Coughing Up Phlegm (Sputum, Mucus)
One of the most important responsibilities of a person is to take care of the body. But there are times that we get sick and experience unhealthy conditions. During these time, we have to be aware of what you should do to get better. One of the most common sicknesses that you usually encounter is coughing. Coughing does not impose a life threatening threat for you but coughing up with phlegm may indicate underlying conditions that need treatment.
Phlegm also knew as sputum and mucus are an inflammation that is usually experienced during a cough. It is usually a watery substance or mucus that get stuck in your throat and need to be released to avoid any complications. The color of the phlegm will depend upon the sickness that an individual is going through.
Coughing Up Yellow Mucus: Causes and Remedies
A regular phlegm for a healthy person should be clear. However, there are times that the mucus is also yellow. A yellow mucus color may indicate different causes that we have to be aware of to get the correct treatment.
- Flu or cold
This is the most common reason for experiencing a yellow mucus. The yellow phlegm is simply the reaction of our body to fight back the bacteria invading our throat.
- Pneumonia
Pneumonia or the infection of one or both lungs also contribute as to why your mucus might be yellow. The infection would result in the sacs to fill up with fluid. Thus the mucus might form.
- Bronchitis
Bronchitis is a form of viral infection. The disease causes inflammation and irritation on the lung passageway or the bronchi. This condition also causes a yellow phlegm.
- Allergies
The yellow phlegm might be an allergic reaction. One specific example is people allergic to pollen. They experience a yellow mucus because of these kinds of allergies.
- Sinus Infection
A blocked sinus, where the bacteria can gather might cause a yellow phlegm. The blockage of air is the primary reason for the formation of this mucus.
- Asthma
People experiencing asthma ca have inflammation leading to the formation of this yellow phlegm. A diagnosed patient may have continuous coughing which leads to these results.
- Lung cancer
This is the most severe reason for a yellow phlegm; if you have been coughing and releasing yellow mucus without an interval for the last two weeks, a doctor’s help in needed.
Treatment:
- Warm fluids
Drinking hot water or tea would help the inflammation subside and is therefore highly recommended for fast relief.
- Lemon and honey
Lemon’s acid can eliminate the bacteria in your throat and adding honey would be able to soothe your passageway as well. These two are great combinations.
- Avoid Smoking and bad eating habits
Smoking can only worsen your condition. Aside from chemical inhalation, you must also control yourself from eating the foods that cause your inflammation to worsen.
- Gargling water with salt
The process of gargling water with a teaspoon of salt would help remove the mucus away.
- Approved medicine
Some drugs can be bought over the counter and will help you eliminate the yellow phlegm. Ask your doctor for a prescription.
Green Phlegm: What Does Coughing up it Mean?
Many people would panic once they see that the phlegm they discharged is green. Usual phlegm color is white to pale yellow, so coughing up a green phlegm might trigger an alarm towards a patient. Having a green mucus is constituted to having a bacterial infection, usually in your sinus. During these bacterial infections, the white blood cells would gather towards it to eliminate and kill it. This activity would often result to a green phlegm. But a green mucus can also be caused by different reasons.
Causes:
- Rhinitis
- Bronchial lining sinusitis,
- Infection in the membranes of the nose
- nasal congestion
- Asthma
- Pneumonia
- tuberculosis
- cystic fibrosis
- Hazardous environment (coal miners)
Treatment:
A green phlegm might indicate more serious conditions and knowing what to do is imperative.
- Warm compress
Placing a warm compress on your eyes and nose can already help soothe the pain and help the affected area to relax.
- Neti pot
This excellent device is used to flush out the extra mucus in your sinus passage. Using this method can eliminate the remaining inflammation and process a faster healing.
- Humidify
Make sure that the place you are into has a lot of moisture and humidity to prevent the phlegm from clogging up further.
- Antihistamine and decongestant
These medicines are available for purchase and will help your mucus to regulate and avoid green phlegm.
Coughing Up Brown Mucus
Coughing up brown mucus would clearly indicate that you are experiencing a much more severe infection. It is essential to know what are the causes of this brown mucus.
Causes:
- Smoking
Inhaling these deadly sticks every day may cause the brown discharge. Smoking would leave chemicals in your lungs and can be the reason for the brown mucus when you a cough.
- Consuming certain foods
Consuming a lot of chocolates or drinking too many dark sodas and coffee might be the reason for this brown phlegm. Foods with a lot of garlic might also trigger it.
- Alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol would also cause this phenomenon. This due to the infections that would form on an alcoholic’s lungs and respiratory organs just to name a few.
- Underlying conditions
It may signal acute bronchitis or even lung cancer. If the brown mucus would not stop and you experience other symptoms, you might want to seek the help of your doctor.
Treatment:
- Prescribed medicines
Prescribed medication is necessary to follow for these unwanted brown mucus to stop. Sudafed, Expectorants and other cough suppressants are specific examples of what you can take for you to be treated properly.
- Immediate home remedies
You can also try easy home remedies that would soothe the pain and completely kill the bacteria and git rid of the brown mucus.
- Increase fluid intake
- Drink honey and pepper
- try herbal teas
- Inhale steams
- Gargle water with salt
- Use a neti pot
- Quit smoking
- Control alcohol intake
Coughing up Bloody Mucus: Causes and Treatments
Finding blood in your mucus is not a thing to be ignored about. It may indicate severe and acute conditions that need to be addressed and treated immediately.
Causes:
- Infections
These diseases may include pneumonia, tuberculosis and acute bronchitis. Other symptoms like high fever and cough may also be present.
- Trauma or objects inhaled
This trauma would usually happen to children who would accidentally inhale foreign objects that were not supposed to be taken in.
- Hemoptysis
Hemoptysis is the inflammation and tissue disposition being abnormal in the lungs. This would produce blood together with the mucus.
- Blood vessel disorders and heart problems
Problems concerning the blood vessels and heart passageways being blocked may cause bleeding, thus, resulting in the blood in mucus.
Treatment:
- Surgery
Blood in the mucus indicates a serious underlying condition that may not be resolved my medicine intake. Surgery for the lungs and the tract among others may be recommended to treat the diagnosed illness.
- Bronchoscopy
Bronchoscopy is the process wherein an instrument is attached to the end o the endoscope to stop the bleeding finally. This process is done for severe cases of blood in the mucus.
- Approved procedures
Since coughing up blood needs further determination to arrive at a proper solution, it is always best to seek help to professionals and perform procedures suited for your diagnosis.
Coughing may be a common occurrence to you, but it is always best to know their implications to avoid your condition from getting worse. And when in doubt, see your doctor,
