The question of whether it is possible to swallow phlegm when coughing worries many people, because around it there are a lot of unconfirmed myths and theories. Some people argue that if a mucous membrane enters the stomach, it is possible to get the disease again, while others say that there is nothing to worry about. In our article, we will try to understand this issue in more detail and analyze all the aspects that medicine tells us about.
What is mucus from the bronchi?
Have you ever wondered what will happen if you swallow sputum? To answer this question as accurately as possible, you must first understand what this liquid is. To do this, you can ask doctors for advice or open a reference book on medicine, information from which is also in our article. In addition, all of the recommendations below are based on the opinions of medical professionals.
So, sputum is a mixture of saliva and a special secret, which is secreted by the bronchi for various reasons. This mucus can be of different colors and consistencies, and also contain various microorganisms, which can be either completely safe or extremely harmful to the stomach.
That is, if some person claims that swallowing sputum is harmful or safe for the body, without specifying what caused its formation, then it only misleads its interlocutor. Therefore, before making any conclusions, you first need to determine the cause of the disease.
The main types of mucus
To correctly answer the question of whether sputum can be swallowed, you must first determine the disease that provokes its production in the body. This can be done by the consistency of secretions, smell, color and even shade. Here are just the main types of sputum, as well as the diseases that provoke its release:
- white or transparent - characterizes most common respiratory diseases, various cardiovascular pathologies, as well as bronchial asthma;
- brown - a similar color is associated with the presence of a small amount of blood in the secretions, which can indicate very serious diseases (lung cancer, tuberculosis, and so on);
- yellow - indicates the presence of pus in the lower respiratory tract, which is quite common for pneumonia, acute chronic bronchitis, the initial stage of bronchial asthma, and so on.
As for green sputum, it is most often caused by various colds, which are accompanied by a runny nose. A person inhales mucous discharge from the nose into the lungs, after which they stand out in the form of a rather thick and green coma.
Can I swallow sputum while smoking?
It's no secret that smoking provokes irritation of the mucous membrane of the bronchi. If such secretions enter the stomach immediately after smoking, this may well lead to poisoning of the body, since particles of tobacco smoke are contained in such sputum. As a result of this, the body experiences an overdose of carbon dioxide, the strongest acid, nicotine, lead, and even polonium. Most often, such mucus is secreted in the morning and it must be spat out. Otherwise, you risk at least dooming yourself to diarrhea or even going to the hospital with a serious illness of the stomach and intestines. In addition, swallowing sputum after smoking provokes the development of stomach ulcers and gastritis.
Harmful mucus for the body with asthma
Some forms of bronchial asthma can be caused by various external allergens that enter the body through the airways, such as pollen. If you swallow sputum during an asthmatic attack, you can re-provoke the action of a foreign substance after some time, since it will be in the stomach. However, if in addition to the inhaler you also take an antihistamine, then you should not be afraid of such a development of events. In the same way as if bronchial asthma is caused not by allergies, but by a cardiovascular disease or other cause. In this case, swallowing is possible, but not recommended, because it still contains harmful bacteria.
Is it worth swallowing mucus with a cold?
Many people ask this question, because there is no adult who has never had a cold. Especially for such people, we answer: it is possible to swallow sputum, but it is not necessary, since this can provoke the development of various intestinal infections. The thing is that when it enters the oral cavity, the mucous membrane is mixed with saliva, which is a real hotbed of various bacteria. You can be 100% sure that your mouth does not contain any E. coli, herpes or staphylococcus? If so, then feel free to swallow the discharge, but do not complain after that that malaria popped up on your lips. If bacteria enter the stomach, then from there they can spread throughout the body, and this often leads to the development of the virus or the onset of inflammatory processes.
Video and conclusion
We hope our article helped you to understand in detail whether it is possible to swallow sputum, which is excreted from the body. If you still have any questions about this or you want to learn more about how to remove mucus from the lungs, we recommend that you watch a short video in which the author talks about how to remove it from the body. This information will be useful for every person, and especially for those who often have a cold. After watching, do not forget to thank the author of the channel with a positive rating for the video for the work done.
Of course, the risk of re-infection or the development of infections when swallowing sputum is quite low, but still you should not risk your health. If your body secretes mucus from the bronchi, then there is a reason for this, and the purpose of the stomach is the digestion of food, under the category of which sputum certainly does not fall.
We pay special attention to the fact that pulmonary discharge should not be swallowed in case of infectious diseases, as this can lead to prolonged treatment. Well, but the lazy one doesn’t know about the dangers of sputum due to smoking. Take care of yourself and your health!