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What Causes Mucus

Tuesday, October 25, 2022 9:33 AM

Another Post from Jocelyne Gross NTP A.C.N. 
What causes Chest Mucus? 
Data Taken from the Website nativeremedies.com 
When we become ill or the respiratory system becomes irritated, this chest mucus, or phlegm is produced in larger amounts and the immunoglobulins work hard to fight off invading or foreign bodies. 
This phlegm, along with the dead immune cells and virus or bacteria they were fighting, is then expelled through coughing. While coughing up phlegm is not pleasant, it serves a purpose and is a sign that your body is fighting off infection or trying to clear lung congestion or harmful irritants. Excessive phlegm or chest mucus is often caused by viral or bacterial infections such as influence, bronchitis, and pneumonia, as well as irritants such as those inhaled during smoking. 
In our experience, several other conditions can also produce chest mucus and subsequent other symptoms. Exams such as we do in our clinic can find out the reason and come up with a program to handle the correct underlying cause. 
In the meantime, here are some help tips for at home; 
Foods to Reduce Mucus;
To reduce mucus be sure to consider diet as foods can increase or help eliminate production. Avoid dairy products, including milk, cheese, yogurt (some of you may be fine with goat milk) to help slow mucus productions. Also avoid table salts (sea salt is best) and sugars which can increase mucus production and beware of refined sugars in white flour and bread. 
Certain fruits such as pineapple, oranges, grapefruits, and lemon have been shown to have beneficial effect. For veggies, asparagus, onions, cauliflower, celery, and garlic can help eliminate mucus. 
Also choose warmed food when suffering from excessive mucus which help thin and open airways to allow for easier mucus elimination. 
Tips for Clearing Chest Mucus; 
• Treat nasal and sinus infections as soon as they occur as these often lead to chest infections or bronchial blockage and can cause phlegm. 
o Book an exam if needed to get the right products to help handle it. 
• Avoid pharmaceutical cough suppressants as much as possible as these cause phlegm to build up in the lungs and can lead to prolonged infection. 
• Drink lots of water if you’re dehydrated your phlegm will thicken. Water help loosen the phlegm and help wash down phlegm that gets deposited in the throat
• Sitting in a steamy shower or bath and breathing the steamy air for 20 minutes helps too. Consider adding a few drops of Eucalyptus essential oil to the water. 
• Use a nebulizer if needed to help loosen up the phlegm so it can be eliminated.


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