Many people have the experience of phlegm stuck in the throat, and the phlegm cannot come up and go down, which makes people think cough, but can not cough out, very annoying. Yang Meijiao, a nurse at the Department of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, said that taking deep breaths and getting out of bed to move the body can effectively help the lungs expand and expel sputum. Using steam warm compresses, phlegm patting, and postural drainage techniques can also help expel sputum; diet and life On the other hand, you should drink plenty of warm water, avoid ice, sweet, and irritating diets, and pay attention to keeping your neck warm.
Yang Meijiao said that long-term smoking, gastroesophageal reflux,runny nose1. Air pollution will cause some people to have phlegm and often feel itchy throat. If you find changes in the texture or color of sputum, you must be alert. It is worth noting that if you often see blood streaks in the sputum, it may be behind tuberculosis, lung cancer and other diseases, and you must seek medical examination and diagnosis as soon as possible.
Diagnosis of disease from the color of sputum
1. Upper respiratory tract infection: usually yellow sputum, the sputum is sticky in the early to middle stage of infection; in the later stage of recovery, the sputum will become thinner and transparent.
2. Old smoking gun orpneumoconiosisPeople with lung cancer: due to the deposits in the lungs, such as dust, nicotine, and tar, the color of the sputum will be grayish black, or tar-colored, or coffee-colored.
3. Streptococcus pneumoniae infection: sputum is usually rust-colored.
4.Pseudomonas aeruginosaInfected person: The sputum is green and has a special smell.
4 ways to deal with stuck phlegm and cough
Method 1: Sputum
Yang Meijiao said that there are often patients in the ward who cough up phlegm until they cannot sleep, have stomach pains, and still can’t cough up. At this time, sputum can be pumped. Most patients feel much more comfortable after pumping phlegm; The sputum still cannot be coughed out, and the face turns blue. It is really “coughing to death”. At this time, the sputum will be directly pumped to unblock the patient’s breathing.
Method 2: expectoration
In addition to pumping sputum, it is also necessary to help patients expel sputum. First, encourage the patient to get out of bed. Yang Meijiao emphasized that long-term bed rest will lead to poor expansion of the lungs, poor cilia activity, and easy accumulation of phlegm, which may lead to pneumonia after a long time. To avoid this step, you must increase lung expansion. The easiest way is to take a deep breath, get out of bed more, and coughing will become more efficient.
●Deep breathing method: first take two deep breaths, hold your breath after the third inhalation, lean forward, press your palms on your stomach, and cough hard while pressing your hands down.
Method 3: steam warm compress reduce phlegm
If the sputum is more viscous, taking expectorant medicine will help, and you can use a warm towel as a steam compress at home to assist. Yang Meijiao said that people with severe phlegm may do it every 6 hours, and most people do it every 8 to 12 hours. It is recommended to do a steam warm compress when you get up in the morning, because after a night of nasal discharge and phlegm accumulation, you usually feel phlegm in the morning. It will be more serious. Do it again before going to bed at night to help you sleep well.
●Steam warm compress method:
1. Take a small towel and soak it in warm water, the water temperature is similar to that of bath water, and then wring out the excess water.
2. Cover your mouth and nose lightly with a warm towel, and breathe in the moist heat for about 10 to 15 minutes.
3. After finishing, you can try to take a deep breath and cough.
Method 4: Patting sputum and postural drainage
For patients with poor mobility or even bedridden patients, sputum patting and postural drainage are very important. Yang Meijiao pointed out that phlegm patting is done first, and after both sides are patted, postural drainage can be started, that is, the body is still in a posture that helps the sputum to move out for a period of time. It should be noted that the time for taking sputum and postural drainage must be “one hour before or two hours after meals” to avoid vomiting.
●The method of patting phlegm:
1. Arch your palm into a cup shape, shake your wrist, and slap from top to bottom perpendicular to your body to transmit the vibration of the air in your palm to your body. The sound of phlegm when you slap it correctly is “bobobo” with air.
2. Ask the patient to lie on his side when patting sputum, pat the back and the ribs on the side of the body, avoiding the spine, and take 5 to 10 minutes at a time, at least 200 times.
●Postural drainage method:
1. Ask the patient to lie on the stomach, put a pillow on the abdomen, let the upper body tilt, and maintain this position for about 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Sit up again, try to take a deep breath and cough.
Avoid phlegm, drink warm water, do not eat ice and sweets
To avoid sputum, Yang Meijiao said that people who are prone to phlegm should drink warm water frequently, so that the sputum will not be too sticky and it will be easier to cough up. Avoid cold and irritating foods, such as caffeinated drinks, which will make people want to cough more; try not to eat sweets and drink sugary drinks, because sweet foods will make phlegm thicker and harder to cough up.