Latest news with #respiratoryHealth
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Mucus v. Phlegm: What's The Difference?
Most people are all too familiar with the icky, uncomfortable feeling of having mucus build up in the nasal passageways while suffering through a cold or bad allergy flare-up. Or is it phlegm, rather than mucus? What exactly is the difference between these two words? Do they describe the same slimy annoyance or separate substances? Below, experts break it down. 'Mucus is a slippery, gel-like substance your body naturally produces to keep your nose, throat, lungs and other parts of your respiratory system moist and protected,' Dr. Anitha Srinivasan, chief medical officer at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan, told HuffPost. 'It traps dust, germs and other particles so they don't irritate your airways or cause infection.' Your body constantly produces mucus as part of your everyday functioning immune system. 'It is kind of like saliva for the nose! Its main job is to keep those areas moist and to trap dirt, bacteria and viruses before they can cause harm,' said Dr. Nick Rowan, an endoscopic sinus and skull base surgeon with Johns Hopkins Medicine. 'One of my favorite ENT jokes is, 'you think it's mucus, but it's snot.'' It's a thin substance produced by mucous glands in mucous membranes throughout the body. 'Mucins are the key component that give mucus its characteristic viscosity and elasticity,' said Dr. Nora Tossounian, an internal medicine specialist with Hackensack University Medical Center. 'Mucus is mostly water, but also contains proteins, enzymes, antibodies and salts,' said Dr. Phillip Kadaj, an internal medicine specialist and medical expert with JustAnswer. 'Patients will often use mucus and phlegm interchangeably, but they are not quite the same thing.' 'Phlegm is a type of mucus, but specifically, it's the thicker mucus that's produced in your lungs and lower respiratory tract, especially when you're sick,' Srinivasan said. Regular mucus tends to be thin and slippery, and it is generally a constant presence on a day-to-day basis. Meanwhile, phlegm is thick and sticky and it appears when there's airway inflammation, hyperreactivity or an infection. 'It shows up when you are sick, such as with a cold, bronchitis or pneumonia,' Kadaj said. Allergies, sinus infection, asthma and other conditions can also lead to phlegm production. 'While all phlegm is mucus, not all mucus is phlegm,' Srinivasan noted. 'People often use these words interchangeably, but it's more accurate to think of phlegm as the thicker, usually colored mucus that you cough up during a cold or respiratory illness.' Tossounian compared the difference between phlegm and mucus to squares and rectangles. 'All squares are rectangles, but not all rectangles are squares,' she said. 'While technically phlegm is mucus, using 'mucus' to describe what's coughed up from the lungs isn't quite right. It would be like calling a square a rectangle — technically correct, but not precise.' As noted, mucus and phlegm are an important part of the body's defense system against pathogens and irritants. 'The extra mucus helps trap and flush out the germs causing the illness,' Srinivasan said. 'This can make your throat feel full or clogged, and you might notice more mucus or phlegm collecting there. Inflammation and irritation from the infection can also make mucus thicker and harder to clear, which adds to that clogged feeling.' If you're feeling uncomfortable, there are ways to clear out excess mucus and phlegm, which can help foster a quicker recovery. 'Especially when you're sick, staying well-hydrated is key ― water helps thin the mucus, making it easier to clear,' Rowan said. 'Saline nasal rinses, like with a neti pot or squeeze bottle, can flush mucus from the nose and sinuses and are something that I routinely recommend to patients, whether they have a cold or long-term sinus symptoms.' Warm fluids can also help loosen mucus, so drink herbal teas and try steam and warm showers. There are medication options as well, like antihistamines or nasal steroids, if allergies are the culprit. 'Be careful with over-the-counter decongestant nasal sprays like oxymetazoline,' Rowan warned. 'While they can offer quick relief, using them for more than a few days in a row can actually backfire. Your nose can become 'addicted,' leading to rebound congestion — a condition called rhinitis medicamentosa ― which makes the problem worse.' In general, you can boost your immune system with regular exercise, a healthy diet, proper hygiene and adequate sleep. 'If you ever notice mucus that's unusually thick or discolored ― like green or yellow ― or if it's paired with symptoms like fever, chest pain or shortness of breath, it's important to follow up with a healthcare provider,' Srinivasan said. 'And of course, keeping your hands clean and avoiding irritants like smoke can go a long way in keeping mucus production and your immune system at healthy levels.' Phlegm that is brown, pink, red or otherwise bloody in appearance could indicate bleeding in the respiratory tract that you'll want to investigate. Green or yellow mucus typically indicates that your body is fighting off an infection. Pay attention to color changes, especially if you notice excessive or persistent phlegm production. 'Cold and cough symptoms shouldn't be regular occurrences,' Srinivasan said. 'If they are, they may signal underlying issues such as environmental triggers, lung infections or a predisposition to respiratory problems. In some cases, frequent mucus or phlegm can be a sign of a certain congenital condition, like cystic fibrosis or primary ciliary dyskinesia. These scenarios should always be managed by a specialist.' Is It Better To Spit Out Or Swallow Your Mucus When You're Sick? If Your Boogers Look Like This, It's Time To See A Doctor Instead Of A Hot Or Cold Shower, Consider A Contrast Shower
BBC News
19-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Southampton lung expert warns indoor air pollution is being overlooked
A leading respiratory expert has warned the dangers of indoor air pollution are being respiratory physician Dr Thom Daniels, from University Hospital Southampton (UHS), says the "invisible threat" may pose an even bigger risk to health than outdoor can trigger short-term respiratory symptoms and make existing conditions such as asthma warning comes as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) publishes a new report linking air pollution to 30,000 deaths a year in the UK. "We know so much more about outdoor air pollution because it's so much easier to study," says Dr Daniels. "One monitor allows you to know about the air quality for thousands of people. But every single house is different and we spend 90% of our time indoors and until we understand better about indoor air quality, we'll be missing the majority of our air exposure." Particulates and harmful gases come from daily activities within the home such as cooking or using wood burning and other household cleaning products can also add to the problem. People with chronic lung conditions are advised to limit their use where possible."Burning your cooking on your hob really produces a lot of the very small material, particulate matter," continues Dr Daniels."Dust is unavoidable, there's always going to be dust. Cleaning products produce chemicals in the air."And another area that is really important is wood burning stoves. Everyone loves a wood burning stove - it's so lovely - but it really does produce a lot of indoor air pollution as well as outdoor." To understand how indoor air quality can be affected by everyday household tasks, I've borrowed an air monitor from Dr app tells me the air outside is good quality scoring 97 out of a possible 100. The higher the number the less measurable pollution is start with my indoor reading is about the same but it does not take long for things to go a piece of salmon, I light a fragranced candle to disguise the smell. A bit of vacuuming and spraying down the kitchen counter are also on the chores but surely the air quality starts to fall. Without burning the food it is down to 49 out of 100 - telling me the air quality is house just smells of cooking. I've never before thought of it as poor air quality. How low can you go? Curious to see what the monitor would show I decide to put two slices of bread into the toaster and crank it long whisps of smoke begin to fill the kitchen and the air quality is not long before the smoke alarm sounds and the smell of burned toast fills the entire indoor air monitor now reads zero, warning of severe pollution and telling me patients and members of sensitive groups may have to take emergency action. While poor air quality in the home is linked to household activities, which are usually short term, there is concern spikes in indoor air pollution could still be harmful."We do know that these spikes can induce changes in our bodies - so inflammation in the airways, in the cells of our airways and damage to the integrity of those airways to prevent other things getting in," warns Dr there is action you can take to reduce the levels of indoor pollution in your recommend always using an extractor fan when cooking and using the rear of the hob so that fumes go up the wall into the fan rather than towards the only dry, untreated wood at a high temperature will also help reduce emissions from wood the meantime, Dr Daniels is calling for more research into indoor air pollution to understand the problem we are all living with. You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Medscape
17-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
5 Ways PCPs Can Manage Chronic Respiratory Conditions
Breathing is something you normally do without thinking. Adults do it some 12-18 times per minute. For your patients with chronic respiratory illness, every breath is not always so easy and automatic. Around 27 million Americans have asthma, which accounts for millions of emergency room visits each year. Another 12 million have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. These common conditions, plus seasonal allergies, can be successfully managed by primary care physicians (PCPs), said Jonathan Jennings, MD, an internist with Medical Offices of Manhattan in New York City. 'The role of the primary care physician is to recognize the condition and assist with facilitating definitive diagnosis and treatment plans,' Jennings said. 'We also assist with educating patients and their families about the condition and treatment strategies.' Jonathan Jennings, MD Getting the Right Diagnosis 'Patients with chronic lung disease often live in a state of 'diagnosis limbo' for years, so it's important to provide them with a clear diagnosis and a structured treatment plan,' said Sanjay Ramakrishnan, a board-certified respiratory physician and specialist in asthma and COPD care at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital and The Institute for Respiratory Health at The University of Western Australia in Nedlands, Australia. For example, Ramakrishnan said, 'COPD diagnosis is often delayed. In the United States, it can take a patient many events over a number of years before they go to their PCPs for a diagnosis. Patients may initially present with milder symptoms, such as cough or chest infection, which could get misdiagnosed. Sometimes, these symptoms could take years before progressing to something worse that prompts testing and further investigation.' Sanjay Ramakrishnan Ramakrishnan recommends doing a spirometry test to test lung function if a patient presents with chronic cough and has known risk factors, such as a history of smoking, childhood respiratory infections, and long-term exposure to indoor or outdoor pollutants. 'This offers a safe and affordable method to glean valuable insights for their care,' he said. Ramakrishnan is also a proponent of pulmonary rehabilitation. 'It's an essential part of the management plan for individuals living with a chronic lung disease, such as asthma or COPD,' he said. Educating Patients About Red Flags 'Red-flag symptoms are not only condition-specific but patient-specific, and a clear understanding of the condition and their symptoms is the best method to keep respiratory conditions well controlled,' Jennings said. Some common signs of worsening disease include cough, fever, and a need for rescue medications more frequently. Repeated COPD exacerbations are a warning sign that more needs to be done to control the disease. Check blood eosinophil levels on a complete blood count test, even if that was already done as part of a routine exam and not during the time of exacerbation, Ramakrishnan advised. For patients having exacerbations and a raised blood eosinophil count (≥ 300 cells/μL), treatment guidelines recommend inhaled corticosteroids. However, despite this, about half of the patients with COPD continue to experience exacerbations. For some of those patients, Dupixent (dupilumab) can be included as an add-on maintenance treatment with unstable COPD and an eosinophilic phenotype. In a phase 3 clinical trial, Dupixent resulted in an up to 34% reduction in COPD exacerbations over a year and more than two times greater improvement in lung function at 12 weeks. If your patients are on prednisone, it is important to make sure they are not overusing it. There can be serious consequences if prednisone is not managed properly. Continued refills might be a sign that the disease is not well controlled and further investigation is needed, according to Ramakrishnan. Kick the Habit 'Smoking cigarettes and vaping pose significant risks, and we should help patients prioritize clean air in their lungs,' Ramakrishnan said. 'On average, in the US, quitting smoking takes up to eight attempts. As healthcare professionals, if we haven't helped our patients reach their eighth attempt, then I would say we haven't tried hard enough.' Talk to your patients on every visit and remind them that quitting smoking is one of the best things they can do to improve their health. Counseling and FDA-approved smoking cessation medications used together can double your patients' chances of success. Some current or former smokers older than 50 years may be eligible for lung cancer screening. Discuss the pros and cons of this special low-dose CT scan with your high-risk patients. Encourage Vaccination Respiratory conditions are often worsened by common viruses like the flu. Baseline damage to the respiratory tissues in those with chronic lung conditions make complications more common and can lead to a slow recovery, Jennings said. Preventative vaccinations for flu, pneumonia, COVID, and respiratory syncytial virus are critical for these patients. When to Call a Specialist There are a number of chronic respiratory conditions, and various specialists are charged with managing different components of the respiratory system. One of the roles of the primary care provider is to figure out which specialist is most appropriate for the respiratory condition of concern, Jennings said. Complicated conditions that need focused attention and advanced treatment are usually managed by a specialist. These include: Chronic sinusitis Sarcoidosis Interstitial lung diseases There is often an overlap in conditions, and some patients require multiple specialists. Sometimes asthma, COPD, and allergies need specialist care if they aren't responding to first-line treatment or if there's a question about the diagnosis, Jennings said. Final Thoughts Chronic lung disease disproportionately affects working class people — especially those living in cities, Ramakrishnan said. These patients sometimes downplay their problems and, therefore, don't get a timely diagnosis. 'They may dismiss their symptoms as 'just a cough' when it could be much more than that,' Ramakrishnan said. 'So it is important to help them understand the significance of their symptoms and help them prioritize their health.' 'These conversations can sometimes be challenging, but if we don't have them, we run the risk of allowing them to tolerate their symptoms for a long time until they significantly worsen,' he said. Jennings encourages patients to trust their bodies and find doctors they are comfortable working with in order to develop the best individualized treatment plans.
CBS News
11-06-2025
- Health
- CBS News
What happens when we sneeze, and why does it feel good?
Here's what happens in your body when you sneeze Here's what happens in your body when you sneeze Here's what happens in your body when you sneeze The sights of summer, like flowers and grass, can lead to the sound of sneezing. For some, it's constant, for others, it's sporadic, but we all know how it feels. "When we get exposed to dust, strong smells, perfume, cigarette smoke, you are going to sneeze," said Dr. Pramod Kelkar, an allergist with Allina Health. Sometimes even the sun can make some people sneeze. "The brightness, the light can also trigger this lining of the nose," Kelkar said. Kelkar says sneezing is a neurological reflex. "The nerve impulses, they send a signal to the brain stem, where the sneezing center is located. Once the brain stem receives that signal, it sends a signal back to the motor neurons, that means muscles of the chest, the abdomen and throat area. They constrict, they increase the pressure, they constrict. Mouth opens, the nose opens and the air is pushed out at about 100 mph to get rid of that dust, to get rid of whatever foreign body is going into the respiratory track." That's why it's key to muffle and cover a sneeze. The National Institute of Health reports, "A sneeze can create 40,000 virus-containing droplets that reach a radius of 7-8 meters and suspend in the air for up to 10 minutes." So why does our body have such a dramatic response to simply protect? "Because if the air is not coming out at high speed, you will not be able to get rid of that dust particle. So it is a protective mechanism," Kelkar said. It's a process that sounds painful, but, oddly, it's the opposite. Some people say it feels "good" after you sneeze. "So the pressure is building in your chest, in the abdomen, in the throat area, that pressure is relieved. So you feel like that," Kelkar said. Research also shows some endorphins are released, creating a natural runner's high. Even though they are tough to suppress, sneezes are quick to endure. Kelkar says some people are triggered to sneeze when they walk in and out of warm and cold environments. He says the best way to get ahead of sneezes is to do a daily saline nose spray or rinse.
Yahoo
08-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Storm Center AM Update: Mainly Quiet into Monday; Warmth to Return
SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO) — While most of the day is shaping up to be mainly quiet (Beyond one exception that we'll get to in a moment), we'll also have to contend with smoky skies once again. Smoke from Canadian wildfires will travel along the jet stream and move into the Northern Plains. Those of you with respiratory problems will need to keep this in mind, as air quality concerns will be in place. Visibility may be less than ideal at times as well. Like I mentioned earlier, much of the day is mainly quiet…but the exception is to the northeast. Some scattered showers and maybe an isolated rumble of thunder or two will be possible as a little impulse of energy sweeps in from north to south. While coverage is sparse, it'll be something to consider if you have outdoor plans. A few of these sprinkles may try to head into southeastern KELOLAND, but that will be the exception to the rule. Monday and Tuesday are shaping up to be mainly quiet days beyond a few isolated showers here and there across portions of the region. Better chances for rain arrive as we head into the second half of the week. With heat building, we'll have a little more fuel to work with for pop-up showers and thunderstorms from Wednesday through Friday. While the overall severe threat is pretty low here, it'll still be something to consider if you have outdoor plans in the second half of the week. We'll dry to dry out as we head into the weekend. All the while, that heat that I mentioned sticks around. Widespread 80s with a few 90s are possible from Tuesday through the end of the week, so plan accordingly. Here's a look at your extended forecast: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
