Phlegm: The Hidden Cause of Many Illnesses

April 2010

Do you want to lose those extra pounds that seem so hard to shed? Do you want to have an acute mental capacity and abundant energy? Do you want to stay healthy and feel great?

Then you need to get rid of your Phlegm.

Recently, National Geographic News has reported that there are more giant mucus-like blobs forming in the Mediterranean Sea than before as water temperature rises. These blobs harbor bacteria and viruses that threaten human swimmers as well as fish and other sea creatures. Your body is 60% water. Imagine, those mucus like blobs forming and floating in the ocean of your body fluids… In Chinese Medicine, when fluids in your body lose their normal function and start to congeal, they become Phlegm. Phlegm tends to grab other waste in the body and clump together, literally becoming garbage and toxin pool. It suffocates your cells, clogs up your systems, interferes with normal function of the organs, deprives the body of energy and retards your mental capacity. So how do we get rid of these mucus blobs and prevent them from forming?

Why is Phlegm a problem? Because it leads to a lot of health problems. When Phlegm forms in the Blood system, it clogs up the arteries, forming blood clots and plaques that further damage your blood vessels and heart. If Phlegm congeals in your organs, it will form masses leading to polyps, tumors, and even cancer. If it flows to your brain, it may lead to poor memory, dementia, and stroke. When it lodges in your bones, you may suffer from pain and arthritis. When it hides underneath your skin or muscles, you may develop those fatty bumps and cysts. Phlegm holds toxins and wastes, making them harder to leave the body. It affects your Lungs, making breathing harder. It’s the main cause of asthma. It affects digestive system, contributing to conditions like Irritable Bowel Syndrome and Crone’s Diseases. It affects you emotionally and mentally. It makes you feel heavy, foggy headed, lethargic, lack of motivation and depressed. A lot of psychiatrical conditions such as mania severe clinical depression and schizophrenia are considered by Chinese Medicine to be caused by Phlegm affecting the Heart System.

Want to know if Phlegm is affecting you? Use the following guideline.

1. You have phlegm in your throat often, or you have postnasal drip often, or you have a lumpy feeling in the throat.
2. You are gaining weight or are overweight.
3. You feel lethargic, lack of motivation and can’t think and focus well.
4. You have high cholesterol level.
5. You have fatty subcutaneous cysts.
6. You feel nauseated easily without a known diagnosed condition.
7. You feel numbness on the skin or in the extremities.
8. You have chronic asthma.
9. You are a smoker.
10. You have mucus in your stool.

Go to the mirror and stick out your tongue. What does your tongue coating look like? If it looks thick and slimy, it is certainly showing Phlegm problem.

Yes. Phlegm is not just yucky and unpleasant. It’s bad for you. You want to have as little of phlegm as possible so that it doesn’t do all the bad things to you. Good news is that Acupuncture can help your Qi to flow well to prevent Phlegm from forming. There are many Chinese Herbs help to get rid of Phlegm.

And, there’s a lot YOU can do to reduce and prevent Phlegm from doing harm to your health.

Here are some tips how:

1. Modify your diet to avoid Phlegm generating foods. Food such as diary products (cheese, milk, cream, butter), wheat, refined sugar, fatty foods (bacon, deep fried food), and bananas.
2. Exercise regularly and consistently. When you help your Qi move, Phlegm doesn’t tend to form. Some people think that exercising very hard very often is good for the body. That is good for having a lean body perhaps, but good looks and good health are different issues. Scientific researches have shown that moderate and consistent exercise, such as walking, is best for the health.
3. Reduce stress and have a healthier attitude toward stress in life. Chronic stress (especial a negative attitude towards life’s various stress factors) causes nervous tension, which is co-factor for Phlegm to form. Do yoga, deep breathing, meditate, gardening, do whatever suits you to slow down, unwind and relax.

For those of you who have already have Phlegm problem and suffering from various symptoms, it’s time to take action to deal with it. Please contact Dr. Judy Zhu to discuss further.