Comments Off on Where does phlegm come from? How can I reduce the amount of phlegm in my throat? I've put together an answer to these two questions.

This answer is divided into six parts:

Causes of phlegm

Where does phlegm come from?

Great tips for removing phlegm

How to reduce phlegm at the source

What are the characteristics of people with phlegm-dampness constitution

What should I pay attention to in my daily life with a phlegm-damp body?

I. Causes of phlegm

1、Physiological causes of phlegm

Under normal circumstances, the glands will secrete a small amount of mucus to cover the surface of the mucous membrane layer, which plays a protective role for the respiratory tract; air pollution, hazy days, as well as unpleasant chemical odors will stimulate our respiratory tract, and our respiratory tract has an immune protection mechanism is that the mucous membranes of our body (e.g., nasal mucous membranes, oral mucous membranes, intestinal mucous membranes, and so on) will secrete sIgA.

Secretion and mucous membrane tissue is inseparable, mucous membrane tissue is the first line of contact between the human body and foreign objects, food entrance, from contact with the oral mucosa, airborne particles into the nose, from contact with the nasal mucosa. Bacteria, fungi, viruses and other harmful substances are often found on the mucous membranes, and antibodies are needed to resist these harmful substances. The ability to resist these harmful substances is called mucosal immunity, and the main factor determining this function is the concentration of sIgA.

When we encounter hazy days, or irritating chemicals odor and other substances that stimulate our mucous membranes, the respiratory tract will take the lead in defense, as the first line of defense, the more intense the battle, the production of "phlegm" will be the more, which means that the person's sIgA concentration is relatively high, mucosal immune function of the people with a strong reaction, phlegm is not necessarily a bad thing. The phlegm is not necessarily a bad thing, this is a normal exogenous stimulus produced more "phlegm", as long as there is no internal cause, there is no need to intervene, wear a mask to do a good job to prevent haze, hazy days do not open the window, open the air purifier and other measures.

2. Pathological causes of phlegm

But when the trachea, bronchial tubes and lungs receive stimulation of harmful factors or pathogenic bacterial infection, the glands will secrete a large amount of mucus to increase the ability to block adsorption of airborne dirt, dilute harmful substances, promote viruses, bacteria, inhaled particulate matter discharge, these mixed with airborne particles inhaled, airway inflammation secretion, and necrotic cells of the "hodgepodge! This "hodgepodge" of airborne particles, airway inflammatory secretions and necrotic cells is what we call "phlegm".

Phlegm is the excretion of the respiratory tract, which at first glance seems to have the same meaning as the "mucus" secreted by the respiratory tract in my previous article, but in fact there is a fundamental difference: phlegm is a mixture of all kinds of substances that can only be found in the case of pathology, whereas respiratory mucus is secreted in normal health conditions.

Where does phlegm come from?

In the throat this place, on the upper nasal cavity on the respiratory tract, downstream bronchial lower respiratory tract, next to the stomach and esophagus, so many official cavities connected to the mouth of the pharynx in this place, any one of these places out of order throat will have "phlegm".

Strictly speaking, only the secretion from the lower respiratory tract up to the throat can be called phlegm, but usually with the baby parents to communicate with the parents found that we generally will flow to the throat of the secretion are called phlegm. In order to facilitate understanding, we will follow this habit, to see these "phlegm" in the end what are the sources of it!

1. Sputum from the lower respiratory tract

When the trachea, bronchial tubes or lungs become infected and inflamed, phlegm is produced, triggering a cough. In small infants, the cough reflex is not established, and phlegm can be difficult to shoot out with a cumulative cough. If the pneumonia infection is more serious and the amount of phlegm is high, it is important to go to the hospital and suction the phlegm to keep the airways open.

2. "Phlegm" from the upper respiratory tract.

Nasal mucus flows backward into the throat to form "phlegm", fluent with allergic rhinitis, sinusitis or adenoid hypertrophy children will have nasal mucus flow backward triggered by coughing, sleep at night, get up in the morning and other changes in body position when it occurs, this symptom is known as upper respiratory cough syndrome (also known as post-nasal drip syndrome)

3. "Phlegm" from the gastroesophagus.

Stomach acid mixed with food refluxes down the esophagus to the mouth of the throat it gurgles, and when it is sucked back up into the airway it wheezes and produces phlegm, as well as causing a cough.

It usually occurs after a nap, after lying down in bed at night, and the symptom is known as gastroesophageal reflux.

Due to physiological reasons, GERD is very common in infants and young children, and sometimes it is easy to come back up and spit up after drinking milk. Under normal circumstances, it will gradually disappear with age. If the spitting up is frequent, and the mental state is not good or there are other abnormalities, we should pay attention to it and send it to the doctor in time.

4. Phlegm from respiratory allergies

Due to smoggy weather, industrial emissions and inhaled allergens, more and more children are suffering from allergic (atopic) respiratory problems, with a lot of respiratory secretions and symptoms such as sneezing and runny nose congestion.

To diagnose if you have allergies, allergen screening tests are recommended. I have previously written a detailed answer on allergic respiratory disease, which can be viewed on my homepage. I won't repeat it here.

Second, the magic trick of expelling phlegm

1. Steam expectoration method (use hot water vapor to fumigate the mouth and nose, dilute the phlegm and promote discharge, pay attention to the distance from the temperature to avoid burns)

2. Increase water intake

3、Pay attention to clean the mouth

4. Maintain appropriate room temperature (26-28 degrees in summer and 22 degrees in winter).

5. Proper back patting

6, no trace scraping and pediatric massage

7. Use foods that dissolve phlegm and stop coughs

When it comes to relieving cough and resolving phlegm, we have to talk about tangerine, which is a treasure for the whole body: the ripe rind is the traditional Chinese medicine "Chenpi" after concoction, the white tendon inside the flesh is the traditional Chinese medicine "Tangerine Luo", the peel of the removed Tangerine Luo is the traditional Chinese medicine "Tangerine red", immature tangerine peel is the Chinese medicine "green peel", tangerine seeds are the Chinese medicine "orange kernel", all have the effect of regulating qi. So so many classifications, the home usually drying their own orange peel can not be when the peel for medicinal purposes Oh!

Tangerine red is a special kind of orange red

Tangerine red is more suitable for cold and dampness, wind-cold cold, because some long cough, asthma, bronchitis patients are cold, so in the north alone with this medicine, but in the south because of the climate of humidity and heat, the use of tangerine red need to be added to some of the expectorant medicine with tangerine red with the water to drink, such as Poria, Coix Seed, ginger, Cangzhu, Atractylodes macrocephala, or patchouli etc., which is a combination of the expectorant, expulsion of cold, dampness, the role of the drying of the.

III. How to reduce phlegm from the root cause

To expel phlegm, repair the mucous membrane, and restore the normal movement of cilia, on the one hand, anti-inflammatory and anti-infective to reduce the release of inflammatory secretions, on the other hand, to remove the accumulation of secretions in the respiratory tract, stimulate the cilia to swing, and accelerate the movement of the "garbage" transmission capacity.

The use of traditional Chinese medicine formula preparation, rapid killing 99.9% of the common respiratory tract pathogenic bacteria, reduce the incidence of infection, while in the upper and lower respiratory tract quickly play a role in reducing mucus viscosity, promote mucus secretion, and produce β-receptor stimulant should stimulate mucosal cilia oscillation. In addition there is to accelerate microvascular blood circulation, eliminate the role of mucosal edema, also said before the reason for nasal congestion is not because of snot more, but the nasal turbinate swelling caused by nasal congestion, and commonly used nasal sprays are hormonal drugs and vasoconstrictors, long-term use of the probability of suffering from drug rhinitis increased.

Fourth, what are the characteristics of the phlegm-dampness body

"At a young age, he's got a big belly, and he's got a couple of swimmers."

"Fatty's face is always oily, even his sweat is sticky, I don't know where he gets so much oil"

"Every day I feel sleepy, want to sleep, can't get enough sleep, and I snore in my sleep."

"Lethargic all day, no energy, don't want to move, can't move my feet to go up the stairs"

All diseases are caused by phlegm.

The phlegm here is not just the "phlegm" that people understand as spitting, but a more generalized pathological product that accumulates in the body as a result of problems with the body's water metabolism, causing abnormalities.

The pathogenic characteristic of "phlegm-dampness" is that it is heavy, turbid and sticky, so when it runs to the limbs, children will have heavy arms and legs that do not want to move;

"Lung for the storage of phlegm gas", natural children will appear in the voice phlegm, coughing phlegm and other symptoms; "spleen for the source of phlegm", when the spleen and stomach function is not good when coupled with the parents, "eat sea stuffing" type spoiled feeding method When the spleen and stomach function is not good, coupled with the parents "eat and eat" type of pampering feeding method, phlegm and dampness continue to accumulate, the child's belly will be day by day big up.

V. What should I pay attention to in my daily life for a phlegm-damp body?

As the saying goes, "Illness enters by the mouth", so if you want your baby to be healthy, you should not only control your child's mouth, but also control the parents' hands.

1, phlegm-damp body children in the diet must be less oil, less sugar, less salt, more choice of warm or flat food, such as kelp, white radish, winter melon, lentils, carp, oranges and so on.

2, cold easy to damage the spleen and stomach function, sweet and greasy can be phlegm weapon, so like ice cream, cake, pomegranate, honey, sugar cane, these too cold and sweet food, for phlegm-dampness of the body of the child I am advised to resolutely avoid.

Finally, we recommend some recipes and teas that are suitable for phlegm-damp bodies to eat

1For wind-cold cough or cold phlegm-dampness cough (Hua Tangerine Red Tea Drink)

2 grams of hua tangerine red in hot water, add 5 milliliters each of fresh bamboos and ginger juice to pass the yang.

2,Hua Tangerine Red Poria Licorice Tea, suitable for phlegm-dampness with mixed cold and heat constitution

Ingredients: 2 grams of Hua Tangerine Hong, 9 grams of Poria, 6 grams of Glycyrrhiza Uralensis.

Effects: Tangerine red is a product for resolving phlegm, its qi is warm, with raw licorice, poria to warm phlegm, together can regulate qi, strengthen the spleen, resolve phlegm and suppress coughing.

3, there are five fingers hairy peach chicken soup, suitable for cold and damp cough heavy turbidity and phlegm drinkers.

Ingredients: 45~60 grams of five-fingered peach root, 1 light chicken, 200 grams of lean meat, 3 slices of ginger, 10 grams of raw licorice.

Phlegm-dampness cough used without trace scraping techniques: tonifying the spleen meridian, tonifying the lung meridian, kneading the lung Yu, kneading the spleen Yu, Mo Zhongjiao, scraping the spine, pressing and kneading the foot Sanli, pushing and kneading the danzhong, pushing the scapulae, transporting the internal eight trigrams.

Phlegm is the body's water and fluid gathered together to form a thick substance, is the body's function is reduced or insufficient caused by the spleen is weak and insufficient transportation caused by the water and fluid stagnation, the human body at any time and any place will produce phlegm, the formation of this phlegm and wet there are external reasons, there are also physical problems, the cold weather will result in the human body's yin and yang imbalance, so that the human body's yang is not enough, lungs can not be normal declared, water and fluid will be stagnant in the formation of clear and thin phlegm. Fluid will be gathered in the lungs to form thin phlegm, out of the body is clear snot, like feeling the wind and cold will flow clear snot, if the cold evil into the heat, will form sticky phlegm, coughing out is sticky phlegm, and sometimes cough out white phlegm, this is the cold evil into the viscous phlegm caused by too long, and sometimes it is difficult to cough out.

Hot weather also affects the lung qi's xiao descending, and also generates sticky phlegm, which stops gathering in the lungs and causes coughing and phlegm symptoms. Living in the wetland for a long time also causes the lungs to lose xuan descending, and phlegm and dampness accumulate in the lungs, which affects the xiao descending in and out of the lungs, and then coughing and phlegm symptoms will occur. Therefore, changes in the weather outside are also an aspect of phlegm and dampness, and therefore, phlegm and dampness will be generated when the human body's qi is unfavorable.

"Lung is the vessel for storing phlegm, spleen is the source of phlegm", so the formation of phlegm is closely related to the spleen deficiency and insufficient transportation, once the transportation of the spleen and stomach is insufficient or stagnant, there will be phlegm and dampness will be formed, and phlegm and dampness will affect the functioning of the qi of the human body, which will lead to the occurrence of diseases, "qi produces all kinds of diseases, phlegm produces strange diseases! "Therefore, phlegm dampness is the cause of many diseases, so Chinese medicine has: treatment of phlegm first treatment of gas, gas line phlegm since go. Under normal circumstances, the human body will not produce phlegm dampness, as long as there is phlegm dampness means that the body has a shortage of places, or the outside world is too much influence caused. The body of cold and heat in the virtual reality will generate phlegm dampness, the body's lack of yang will produce phlegm dampness, and phlegm dampness will affect the normal operation of the body's yang, so phlegm dampness seriously affects people's physical health.

Phlegm and dampness are different in degree, sticky is phlegm, thin is phlegm, coughing out of the mouth is phlegm, fat in the body is also the accumulation of phlegm and dampness, sticky sweat is also a manifestation of phlegm and dampness, sticky stool is also phlegm and dampness, phlegm is the formation of dampness, water and grains are gathered together, dietary indiscretion, overeating fat, sweet and thick flavors, it will affect the spleen and stomach's transportation and digestion, and there will be phlegm and dampness formation, overeating cold and too hot food, will also The function of the spleen and stomach will be lowered, and the water you drink and the food you eat will not be digested and absorbed in time, so it will produce sticky substances in the body, affecting the normal operation of qi and blood, which is phlegm-dampness. Excessive drinking, smoking will have phlegm dampness formation, especially bad mood, it will affect the normal operation of qi and blood, there will be phlegm dampness generation, some emotional stagnation or often stay up late, will also make the qi run poorly, will have phlegm dampness formation.

Phlegm-dampness is everywhere, there will be phlegm-dampness formation in the five organs and six bowels, once the function of the internal organs is insufficient, there will be phlegm-dampness, heart fire will also scorch the fluid to form phlegm-dampness, and severe phlegm-fire attack on the heart, the occurrence of heartburn, insomnia, or the symptoms of delirium. Excessive liver fire can also cause phlegm and fire to rise, resulting in elevated blood pressure or stroke symptoms. Insufficient lung qi or external evils can lead to the formation of phlegm-dampness. Insufficient spleen qi and dysfunctional transportation, the water and grain essence will be transformed into phlegm-dampness and accumulate in the body; weak kidney qi and insufficient yang qi can lead to the accumulation of water and fluid in the body, and phlegm-dampness will be formed. Some lipoma, diabetes, high blood pressure is also caused by phlegm and dampness, no phlegm is not nuclear, some tumors are also phlegm and dampness accumulation formation, phlegm and dampness in the body is tangible, some are intangible, but only in the symptoms, such as dizziness and delirium, dizziness and tinnitus, insomnia and forgetfulness, coughing and shortness of breath, etc., are all phlegm and dampness caused by the symptoms of the disease.

After all, phlegm-dampness is the normal substance in the human body, which is the food eaten, the water drunk, and even the qi, blood, fluid and essence in the body. Due to the lowering of the function of the human body or its insufficiency, so that the function can't be performed normally, these substances will stay in different parts of the body, affecting the qi and blood operation of the human body, and thus making the human being suffer from diseases, and this is the phlegm-dampness. If the body's function is restored to normal, these gathered fluids may turn into useful substances to be absorbed by the body. Therefore, phlegm-dampness and normal nutrients are not two different things, what the body absorbs and transports are nutrients, and what stays in the body and affects the normal operation of qi and blood is phlegm-dampness. Chinese medicine treats phlegm-dampness by promoting qi to resolve phlegm, clearing away heat to resolve phlegm, strengthening the spleen to dispel phlegm, etc. If qi flows, blood flows, and if blood flows, phlegm is dissolved, so treating phlegm by treating qi first is an important method of treating phlegm-dampness.

(Carpenter's thanks, answer no. 20180415)

Phlegm is the secretion of the human respiratory system, healthy normal people usually have phlegm, just relatively less, when the respiratory system is subjected to external stimuli, stimuli including irritating gases, microorganisms, etc., the respiratory system will undergo inflammation thus leading to increased respiratory secretion, phlegm increases, and phlegm composition will also change.

The components of sputum mainly containMucus, foreign bodies, pathogenic microorganisms, various inflammatory cells and necrotic detached mucosal epithelial cellsand other components. Mucus is mainly secreted mainly due to mucus secreting glands and mucous cup-shaped cells. Foreign bodies are mainly airborne particles of dust that enter the lungs with respiration. Pathogenic microorganisms may enter the lungs through respiration or may enter the lung tissues through hematogenous seeding, but they mainly invade through the respiratory tract. Inflammatory cells and necrotic cells are produced as a result of the body's reaction to foreign bodies and microorganisms, as well as metabolism.

airwayThe secretion of the right amount of mucus is normal and plays a protective role for the bodyThe expulsion of phlegm is through the cilia movement of the epithelial cells on the surface of the bronchial tubes (this is to promote from the lungs to the upper respiratory tract, that is, the mouth and nose), and finally a certain amount of phlegm to stimulate the respiratory tract to cause a cough reflex, the phlegm will be discharged, and will also make the inhalation into the lungs of the microdust, toxic particles, and bacteria and their own metabolic wastes such as the epithelial cells, etc., to discharge, to keep the respiratory tract open, thereby protecting the lungs! Tissue.

Phlegm as a guide to disease

sputum

Generally take 24 hours as a time unit, the normal person is no sputum or only a small amount of foam or mucus-like sputum, when the respiratory tract has lesions sputum increased, such as chronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, lung abscess, tuberculosis, etc.

If during the course of treatment of the disease, ensuring that the airways are open, a decrease in the amount of sputum indicates a reduction in inflammation of the lungs and an improvement in the condition, and vice versa, there is a deterioration. A sudden increase in the amount of sputum and the appearance of purulent sputum is commonly associated with lung abscess or pyothorax that destroys the lung tissue connecting to the bronchial lumen.

sputum color

Normal is colorless or off-white, the color of sputum changes in disease states.

1. Red or brownish red: this is due to the presence of blood and hemoglobin in sputum. Bright red bloody sputum is common in lung cancer, tuberculosis, bronchial dilatation and so on. This is caused by the disease destroying the blood vessels of the lung tissue.

2, rust-colored sputum: this is due to hemoglobin denaturation color, common in lobar pneumonia, pulmonary infarction and other diseases

3, yellow and yellow-green: yellow sputum is common in respiratory bacterial infections, such as purulent bronchitis, Aureobasidium pneumonia, bronchiectasis and infections, etc., yellow-green sputum is common in: Pseudomonas aeruginosa or caseous pneumonia

4, brown sputum: common in amoebic lung abscess and heart failure resulting in pulmonary stasis and other conditions.

What are the characteristics of cough and sputum in lung cancer

Because of the life-threatening seriousness of cancer, I would like to emphasize the characteristics of sputum in lung cancer.

Coughing symptoms caused by lung cancer are highly related to the location of the lung cancer, the size and type of the tumor.

Cough:

Early symptom of lung cancer is usually an irritating dry cough without sputum or with little sputum, and the cough can be aggravated by bronchial stenosis only when the tumor increases to a certain degree. Only when the tumor increases to a certain degree, which causes bronchial stenosis, the cough will be aggravated. Moreover, due to the stenosis, sputum cannot be discharged in time, which will easily trigger bacterial reproduction and lead to bacterial infection, thus increasing the amount of sputum, which will be mucopurulent.

Blood in sputum or direct hemoptysis:

This is common in central lung cancer that invades large bronchi. Tumor growth into the official cavity can have intermittent or continuous blood in sputum, and if the lung cancer cachexia severely erodes large blood vessels, it can cause hemoptysis.

suggestion

Lung cancer usually occurs in middle-aged and old people, and the incidence rate is higher in people with long-term smoking history, as well as some people working in chemical factories with insufficient protection are also prone to lung cancer. Therefore, once these people have coughing and coughing up sputum with blood in the sputum without any obvious cause, especially after the ineffective antibiotic treatment, they need to go to the hospital to make clear diagnosis in time to exclude lung cancer, and take a chest X-ray in hospital outpatient clinics to make a preliminary screening for lung cancer. The cost of chest X-ray is also very cheap, a few dozen dollars can be done. If the cause is infection, a blood test can also show abnormalities.

Carpenter is a professional physician, every day will be updated close to the life of medical knowledge, to learn more about health knowledge, please pay attention to "Surgical Carpenter".

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Phlegm, in Western medicine and Chinese medicine have different references, phlegm in Western medicine, is the body's trachea, bronchial tube stimulation and secretion of substances, the general treatment of Western medicine on the choice of expectorant drugs. The concept of phlegm in Chinese medicine is more complex, today we will talk about phlegm in Chinese medicine.

Chinese medicine said that the disease-causing "phlegm", refers to the gasification malfunction and the production of the body inside and outside the body, with a wide range of pathogenic metabolites, there is a gradual accumulation, flow is not smooth, viscous adhesive disease-causing strange and other characteristics. Phlegm is not only pathogenic in itself, but can also lead to a variety of other diseases.

The etiology and pathogenesis of phlegm formation, to which the five organs belong, vary in color and texture and are classified differently. For example, phlegm in the spleen is mostly called damp phlegm, phlegm in the lungs is mostly called dry phlegm, and phlegm in the liver is mostly called wind phlegm. Moreover, phlegm is divided into wind phlegm, dry phlegm, wet phlegm, cold phlegm, hot phlegm, fire phlegm, gas phlegm, food phlegm, wine phlegm, and shock phlegm, so you can see that there are different causes of phlegm, different pathologies, and different types of phlegm. In addition, the physical quality of each person is different. According to Chinese medicine, some people are born with "phlegm evidence", which is caused by congenital, weak body, poor foundation, which is very much related to the heredity of parents. On the other hand, when a person feels external evils later in life, for example, when a person has a deficiency disease, he is prone to produce phlegm because he is not able to "qiize and transform". "Qi not being able to be transformed", qi depression, food depression, dampness depression, heat depression, etc. can also lead to phlegm in the body.

There is a saying in Chinese medicine that "phlegm produces strange diseases" and "strange diseases are all born from phlegm". In Chinese medicine, phlegm is a very difficult disease to treat, as the pathogenesis and progression of the disease are very varied and difficult to treat. Therefore, it is important to fully recognize and understand the impact and danger of phlegm on the human body in order to correctly diagnose and prevent the disease at an early stage.

The authoritative interpretation of Pharmaceutical Affairs, unauthorized reproduction, plagiarism will be punished.

Phlegm formation:

There are mucous glands under the mucosa of the respiratory tract, the secretion of mucous glands is governed by the vagus nerve, often secrete a small amount of mucus, so that the mucosa of the respiratory tract is kept moist. There are cup-shaped cells in the epithelial cell space of the respiratory mucosa, which can also secrete mucus.

Under normal circumstances, the amount of sputum secreted by the bronchial tubes is 70 to 100 milliliters per day. This sputum adsorbs dust, bacteria and other microorganisms inhaled into the lungs, and with the help of columnar epithelial cilia swinging, it will be discharged to the larynx, coughed up with coughing or swallowed. Therefore, people generally do not feel phlegm. Only in the case of irritation of the respiratory mucosa, the amount of phlegm will increase.

Increase in phlegm:

When the airway is invaded by pathogens or adversely stimulated by physical, chemical, and allergic factors, proliferation of cuprocytes and mucous gland cells is accompanied by an increase in mucus secretion.

When inflammation occurs in the trachea, bronchus or alveoli, the mucosa becomes congested and edematous, mucus secretion increases, capillary permeability increases, plasma exudes, and the exudate mixes with mucus and inhaled dust to become sputum.

The composition of sputum varies according to different pathologies and may contain mucus, plasma, erythrocytes, leukocytes (pus cells), macrophages, immunoglobulins, complement, lysozyme, fibrin, and other components, as well as different species of bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasite eggs, and necrotic tissues, dust particles, and foreign bodies.

Diseases can cause increased sputum volume

Bronchial diseases:Including acute chronic tracheobronchitis, bronchial asthma, endobronchial tuberculosis, bronchiectasis, primary bronchial cancer, etc.

Lung disease:These include all causes of pneumonia, tuberculosis, lung abscess, pulmonary infarction, pulmonary edema, diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, tuberculosis, and pneumoconiosis.

Secondary infections caused by various diseases:This includes infections secondary to primary or metastatic tumors of the respiratory tract, bronchial or pulmonary infections of the pleural cavity disease approach, and so on.

Cardiovascular disease:Pulmonary stasis, acute pulmonary edema due to mitral stenosis or other causes of left heart failure; etc.

Central nervous system factors:Encephalitis and meningitis can cause a dry cough, and coughing up sputum in combination with airway infections.

I hope the answers are helpful.

Many people often have cough and phlegm, especially patients with chronic bronchitis and other chronic bronchitis, who cough and phlegm all year round; some also have colds or bronchitis, which can cause cough and phlegm.

By looking at the color and character of phlegm, TCM practitioners can help determine the lesions in the internal organs or the nature of the disease.

If coughing clear thin white phlegm, mostly belong to the cold phlegm, or because of the spleen and stomach yang deficiency, cold and damp obstruction coagulation into phlegm, or because of the wind-cold obstruction of the lungs, try to condense and become;

If the coughing phlegm is yellow and thick, most of them are hot phlegm, because the fire and heat offends the lungs, burns the fluids, and condenses into phlegm;

If the coughing phlegm is small and sticky, often accompanied by dry mouth and tongue, this is mostly due to Yin deficiency and lung dryness, or dry phlegm caused by dryness of the lungs;

If you cough up a lot of phlegm, foamy, often accompanied by indigestion, bloating, nausea and other manifestations, this is mostly due to spleen deficiency, dysfunction, resulting in phlegm and dampness trapped in the spleen and stomach, and up to the lungs to cause;

Clinically, these types of phlegm are common, and each of them suggests a different disease; they should also be combined with their own physical condition, as well as the characteristics of the symptoms of mixed, comprehensive judgment, we can understand the root cause of the formation of phlegm, in order to take the appropriate treatment methods.

Chinese medicine treatment of cold phlegm mostly chooses Xiao Qing Long Tang and Er Chen Wan;

For phlegm-heat, more choices include Clearing Qi and Resolving Phlegm Soup;

For dry phlegm, choose Nourishing Yin and Clearing Lung Soup or Lily Solid Gold Pill;

If the phlegm is excessive due to spleen deficiency, most of them have to strengthen the spleen together with resolving phlegm and removing dampness, and more choices are Chen Xia Liu Jun Zi Tang and so on.

Nod your image to follow me with more TCM health articles; leave comments if you have questions.

The process of producing phlegm in the lungs.

Phlegm comes from the mucus that is actively produced in the bronchial tubes and is the body's self-protection mechanism, which is very important because the lungs need to be connected to the outside world and the air that we breathe is inevitably filled with dust, bacteria, viruses and other foreign bodies that cannot be deposited into our alveoli, not to mention that if they were to clog up the alveoli you would suffocate and die. So, in the bronchial tubes, the cells involved secrete mucus to capture these foreign bodies, which is then transported continuously upwards to a specific location by the regular movement of the cilia in the respiratory tract, and becomes what we call phlegm, which stimulates the throat to produce a cough reflex to spit it out of the body, but if it is not in large quantities, it stimulates the gag reflex to swallow it directly into the stomach.

Physiologic functions and potential risks of phlegm.

Having phlegm means, there is an increase in harmful substances in the external environment that stimulate the respiratory tract to produce excess mucus. When there is an increase in various irritants in the air, or when our respiratory tract is invaded by bacteria and viruses, resulting in a battle between the immune system and the bacteria and viruses, and a localized outbreak of inflammation, the production of mucus increases significantly, which is a kind of kettling tactic that keeps transporting the enemy's troops out of the body, and so our coughing and spitting increases dramatically.

Therefore, modern medicine does not support stopping a cough as a last resort! The cough reflex is a very important self-protection mechanism, and stopping coughing indiscriminately is an act of enemy financing, and the immune system, if it knew anything about it, would surely complain that it was following the wrong master. ^_^

The mucus secreted by the respiratory tract in response to different stimuli can vary considerably in its physicochemical properties. The mucus belongs to theJelly GelBecause mucus contains important "fishing net" shaped proteins, it is not a simple liquid, but a gel, and these "fishing net" proteins are the body's life-saving and protective net, which prevents viruses and bacteria from reaching our cells. These "fishing net-like" proteins are the body's life-saving protective net, a net that prevents viruses and bacteria from reaching our cells, and wraps these foreign bodies that enter the respiratory tract in a heavy package, an amazing means of self-protection.

Illustration: excessively thick mucus (golden color) in the bronchial tubes of an asthmatic patient

But everything has its advantages and disadvantages, and if the cells are overstimulated and secrete too much"Fishing nets."protein, it will cause this protective net to be too dense, and the mucus gel formed at this point will be so thick and its adhesive capacity so strong that it will be difficult to even cough it up, with the risk of suffocating ourselves. This is common in elderly patients with emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which require urgent manual suctioning to solve the problem. These rescues are done by nurses in hospitals, and due to the imperfect instrumentation, it is sometimes necessary to suction directly by mouth. Let's pay tribute to the profession of nurses, they are the most lovely people.

Phlegm is a secretion from the human respiratory tract, a protein-rich fluid secreted by the mucous glands and cup cells of the bronchi and trachea. When the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract and alveoli, such as the trachea and bronchioles, are subjected to physicochemical, infectious, and allergic stimuli, an inflammatory response occurs, and these secretions increase in volume, forming phlegm. Both bacterial and viral infections are prone to phlegm formation.

When an infection occurs in the organism, there is congestion and edema in the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, along with the secretion of a large amount of inflammatory exudate. At the same time, the immune system releases neutrophils, phagocytes, eosinophils, and basophils, which gather around the inflammatory cells and engulf the viral and bacterial necrotic material. At this point, these substances make up the phlegm.

If there is too much phlegm, it must be treated with phlegm removing drugs, such as Ambroxol, Etanercept, and Compound Fresh Bamboo Leech, etc. They all have good effect of removing phlegm, and can be combined with nebulized inhalation to help dissolve the phlegm and remove the phlegm, if necessary.

Phlegm is considered in TCM to be a strengthened version of dampness! TCM expectoration of phlegm is a bit more pure and simple.

Dampness gathered more into phlegm, the main generation of dampness is the spleen (spleen deficiency is born of dampness), there is a saying that the spleen is the source of phlegm, the lungs are the storage of phlegm, that is to say, phlegm is generated because of the spleen deficiency caused by the birth of dampness, and then stored in the lungs.

So in Chinese medicine, if you want to get rid of phlegm, you have to start by strengthening the spleen and eliminating dampness, without the source it can't be transformed into phlegm, and you can see the nature of the disease from the color of the phlegm, so Chinese medicine is more simple to treat phlegm, for example, yellow-colored phlegm is a feverish disease, use heat-clearing and phlegm-clearing herbs, such as apricot kernel, Hou Pu, Chuan Bei. White-colored phlegm is a cold disease and can be treated with warm herbs. Use warming herbs such as perilla seeds, half-summer, ambergris, etc.

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Sources of phlegm

In the submucosa of the respiratory tract, there is a gland called mucous gland, which is innervated by the vagus nerve to secrete a small amount of mucus, which keeps the mucosa of the respiratory tract moist. In addition, in the interstices of the epithelial cells of the respiratory mucosa, there is a type of cell called a cup cell, which also secretes mucus. The mucus secreted by the mucous glands and cup cells is what we call phlegm.

Composition of phlegm

Under normal circumstances, the amount of sputum secreted by the bronchial tubes is between 70-100 ml per day. Dust, bacteria and other microorganisms inhaled into the lungs will be adsorbed by this sputum with the help of columnar epithelial cilia swinging, so that the sputum mixed with dust and bacteria can be discharged into the throat, coughed up with the human body's cough or swallowed along with saliva. Only when the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract is irritated and the amount of phlegm increases, people will feel the presence of phlegm, under normal circumstances, we usually do not feel phlegm.When our trachea, bronchus and lungs are stimulated by harmful factors or infected by some pathogenic bacteria, and thus inflammation occurs, the respiratory mucosa will be congested and edematous, the blood vessels will be dilated, the exudation will increase, and a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrate, and the cupular cells and mucus glands of the mucous layer will be proliferated and hypertrophied, which will secrete a large amount of mucus, which is used to clear the body of the foreign matter. However, the increase of mucus secretion will increase the burden of columnar epithelial cilia, which leads to mucus is difficult to cough up, in the harmful factors and pathogenic bacteria, will produce some necrotic degenerative cells, they are retained in the bronchial tubes, mucus and these degenerative necrotic cells constitute phlegm.

Coughing up sputum is an animal that expels respiratory secretions through the mouth with the help of ciliary movements of the bronchial mucosal epithelium, contraction of bronchial smooth muscle and cough reflex.

Diseases associated with coughing up sputum

Chronic cough with sputum is common inChronic bronchitis, bronchiectasis, lung abscess and cavitary tuberculosis。

当sputum colorIt has a different meaning when a change occurs:

1. Yellow-green pus sputum is often a sign of infection;
2. When bleeding from tuberculosis, lung cancer, or lung infarction occurs, the sputum is red or reddish brown in color due to the presence of blood or hemoglobin in the sputum;
3. Rust-colored sputum can be seen in pneumococcal pneumonia;
4. Reddish-brown or chocolate-colored sputum Consider amoebic lung abscess;
5. Pink frothy sputum suggests acute pulmonary edema;
6. Brick-red jelly-like sputum or those with blood are commonly associated with Klebsiella pneumonia;
7. Malodorous sputum is characteristic of anaerobic infections.

Welcome to the team of MDs at Tiantan Hospital, Fu Wai Hospital, Institute of Pediatrics, and Peking University Dental Hospital! We wish you good health and a happy life!