What happens if you swallow phlegm into your stomach?

In life, sometimes we smell an unpleasant odor and swallow the phlegm we have spit out. Some people worry that swallowing the phlegm into the stomach will cause harm to the body. In fact, the main component of phlegm is a purulent secretion. Although phlegm contains a large number of bacteria or viruses, they are not the main components. Moreover, when phlegm is swallowed, it first passes through the human stomach, and gastric juice has a strong bactericidal effect, so there is no need to worry too much.

Is it a big deal if I swallow a mouthful of thick phlegm?

In fact, the main component of sputum is purulent secretions, which are the corpses of white blood cells. Although there are also a lot of bacteria or viruses in sputum, they are not the main components.

Moreover, the environment of the nasal cavity, oral cavity and respiratory tract is very different from that of the gastrointestinal tract, and the bacteria in sputum cannot survive happily in the gastrointestinal tract. Most will be ruthlessly killed by stomach acid. So if you can handle it and don't find it disgusting, swallow it. In addition to the problem of wrong timing sometimes, some people may not be able to cough.

In fact, there are three situations in which you cannot spit:

First, the phlegm cannot be coughed up to a place slightly away from the pharynx, so it cannot be spit out;

Second, the phlegm is stuck in the throat, but even if you cough until your face turns red, the phlegm is difficult to come out;

Third, there is never any movement to cough up phlegm, or the phlegm in the airway cannot be coughed out.

1. What should I do if I can’t cough up phlegm?

In this case, most people can learn to spit through practice. When you feel there is a foreign object in your throat, take a deep breath and cough hard to allow the phlegm to rise to your mouth along the strong airflow. Then try to feel the location of the phlegm and practice spitting it out. When children are not proficient in the early stages, they can try leaning forward or having their parents or others pat their backs to help them cough up phlegm.

2. What should I do if I can’t cough up the phlegm?

The second situation is mostly caused by thick sputum, and usually requires taking some medicine that can thin the sputum, which is what we often call expectorants. For children who refuse to take medicine, parents can also try to let them drink more water to dilute the phlegm. In addition, you can also resort to nebulizer therapy.

3. What should I do if there is no coughing up of phlegm?

For the third case, we need to consider whether there is laryngeal nerve paralysis or respiratory muscle problems. If you know that you have a respiratory infection but have never felt phlegm in your throat or have no strength to cough it out, it is recommended that you consult a respiratory doctor. Spitting is also a skill. In some cases, a sputum test may be required. If not, you will be dumbfounded.

Even if you can spit, don't spit anywhere.

When coughing, it is recommended to cover your mouth and nose with a tissue, then spit the sputum into the tissue, wrap it up and throw it away. On the one hand, it reduces the spread of pathogens in the air, and on the other hand, it prevents cross-infection caused by sputum splashing onto other parts of the body. But before you wrap it up, you'd better take a look at what the sputum looks like. Just like the bowel movements we talked about before, looking back at them can give you a brief idea of ​​your body's condition. If the amount of sputum you cough up is significantly more than usual, and you find blood in the sputum, abnormal sputum color, or foreign objects in the sputum, it means you need to see a doctor. But it is different for tuberculosis patients. The sputum of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis contains Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which has very strong vitality and may not be completely killed even if swallowed into the stomach, which can easily cause gastrointestinal tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis patients must spit out their phlegm and treat it centrally, and must not swallow it.

The most commonly recommended method is to collect the sputum into a sealed bottle, soak it in 75% alcohol for half an hour every day, and then pour it out. No phlegm, the most elegant! The following measures can help your body produce less phlegm:

Quitting smoking

Wear a mask when the air is polluted; strengthen exercise to reduce the frequency of respiratory infections; the treatment for nasal sputum is to eliminate nasal inflammation, and nasal washing is the simplest and most effective way to eliminate nasal inflammation - it is recommended to operate under the guidance of a doctor.

Summarize

First, find out whether it is real sputum or nasal sputum, and whether to cough it out or blow it out; cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing, then spit the sputum into the tissue, take a look at the sputum, then wrap it up and throw it away; it is best to spit it out rather than swallow it, especially for tuberculosis patients; if the sputum is abnormal, seek medical attention as soon as possible.