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Home Remedies Phlegm
Why do I have so much phlegm
( 7 Jul 2010)
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Excessive mucus in the throat is due to a common cold or from upper respiratory infections, could be very irritating for the person suffering. Common effects of such a condition include continuous blowing of the nose, breathing from the mouth as the nose passage is congested with mucus, the need to clear the throat very frequently and even headaches. Sometimes the mucus refuses to leave our body for days together.
The night time can be the worst, as while lying down the mucus flows to the back of the throat causing further discomfort. This also leads to coughing, which is disrupts the sleep. And it is believed that if your body does not get enough rest it takes a longer time to heal. Too much phlegm in the throat could lead to a change in voice of the person or may even cause laryngitis. However this is not a major cause of concern as it is only temporary. Consistently clearing the throat due to presence of too much phlegm or blowing the nose can make a person very irritable. There are some home remedies or medicines you can purchase off the counter in order to get some relief
- Saline sprays or even saline contained nose drops (especially for children) help thin the mucus.
- Warm salt water gargles are proven to be very effective. Salt kills the bacteria present in phlegm in the throat.
- Drinking lots of fluids especially a bit warm will help to melt away some of the thick mucus which causes instant relief. Warm water with a ½ teaspoon of honey can work some wonders for the throat.
- Inhaling a warm vapor would also clear some of the nose congestion.
- Vitamin C is also believed to cure colds and prevent them from coming. Therefore it can be consumed in the form of a capsule.
- It is absolutely fine to consume warm milk or any other milk products as it does not cause the mucus to thicken
- Cold could also be due to some kind of an allergy. In that case an allergy medicine would be helpful.
It would be advisable to visit the doctor incase you suffer from asthma, bronchitis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or have any of these symptoms. Besides this if your condition does not improve within a week or worsens and the home remedies do not work, it would be necessary to check with your doctor. If you notice thick green colored phlegm or traces of blood in your phlegm, a doctor’s visit should not be delayed.
Any treatment in such cases takes a couple of weeks depending on the intensity of the cold. Remember smoking only worsens the situation. So in case you are a smoker it is advisable that you quit in order to speed up the recovery.
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answered by G R on 7 Jul 2010, 9:14:45
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