Hey guys! In this weeks video were going to be taking about mucus, catarrh and phlegm!
I know it's a grim topic but a lot of people struggle with it so in this weeks video
were going to be talking about phlegm, mucus, catarrh what they are?
what they are? why it happens? how to prevent it? how to get rid of it? and when to seek medical
attention. If you need to go straight to one of these sections, I'll leave some useful
timestamps for you below so feel free to skip ahead! Otherwise, I'm going to go through
a little bit of background on what it is first. So what is mucus, phlegm and catarrh? Well,
mucus is a thick substance produced by certain cells in our bodies in places like our mouth,
nose, stomach and lungs, to protect us and keep our organ linings from drying out. You're
probably all familiar with the mucus produced by our noses and throats as this is what runs
when we have a runny nose, is what we spit out as phlegm when he have a chesty cough,
and what can build up as catarrh at the back of your nose and throat when you have allergies
or an infection. As unpleasant as it may be, mucus has some really important functions.
So for example the mucus produced in our stomach, acts as a barrier and a lubricant to allow
food to pass through. The mucus produced in our nose, mouth and lungs, also acts as a
barrier, but also has the super important function of trapping dirt, dust and chemicals
so they don’t enter the body in large amounts. Its actually one of the body’s first lines
of physical defence against infection. But what can happen sometimes, is that due to
allergies, a cold, or nasal polyps, your nasal passages can become swollen and start to overproduce
mucus and this can lead to catarrh, which like I mentioned earlier, is a build-up in
your nose, throat or sinuses which can be uncomfortable and frustrating.So what are
the symptoms of catarrh? Well, the obvious ones are a runny or blocked nose, a feeling
of mucus running down your throat, and a constant need to clear your throat. But there are less
obvious symptoms too, like feeling that your throat is blocked, a persistent cough, headache
or facial pain, temporary hearing loss and a reduced sense of taste or smell. At the
time of recording this video, some of these symptoms, such as a persistent cough and loss
of taste and smell, also overlap with Covid-19. So if you are experiencing these, I’m going
to leave some links in the description below for the most up-to-date guidance as well as
a general coronavirus information video, so be sure to also check that out. Anybody can
suffer from catarrh at any point in their life, but you may be more prone to it if you
suffer from allergies and hay fever, if you eat a lot of spicy foods, if you suffer with
something called gastroesophageal reflux disease, or if you are experiencing hormonal changes
due to puberty, pregnancy, HRT or oral contraception. All of these things can affect mucus production,
and as a result, can increase your likelihood of suffering with catarrh. Now, the good news
is, if the cause of catarrh is not a chronic or long-term problem, most symptoms clear
on their own after a few days or weeks. And even if the catarrh is chronic, its usually
not harmful and there are ways to reduce it, so keep watching and I’ll be going through
this next. So, how can we reduce mucus, phlegm and catarrh? Well, if you’ve got mucus right
now while watching this video, a great relief can be something as simple as taking sips
of cold water. This can help soothe your throat and reduce
any irritation of needing to constantly clear it. Clearing your throat too often can make
it worse, so sipping water as an alternative to soothe it is a much better option. Drinking
lots of water also has loads of awesome health benefits, and on top of keeping you hydrated,
it will help thin your body’s mucus and allow your body to clear it easier. If you’ve
got some salt available while you’re watching too, you can add this to water to create a
saline rinse. Don’t drink this salty water, you want to gargle with it instead to help
clear catarrh, and can also use it to clear your nasal passages as a nasal rinse, so be
sure to keep it clearly separate from your drinking water. This helps reduce swelling
and also helps clear out excess mucus. It can provide instant relief and can be even
more effective when done regularly, several times a day. You can easily make saline solutions
at home using half a teaspoon of salt in a pint of water that you’ve boiled and then
left to cool to a safe temperature, and this one mixture can be used to both gargle and
clear your throat with and rinse your nasal passages. You can gargle with a saline solution
as many times as needed, getting the water at the back of your throat and then swishing
it around your mouth before spitting it out. Even though a saline solution is not harmful
to swallow in small amounts, it’s best to always spit so you don’t consume all that
salt But always speak to your healthcare professional before doing any gargling or rinsing as it
may not be suitable for a child (, if you suffer with swallowing problems, or if you
need a higher concentration due to recently having nasal surgery. I’ll also leave more
information on instructions and cautions in the description below. If you can’t or don’t
want to make a rinse yourself at home, you can also buy pre-made saline nasal rinses
in the form of bottles, drops and sprays from most pharmacies and supermarkets. And if you
have got one of these sprays, I’ll leave a link below to an awesome video that shows
you the best way to use it properly.And if gargling or rinsing is uncomfortable or difficult
for you, another good alternative for adults can be steam inhalation. This can be done
by sitting with a towel over your head over a bowl of hot water, closing your eyes and
deeply breathing in the steam. Be sure to close your eyes so they don’t sting from
the heat and of course always be really careful with any hot water to not scald yourself.The
warm moist air helps loosen mucus and can help break down any built up catarrh. Adding
a menthol or eucalyptus rub to the hot water is also believed to help increase this effect,
but always speak to a pharmacist before doing this as there are lots of different products
with these ingredients which are not all suitable for certain age groups and conditions. For
example, many eucalyptus and menthol preparations are not suitable for children under 2 years,
and some baby versions are not suitable for under three months, so always double check
with your healthcare professional.Steam inhalation is also not recommended for most children
because of the risk of scalding, so sometimes a better alternative for them can be sitting
in a steamed up bathroom instead, for example after a shower. Now, as well as reducing mucus
you already have, you want to be preventing the build-up of it in the first place whenever
you can. So avoid things that trigger your catarrh like pollen, allergens, dust or smoky
places. For example, if you suffer with hay fever, keep the windows closed to keep pollen
out if you have pet allergies, don’t let them in the bedroom and wash them regularly
and keep your house environment clean by regularly wiping away or hoovering up dust and mite
allergens. Doing little things like this can sometimes do wonders for reducing your body’s
allergic response, and in turn reduce excess mucus. I’ll leave more information on how
to reduce allergy triggers in the description below, as well as a link to super useful video
on how to reduce hay fever triggers too. So that’s great, you now know how to prevent
allergies triggering catarrh, but what about other environment triggers? Well, it’s believed
that warm, dry air can also be a contributing factor to suffering with catarrh. Things like
air conditioning or heating on in the winter can reduce the humidity in the air and irritate
your nose and throat. To combat this, you could invest in a humidifier or even just
add bowls of water in your home to increase moisture in the air. Certain house plants
are also great for increasing indoor humidity. Now, sometimes even with all these strategies,
excess mucus and catarrh can still be a problem. There are medicines out there that can help
if you find you suffer particularly badly. There are lots of different over-the-counter
medicines including a variety of antihistamines, decongestants and nasal sprays, but always
speak to your pharmacist first to decide with them the best ones for you,
as some may not be suitable for your age, condition or with other medicines that you
are on. As well as over-the-counter medication available from your pharmacy, there are some
herbal remedies that can be found in health and lifestyle stores that claim to be good
at relieving catarrh. But sadly, there is this little evidence to prove whether these
are actually effective. Always speak to your healthcare professional before trying these
as though they may claim to be ‘natural’, they’re often unregulated, can interact
with other medicines, and can still cause side-effects and be harmful if used incorrectly.
So if in doubt, always give your pharmacist a shout. Now, like I mentioned earlier, mucus
and catarrh is not usually harmful, but if it ever becomes a particular problem for you,
starts to interfere with your daily life or lasts more than three weeks, you should speak
to your doctor . It could be a sign of an underlying condition, such as nasal polyps
or a chest infection, which might need further investigating or treatment. You’ll also
want to speak to your doctor if at any time your mucus is brown or bloody (list on screen)
, as this can also be a sign of an underlying condition that needs investigating. And if
at any time you experience catarrh or mucus, you have any other symptoms that go with it
such as difficulty breathing, tightness in your chest, difficulty swallowing or fever,
these are also red flags that you should speak to your doctor about straight away. For more
information I’ll leave a full list in the description below. So, that’s it for today’s
video! You’re now a pro on how to reduce catarrh and mucus! You know what it is, why
it happens, what symptoms to look out for, how to prevent and get rid of it, and when
to seek medical attention. Share with your friends and family, and anyone else who you
think might find this video helpful! Do you suffer with catarrh? What are your experiences
and top tips? Let me know in the comments below!
Thank you for watching and be sure to click that like, follow and subscribe button to
keep up-to-date with new weekly videos! Remember that you’re awesome and have an awesome
week!