ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Treatment and Control of Phlegm, mucus in throat, chest due to COPD & Bronchitis.

Updated on April 5, 2020

Phlegm Meaning and its significance

Phlegm accumulation in respiratory tract is a congesting feeling with an inability to respire freely. It can lead to hypoxia, cyanosis (i.e. condition of lack of oxygenation) and can even further aggravate the disease condition and its associated symptoms.

Phlegm meaning: Scientifically phlegm is a muco-polysaccharide secreted by mucus lining of respiratory tract i.e throat, lungs . It is sticky, moist and meant to arrest any dust or particulate matter arising from the inspired air.

This phlegm is regularly removed by ciliary movement of the tract to cleanup the tract.So it is a protective phenomenon of the body

But in conditions like cold, COPD, asthma, chronic respiratory infections etc. its production is greatly enhanced and is of chronic duration which is disgusting as it requires frequent clearance for clear uninterrupted breathing and normal health..

Symptoms of phlegm accumulation

Phlegm accumulation during any diseased condition can be seen by

1. Congestion in the throat & bronchi with an inability to breathe free.

2. Rattling sound in the chest or lungs during inspiration and expiration.

3. Frequent coughing (wet cough).

4. Cyanotic condition with blueness of face, limbs etc. due to improper COclearance from the blood (in babies and aged people).

5. Inability to discard the accumulated phlegm due to stickiness.

Tips to control excess phlegm foramtion in throat chest and lungs.

Phlegm accumulation in excess occurs due to heavy inflammation of the lungs, throat and bronchial tissues.

So Heavy accumulation of phlegm indicates some infection and also decrease in ciliary function of the tract.

In conditions like T.B, COPD, Asthma, Cold & bronchitis this is a common symptom so phlegm treatment aims to.

1. Restrict infections: This can be done by an immediate diagnosis of the sputum and the use of suitable antibiotics against the diagnosed infection as treatment. Once the infection is controlled the phlegm accumulation drops down immediately.

2. Restrict Inflammation: Inflammation of the respiratory tract can be due to infection or inhaled irritants. Infectious by different classes of bacteria enhances inflammation and tissue damage. Irritable fumes inhaled in places like a factory, lab, road, etc enhance copious phlegm formation. So try to use a mask to abstain from their inhalation. Steroidal drugs can reduce inflammation so consult your physician for suitable steroidal drugs at your region for treatment.

3. Avoid smoking: Smoking, in general, aggravates phlegm formation due to its irritant effect on the bronchi, throat and lung tissues.

But some of the smokers believe that having a cigar puff enhances their breathing by activating their respiratory centers. But it is to be remembered that this habit is a primary cause of COPD so avoid smoking. Withdrawal from smoking in COPD, asthma patients decreases inflammation and also helps in faster control of infection by the use of prescribed antibiotics.

4. Stay in the dust-free environment: Dust in the air can as an irritant to the mucus lining of airways. It not only enhances phlegm formation but also promotes the chances of bacterial infection. So try to stay in dust-free environments. The use of a mask is suggestive but in COPD or asthmatic patients, this can be suffocating. So better stay in places of air free of dust pollution.

5. Proper Nutrition: Phlegm is itself a mucopolysaccharide (a form of carbohydrate). And since inflammation and infection are also in the picture, it is better to have protein-rich food to promote healing of inflamed tissue. It is advisable to minimize excess carbohydrate foods (like sugars) and also oily foods. Oily foods can aggravate inflammation greatly due to their irritant nature on the gut mucosa.

The above tips if followed religiously, helps you control the phlegm formation and besides promote the healing or decrease the speed of progression of your disease.


working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)