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!

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week!