Why do people have phlegm?

Phlegm is an acute and chronic bronchitis.

Cough, phlegm, asthma and inflammation are the common main symptoms of lower respiratory tract infection. Lower respiratory tract infection can be divided into acute and chronic. Acute infection is mainly acute tracheobronchitis, which is the most common disease of respiratory system, mostly caused by infection, physical and chemical stimulation or allergy. It is an acute inflammation of tracheal-bronchial mucosa, which is common in cold seasons.

On the causes of excessive phlegm in traditional Chinese medicine

First, the body is weak and the qi is insufficient. Because of spleen deficiency, water can remain moist and condense into phlegm.

Second, the spleen and stomach are weak and stagnant, damaging the spleen and stomach; Or eating raw fruits and vegetables, Zhongyang was injured; Or drink too much water due to fever, poor spleen transport and other reasons. It can keep the water moist and gather into phlegm. There is also eating fat and sweet, the stomach is turbid and steaming, and damp heat can also resolve phlegm.

Third, exogenous diseases can't be cured, or the weak and sickly patients suffer from repeated exogenous diseases, and lung qi is injured, so that body fluid can't be transported to the bladder through water channels, which makes the water liquid stay, or phlegm accumulates in the lungs, which is unfavorable to lung qi, and phlegm surges in the airway, which will inevitably lead to cough and excessive phlegm.

Traditional Chinese medicine believes that phlegm is mainly related to lung and spleen. Lung governs breathing and regulates the entry and exit of primordial qi. If the lungs are not healthy, there will be cough and asthma and unequal lying. When the wind and cold attack the lungs, the body fluid in the lungs condenses into phlegm. Spleen governs transport, that is, digestion and transport of nutrients to various organs. If dampness invades the human body, or overthinking, fatigue and improper diet can damage the spleen, making it lose its transport function, leading to stagnation of water and dampness and coagulation into phlegm.

Extended data

Hazards of spitting:

Phlegm is the secretion of respiratory tract, and healthy people generally have phlegm. However, if you have respiratory diseases, you will produce a lot of sputum after being infected by pathogenic microorganisms. There are thousands of bacteria in sputum.

Sputum can spread atypical pneumonia, tuberculosis, influenza, cholera, measles and so on. Some people spit everywhere, and some people have the opportunity to get sick by inhaling pathogenic bacteria, because pathogenic microorganisms in sputum will volatilize into the air, and healthy people will easily be "recruited" by breathing some air with germs. Sputum is the waste discharged from our respiratory tract, and there are thousands of bacteria. Spitting is not allowed to keep the environment clean, but it must not be swallowed, because sputum contains a lot of bacteria, and if swallowed, a small amount of bacteria may be killed by gastric juice. However, most bacteria are still alive, which will enter the intestine and cause intestinal diseases, and if sputum contains mycobacterium tuberculosis, it may cause intestinal tuberculosis. These bacteria may also spread to liver, kidney, meninges and other parts through blood, thus causing diseases in these parts.

Experts pointed out that holding back phlegm and not spitting can also harm people. If the sputum in the respiratory tract is not discharged in time, it will lead to poor exhalation and difficulty breathing, which may develop into emphysema; Cough, repeated cough will change alveoli and lead to low function; Some patients' sputum also has antigenicity, which can cause allergic asthma. Therefore, experts pointed out that if there is phlegm, you should "spit it out quickly", but be careful not to spit everywhere. Vomit, it's best to wrap it in a paper towel and throw it in the trash can.