Do you need help to manage a cough or phlegm?
We are a panel of healthcare professionals waiting online to give you the help you need. We have included some general information that many people find useful but everyone is different and so why not ask for an answer to your questions, we are so sure that you won't be disappointed we guarantee your money back if you are. Cough and phlegm Why am I coughing? What is causing you to cough? A cough associated with a cold or the flu should clear up quickly, however a cough associated with bronchitis or emphysema may persist and become chronic. Howsme has the experts to help you manage the problems associated with your cough. Do you have physical problems caused by coughing? Do you have excess Phlegm?
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We cough for a variety of reasons; usually it is to remove something from the back of the throat. This could be phlegm or dust or just an itchy feeling! A cough can be chesty this is when phlegm is coughed up as a result of the cough. A dry cough when there is no or not much phlegm but usually a tickly throat.
We tend to cough if we get a cold, flu or a sore throat due to inflammation in the throat. This type of cough usually clears up quickly and without treatment. As well as a cold, asthma, emphysema and bronchitis are common problems that can give rise to a cough, this cough can be a cough that never goes away and you have to learn how to manage it. Smoking can also cause coughing.
As with any new symptom coughing needs to be checked out by a doctor to identify the cause, as prolonged coughing could be a sign of a more serious underlying disease.
Prolonged coughing can be very tiring and if you are feeling weak, it can really wear you out. Coughing during the night can mean that you are woken up numerous times during the night. If you are suffering with a cough ask howsme to help you manage this troublesome symptom.
What is phlegm? What causes phlegm to change? Allergies can cause an increase in the amounts of phlegm your body produces. Wheat and dairy products tend to be the main culprits but there are others. Physical problems caused by phlegm and coughing Unfortunately though coughing can cause you to be breathlessness and you may even start to feel panicky if you feel you are struggling to get your breath. Howsme has experts who can teach you techniques to help you to clear your chest and manage your cough. Managing your Phlegm Feeling short of breath? Our bodies rely on the lungs to supply the oxygen it needs to function. As we breathe in we take in oxygen from the air that surrounds us. In the lungs the oxygen is passed into the blood and then taken around the body. The body uses the oxygen and produces carbon dioxide that is then transported back via the blood to the lungs for us to breathe back out into the air. This process is repeated continually and requires the both healthy lungs and a healthy heart for the process to run smoothly. During exercise the muscles need more oxygen to be delivered and need the carbon dioxide they produce to be taken away. The brain and the heart are stimulated to speed up the process of breathing. The person exercising uses their lungs to breathe quicker and their heart beats faster to transport the oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from the muscles. Being overweight and not exercising can cause breathlessness. Breathlessness can also be caused by an underlying medical condition affecting either the lungs or the heart or possibly both which is why it is you have to go to the doctors and get yourself checked out. Diseases affecting your lungs include asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, pneumonia and cancer. The physical problems caused by the breathlessness depend upon the severity of the symptoms. These can range from people who only experience some breathlessness during strenuous exercise to those people who find it impossible to get dressed on their own because they are too breathless. For these people leaving the house is very difficult because their mobility is so limited and often they require extra oxygen even when resting in the house. For most people however there breathlessness is somewhere in between these scenarios. Anxiety can cause us to feel breathless without any underlying physical problem. This type of anxiety is sometimes referred to as a panic attack. For breathlessness to be effectively treated the cause needs to be found and treated. 2. Keep the windows and doors shut in the house and close the curtains on sunny days to keep the temperature lower. 3. Keep away from grass. Avoid cutting it, walking through it or rolling around in it! 4. If you do go out when the pollen count is high change your clothes and shower the pollen off your body and out of your hair when you get home. 5. Remember that cats and dogs will collect pollen on their fur so wash the dog and avoid the cat (which is usually easier the washing!!) 6. Vacuum your house with a vacuum specially designed to eliminate allergens (HEPA filter) 7. Dust your house using a damp cloth to avoid just spreading the dust and pollen around. 8. Don’t keep fresh flowers in the house. 9. Try an air filter for the house and for the air vents on the car. 10. Cigarette smoke will irritate the same areas of the body and so can make the symptoms of Hayfever worse. Don’t’ smoke indoors or allow anyone to smoke around you as it can make the symptoms worse.
Sometimes known as Sputum
Phlegm is the sticky stuff produced by mucus membranes and is usually coughed up from the back of the throat and lungs. It is different to mucus (or snot) that is produced by the nose and different to the clear saliva or spit produced in the mouth. In healthy people phlegm it is clear or white but if you get an infection such as flu it can turn yellow as the immune system works against the infection. If the phlegm turns green infection is almost certainly present. Rusty spots or blood in the phlegm can mean there is bleeding somewhere and must always be checked out. Smoking will affect the colour and consistency of phlegm and commonly the phlegm becomes brown.
Smoking can causes changes to amount, colour and consistency of phlegm.
The presence of infection in the body can also affect the phlegm, as can external factors such as the climate!
Prolonged coughing can be very tiring and if you are feeling weak, it can really wear you out. Coughing during the night can mean that you are woken up numerous times. Coughing can also make your chest muscles ache. Breathlessness is a common associated problem because many of the causes of increased amounts of phlegm can also cause breathlessness. it is important to cough and attempt to clear the phlegm as this may help to reduce the breathlessness.
Psychological problems caused by phlegm and coughing
Psychological problems are more likely to be associated with severe long-term symptoms than with phlegm produced by a bout of the flu. The physical effects of coughing during the night can lead to tiredness and therefore irritability the next day. Feelings of anxiety or panicking can accompany breathlessness or choking episodes. Embarrassment or frustration can be experienced especially when out in public and may even start to limit how often you go out or where you choose to go. Ask the team at howsme to help you; we are online now waiting to help.
As with all medical conditions knowing what is causing phlegm to be a problem is essential to managing it. Depending on the cause of the phlegm production there are a variety of ways to assist in the coughing up and clearance of phlegm. It is important to drink plenty of water to keep phlegm from becoming sticky and even more difficult to cough up and clear.
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Why I am breathless?
Many things, some of which need immediate medical treatment, can cause breathlessness. If you don't know why you are breathless or you haven't had the reason confirmed, you need to see a doctor. In a physically fit person, exercise can cause breathlessness, as soon as the exercise is stopped the breathing rate returns to normal within a short period of time. if however you feel breathless when you don't expect to you need to go and get checked out by a doctor to find out what is causing this breathlessness. If breathlessness comes on suddenly this is described as acute and if it gets worse gradually over time it is said to be chronic.
Causes of breathlessness
A heart condition or anaemia can also be causes of breathlessness.
Physical problems caused by breathlessness
Howsme have experts who can help you manage breathlessness, tell us how it affects you and see if we can help.
Psychological Problems caused by breathlessness
Breathlessness can cause anxiety because it can be a frightening symptom and so it can become a cycle of breathlessness causing anxiety causing breathlessness or rather confusingly a cycle of anxiety causing breathlessness causing anxiety!
Treatment of breathlessness
Hayfever
Each year spring marks the onset of…running noses, streaming eyes, itchy throat and sneezing! It is Hayfever time or allergic rhinitis, as it is sometimes known.
Hayfever it is very common condition affecting 2 out of every 10 people in Britain.
It is caused by an over reaction by the body to pollen. Pollen is usually a harmless substance but in some people it can trigger an allergic reaction. It affects the parts of the body it comes into contact with, so the nose and the throat as it is inhaled and the eyes and even the mouth!
When pollen is detected in these parts of the body the immune system goes into over drive. The immune system is responsible for helping to protect us from germs and illness but in the case of Hayfever it seems to react to the harmless pollen.
This is the time of year for most pollen to be airborne and therefore this is the time for most Hayfever sufferers to be at their worst. When the pollen count is high the suffering is likely to be greater. The pollen count will be affected by how many plants are flowering but also the weather. Pollen is released by plants in the morning and then a sunny day will encourage more flowers to open and so the pollen count keeps rising until it is at its highest in the early evening. If it is windy the pollen can spread about but when it rains the air will be cleared and so the pollen count will drop.
You are more susceptible to Hayfever if there is a history of allergies in your family especially asthma and eczema.
It you have the symptoms of Hayfever your own doctor will be able to confirm the diagnosis. Once confirmed the best way to treat Hayfever is to try to avoid the trigger. One of my friends has had terrible Hayfever all his life, last summer he emigrated to Florida. He has been fine ever since as the grass and so the pollen is different and doesn’t seem to affect him! Rather a drastic treatment but it has worked. If moving half way around the World is out of the question then trying to avoid as much pollen when the count is high is a great but often impractical treatment.
Treating the symptoms with creams, tablets, nasal sprays and eye drops usually helps most people. Speaking to your doctor or pharmacist can help you find something appropriate for your Hayfever. People who also have asthma should ask the doctor for advice as asthma can be irritated by Hayfever and therefore the asthma medication might need adjusting during the Hayfever season.
Some tips that might help,
1. Keep the pollen out of your eyes by wearing wrap around sunglasses and keep it out of your nose by putting Vaseline around the edge of your nostrils then breathe through your nose not your mouth.
If you still have unanswered questions about managing your cough or phlegm we can answer it today!
Updated: 15th September 2009
Do you need help to manage a cough or phlegm?
