excessive phlegm can also be considered as the water and moisture metabolism in the body being hindered, so exercising more to promote metabolism and allow the qi and blood in the body to circulate is also the key to eliminating phlegm.
No matter what the disease is, taking medicine and treatment plus exercise will often be more conducive to recovery.
Especially middle-aged and elderly people, it is necessary to develop the good habit of exercising frequently. Doctors recommend that you don't stay up late, go to bed early and get up early, and do some exercise every morning, such as jogging or walking, jumping, doing aerobics, or doing Tai Chi to make your blood circulation smoother.
In addition, you should drink more water besides exercising. Drinking more water will help moisten the respiratory tract and help resolve phlegm. If you find it difficult to cough up sputum, you can also try aerosol inhalation of normal saline . Inhalation of normal saline can dilute the phlegm in the digestive tract, help dissolve phlegm, and promote the discharge of phlegm.
. Keep massaging these two acupuncture points.
Regular massage of the acupuncture points on the body can also help resolve phlegm. Doctors suggest that you can often press your Neiguan point and Zusanli point after meals.
Neiguan point is located about 2 inches above the wrist crease. You can use your thumbs to massage this area. It is best to control the intensity so that you can feel the stimulation of the acupuncture points during massage. You can massage for about 2 minutes each time. According to traditional Chinese medicine, regular massage of Neiguan point can relieve cough, regulate qi and reduce phlegm.
The second acupoint is Zusanli point . Zusanli point is located four fingers below the outer knee eye of , about 4 inches away. In addition to rubbing and pressing, you can also choose moxibustion if conditions permit. Persistently stimulating the Zusanli point can help the body strengthen the spleen, replenish the middle and replenish qi, stimulate the meridians, activate the meridians, and dispel wind and dampness.
Summary
Finally, the doctor will make a summary. Many diseases can produce symptoms of excessive phlegm, ranging from colds and fevers to pneumonia and tuberculosis. Therefore, if excessive phlegm occurs and is accompanied by abnormal sputum color or symptoms of other diseases, you must be examined and treated in time to be careful of serious diseases. caused.
In life, especially middle-aged and elderly people have symptoms of excessive phlegm. In addition to seeking medical advice, you should also pay attention to adjusting your diet, drinking more water and exercising, and massaging acupoints on the body is also good for the body..
[References]:
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[2] Liu Ning, Zhao Jinxi , Jia Haizhong , Yang Zhen, Zhao Yong, Li Hui, Zhao Zhenhai, Liu Yifan. Suspected syndromes are mostly caused by phlegm evil; treating stubborn syndromes from the perspective of phlegm can be expected to be effective [J]. Global Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2021,14(09):1605-1608.
[3] Wen Wei, Chi Yi, Zhang Yiqing, Yang Ying. Exploring the treatment of metabolic syndrome using the theory of treating phlegm with qi [J]. Global Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2021,14( 09):1650-1652.
