Pleghm reducing

[Indersisive71]

Has anyone any ideas to relieve pleghm on chest . I have asthma and it can leave you with a tight chest sometimes,

[Hatten28]

My sister had severe asthma and lots of trouble with phlegm, I used to cup my hands and pound on her back while she was leaning forward, this loosened it from her lungs making it easier to bring up.

Drink plenty and use your inhalers especially the steam one..

Hope this helps.

[bassets in reply to Hatten28]

I know exactly what you mean! I use menthol crystals in a bowl of hot water when it gets bad and inhale it. You may need to do this a few times a day but it does work for me.

Good luck and keep well

[Indersisive71 in reply to bassets]

thanks for your comments I will persevere with the steam

[Indersisive71 in reply to Hatten28]

Thanks for your comments ,I will give it a try

[Ppiman]

I worked for many years for a company that sold treatments for asthma, and the over-production of a particular form of mucus is characteristic of that condition. Sadly, I know of no medicine that can specifically relieve this except those used to damp down the allergic response itself such as inhaled steroids and Intal.

There are medicines for treating "productive coughs" called expectorants but their action was never proven clinically, despite their popularity.

Some non-medical treatments have the potential to work, however. You could alter the humidity of the air you breathe in your home, or filter out any allergens. Philips do a range of air purifiers, for example - but far from cheap.

Steve

[Desanthony in reply to Ppiman]

You can use a flutter or acapella device or do certain breathing exercises. My wife has asthma, bronchiectasis and aspergillosis and was shown these breathing exercises by a physio at the specialist centre she attends in Wythenshawe the physio Phil from the hospital has a video on you tube showing you how to do them. I will get my wife to post details - hope I remember! Maybe once this covid thing is over you should ask your GP or Respiratory Consultant to suggest you see a physio about the breathing exercises and if they think you can use a flutter or acapella device it is good to be shown how to use these by the physio. Before finding out all this she used steam too.

[ILowe in reply to Desanthony]

People who have Cystic Fibrosis are usually the experts on this. Here is my approach

1/ Make sure the Vitamin D levels in your blood are above average. I take 4000IU per day

2. Sometimes the phlegm is caused as an allergic reaction ie it is not really due to infection. There are several over the counter antihistamines. A pharmacist told me to experiment, and stay on one of them.

3. There is a class of drugs called mucolytics, which are strangely under-used in Britain, and there are very few available in the doctors book, the British National Formulary. Some spices are mucolytic. As a child I used to chew licorice root.

Discuss this with your pharmacist or other health professional. Ask about interactions, and counter-indications, but at least you now have something to ask about!

[Indersisive71 in reply to ILowe]

Hi thanks for replying, I take 1 vitamin d 1000 a day. And drink plenty of water ,just sent for a acepella device, and started doing exercises for asthma on you tube. Been really helpful

[Desanthony in reply to Indersisive71]

Hi just been told to let you know about the breathing exercises and devices out there for removing phlegm. The Flutter device is about £40.00 but you can get a cheaper one at £24.99 through Powerbreathe and its called the power breathe shaker. Acapella tend to be more expensive and I believe you have to change parts of it every 6 months whereas with the Flutter device or Powerbreathe shaker you just clean it after use. Just now I am unable to find Phil the physio at Wythenshawe North West Lung Centre on You tube but there are plenty of others on there. Hope you get on well with this. After I had a lung biopsy when I was first diagnosed with Aspergillosis and an aspergillus nodule in my left lung in 2015 I got a chest infection and the nurse prescribed carbo systeine for phlegm - not sure that is the correct spelling. I do know you can get a similar thing via health food/supplement websites - it used to be sold at Holland and Barrett but no longer - unfortunately I can't remember the name of it. If I do remember I shall post it.

Sian (Desanthony's other half)

[Indersisive71 in reply to Desanthony]

Hi thanks for getting back. Ì have sent for acappella started doing exercises of YouTube. Thanks for your help

[Desanthony in reply to Indersisive71]

Hope it all goes well for you. All the best.

[Indersisive71 in reply to Desanthony]

Thanks

[Auriculaire]

N acetyl cysteine makes phlegm more fluid and easier to get up. It also boosts the immune system. It can be bought online and probably at health food shops.

[Indersisive71]

Is this safe to take with other medications ,

[Desanthony]

Thanks for that Auriculaire. Best to ask the advice of a pharmacist as to how these react with other medications - they are invaluable in times like these. I am lucky in that a close family friend is a Pharmacist who was in charge of training Boots pharmacists. She now runs her own training business but still finds time to answer our questions.