| Author |
Message |
    
DA
| | Posted on Monday, April 12, 2004 - 06:28: | |
Hi doc,
how do you explain green phelgm colour from CM point of view? I have been coughing thin white phlegm and also green phlegm for several weeks (after taking CM). My doctor told me that green phlegm refers to those phelgm that has been staying in my body for quite sometime.
What do you think?
Thanks
DA
|
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Monday, April 12, 2004 - 07:15: | |
 Your doctor is right DA. The green color implies an advanced stage of fluid (dampness) stagnation (stasis) in the body. The color of dampness while it's in the initial stage is clear-transparent. This implies rhinitis at the initial stage or coughing. When this dampness stays unresolved for a long period (or when the stagnation energetic process is acute and fast developing), the color darkens. it becomes white, yellow, green and sometimes even black. It also gets less fluid in nature, sticky and congested. In advanced pathologies it may turn into a cyst and even tumor or cancer. The color implies the degree of stagnation in the body in many instances. A light blow on the body surface may have a light blood-stasis color, such as light red, until it resolves and disappears. If it doesn't resolve, it may turn dark red, blue-green and eventually even black. this is often seen in traumatic injuries. Also the the menses color imply the degree of blood stasis that exists in the lower Jiao. The darkeness of the menses, the appearance of blood clots, all point to the degree of stasis when and if it exists. |
DA
| | Posted on Monday, April 12, 2004 - 10:05: | |
Thanks doc, I found this point of view to be really amazing. Cause if we look at from the WM point of view, green mucus is significantly related to bacteria or viral infection.
So does it mean that when a TCM is treating a patient with dampness problem, then the TCM will always try to expel all those green phelgm from the system?
Thanks,
DA |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Monday, April 12, 2004 - 12:35: | |
This is not necessarily a contradiction DA. Ch.M. does not recognize bacteria as such (the Yellow Emperor did not have a microscope at the time) only its energetical manifestation. Yet, when fluid-dampness condenses anywhere in the body, it "invites" virus and bacteria to lodge in and prosper. This further enhances the srasis process, creates toxins and aggravate the condition. Now, the difference between Ch.M. and W.M is that W.M. will administer antibiotics in order to elilminate the microorganism that flourish at the site of the problem. It does not apply any technique in order to resolve the energetical stagnation and thereby eliminate the basis for the bacteria growth. This is why we can so often see recurrent (chronic) attacks of the same problem over and over (such as chronic cystitis, rhinitis, sinusitis, etc.). Ch.M. on the other hand, will stimulate and disperse the energy blockage at the site of the stagnation, thus will deprive the microorganism of its warm and comfortable habitat. This way, the problem usually does not recur. Despite this, sometimes the pathogen lodged in a specific location is very aggressive, fast developing and life-threatening (AIDS, encephalitis, pneumonia, tuberculosis and the like). In such cases, W.M. is superior to Ch.M. especially at the initial stage of the treatment, and the diagnosis. Antibiotics therefore must be utilized at the beginning but quickly substituted by Ch. herbs or acupuncture after the immediate danger has subsided. |
DA
| | Posted on Wednesday, April 14, 2004 - 10:32: | |
Thank you for the detal explanation. At least I am aware what is happening to me now. Thanks doc!
Regards,
DA |
Anonymous
| | Posted on Monday, June 21, 2004 - 18:22: | |
Dear Doc,
I have just recently recovered from sore throat, the virus going around, I in fact have been seeing blood in my phlegm. Is this dangerous in anyway, what can I do to cure it?
,Ruby |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Tuesday, June 22, 2004 - 06:09: | |
It is not necessarily a dangerous sign Rubi, but definitely needs attention. The blood that you see may be due to torn tiny capillaries in the throat or nose as a result of the congestion and the inflammation you have had. Acupuncture is very very effective in treating both acute and chronic tonsilitis and phlegm conditions, and I recommend that you find a qualified and recommended practitioner. In the meantime, you may read at my home-page some advice how to treat such conditions with herbs and home remedies:
http://www.acumedico.com/medical.htm |
Anonymous
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 20:04: | |
Dear Doc,
Do u suggest i still need to find a practitioner because whatever it was seems to have stopped and i no longer see blood in my phlegm?
,Ruby |
Anonymous
| | Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2004 - 20:11: | |
Dear doc,
could it be that it has healed by itself?
,Ruby |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Thursday, June 24, 2004 - 11:02: | |
It could have definitely heal by itself and, as said, the blood streaks may not be necessarily a serious condition. Still, if you still have abundant phlegm, blood or not blood, it is best to have it eliminated by a qualified practitioner. |
Anonymous
| | Posted on Thursday, June 24, 2004 - 20:32: | |
Dear Doc,
Thank you so much Doc, I feel much better now that I know what was going on!
,Ruby |
Manjunathan
| | Posted on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 15:29: | |
I am male 40 years old. I used to get chronic cough from the past 7 years especially during rainy season or winter which used to last for several weeks and later vanish. From the past 2 years I did not have this problem even in monsoon or winter and I lived in coastal unpolluted small town free from any industries. Since last month I am posted in Bombay & it is now monsoon here. From the past 2 week I have cough with greem yellow phelgm. What has shocked me is that from the past 3 days I am coughing small quantity of blood with phelgm only in the morning when I wake up but later there is no traces of blood. Please help me |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Friday, August 06, 2004 - 20:20: | |
Greetings Nathan. Your cough problem is probably a latent pathogen, defined in Ch.med. as a Damp-phlegm pathogen. It becomes active especially when the environmental conditions encourage it, amd/or when the defensive mechanisms of the body (Wei Qi - in Chinese) get weak. The weakening of our Wei Qi may be due to emotional stress, bad nutrition or a specific illness. The blood streaks that you occasionally find in the morning may be due to a blood congestion in the small capillaries of the the trachea or bronchioles. This may happen as a result of the phlegm that accumulates there, causing stagnation and blood stasis. Such a condition must NOT be overlooked, rather taken care of quickly. The bad condition in the upper respiratory tract may "invite" various bacteria/viruses to lodge in and prosper, a condition that may become eventually dangerous. Chinese medicine has very good solutions for such conditions. Either by herbs or by acupuncture. I strongly recommend that you find yourself a reliable experienced practitioner of Ch.med. and take care of your problem. Good luck. |
HELEN HOFFMANN
| | Posted on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 07:58: | |
LAST YEAR I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A 1CM NODULE ON MY LEFT LUNG. DR. DID NOT THINK IT WAS WORTH BOTHERING ABOUT AS IT HAD NOT CHANGED IN SIZE FOR TWO YEARS. HOWEVER OVER LAST SIX TO SEVEN MONTHS I HAVE A CONSTANT COUGH. I HAVE TROUBLE COUGHING PHLEGM UP BUT WHEN I DO IT IS EITHER CLEAR OR YELLOW. SOMETIMES IT HAS BEEN A BROWNY COLOUR. SHOULD THIS BE INVESTIGATED. MY MOTHER DIED OF LUNGT CANCER ALTHOUGH SHE DID NOT SMOKE SO I AM VERY ANXIOUS. |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 09:38: | |
Dr's advice was bad, Helen. Such an advice is the result of the shortage of Western med. to deal with such problems at their initial stage. Conventional treatment for such a problem would be an operation of the lung, and this is done only if the tumor/nodule shows development. Yet, treating it by other efficient modalities such as acupuncture or Ch.herbalism when it is still small, may sometimes even save life.
My recommendation is that you find a VERY experienced Ch.med. practitioner and treat this condition ASAP.
Good luck to you. |
seema
| | Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 18:58: | |
Hello Doctor,
I am feeling phelgam since three weeks in my throat and i do gogles but the problem is still there.
what should i do??
_Seema |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Saturday, February 12, 2005 - 21:13: | |
First of all, make an appointment with a Chinese medicine practitioner in order to check what is the cause of this phlegm. This may be a simple and temporary problem or, sometimes, an internal problem related to internal organs' functioning. |
Anonymous
| | Posted on Monday, August 29, 2005 - 18:56: | |
I have experienced difficulty swallowing for over a year now. I have had a chest X-ray, thyroid checked, cholesterol checked, upper GI, Barium Swallow and my vocal cords checked all =ok..Why do I continue to have difficulty swallowing, a thick tacky clear like mucus/flem, a feeling like I'm going to choak at times, I'v been on flonase, claritin, clarinix, advair, singulair, nasacort, astellin, acip hex, and nexium ( They did find an ulcer) no diagnoses yet! |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Monday, August 29, 2005 - 20:28: | |
In Chinese medicine, a condition of phlegm such as the one you have, may cause stagnation of the energy flow in the G.I. tract. This may happen in a defined zone of the G.I. such as the throat, eosophagus etc., or throughout the whole tract. The phlegm, which is in most cases a byproduct of ill-functioning digestive system, accumulates and hinders the free flow of energy, causing constrictions, nausea, hiccups, gas, various painful syndromes, ulcers and many more possible signs and symptoms. The symptoms that you have, are basically functional and not anatomical, and this is the reason that the lab tests could not put a finger on an apparent disease factor such as a tumor or an active inflammation etc.
In order to resolve your condition, I suggest that you find a practitioner of Chinese med. and let him check and treat you. The underlying cause of your phlegm, malfunctioning stomach etc. must be quickly treated, along with acupuncture to relax your eosophageal muscles. If you fail to treat this problem at this stage, a worse condition may develop, a condition in which lab tests will be able to identify a cause... |
CN
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - 04:05: | |
Hi, can you recommend any Chinese practitioner to deal specifically with chronic cough in children in San Francisco, California - usa? Thanks.
CN |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 15, 2005 - 08:50: | |
I can't help you with this question but there is actually no need to find a cough specialist... Chronic cough in children is considered very easy to cure in Chinese med. If you can find any acupuncturist with sufficient years of practical experience I am sure he/she will be able to overcome this problem. It usually takes very few acupuncture treatments (at any age of the child) in order to resolve the problem. |
Debra
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2005 - 02:28: | |
Hello... Well I've been sick this past summer, relapsing 2 times thereafter. I've been having clear phlem coughed up to clear my throat to breathe freely. Mostly after eating, I have an asthma like symptom, usually at the end of my breath or the very beginning. There's a sticky/gurgling sound that forces me to clear my air passage and I just finished a 10 day prescription of antibiotics just 3 days ago. Do you know what this is, or have any recommendations for me? |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Wednesday, November 16, 2005 - 19:00: | |
There is enough material here in this forum Debra concerning the very problem that you are having. Antibiotics will clear the micro-organisms that are lodged in your throat and bronchioles but can not and will not clear the phlegm. It is either your body energies will be strong enough to recuperate and get rid of the phlegm or, if not, the condition will gradually get worse and turn into asthma or another more serious condition.
In order to help your body eliminate the phlegm situation you must do either acupuncture by a specialist or herbal treatment by a herbalist. This will resolve the phlegm, recuperate your defensive energy and will get rid of the bacteria. So this is my advice to you. |
BC
| | Posted on Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 04:24: | |
Hi Doc. I have been caughing dark phlegm (looks lnike the coloe of dried blood) often when I woke up in the morning. It occurs probably one or twice a week. I've been researching the internet and I couldn't find the answer for this symptom.
I had an accident about 3 months ago and received severe trauma to my left eye. I am aware there is still a small amount of blood congested at the back of my eye. In addition, I recently had an orbital floor reconstruction about a month ago.The black phlem occured even before I had my obital floor reconstruction.
I am wondering if this black phlegm is directly link to my eye injury? |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Saturday, December 17, 2005 - 08:54: | |
Yes it definitely may BC. Dark phlegm, purplish or dark red, usually denotes a blood stasis pattern in Chinese medicine, one that can be the result of a trauma or a disease associated with interference with the smooth flow of blood in the upper region of the body.
In addition to your orbital floor reconstruction, I strongly recommend that you see a Chinese medical specialist. Such practitioner may give you either acupuncture or herbs that vigorously enhance blood circulation at the eye region or the head in general. This treatment may well prevent other complications from occurring and will definitely assist in the complete cure of your eye trauma. |
BC
| | Posted on Monday, December 19, 2005 - 14:19: | |
Thank you very much doc for the advices and explaination. Your advices solved my curiousity about the dark phlem in my throat.
I will definately seek Chinese medical specialists for possible treatments.
Once again, thank you for your kind advice and Merry Christmas  |
doug morgan
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 09:38: | |
hi doc, I have been coughing up clear phlegm with what looks like tiny pellets of old,semi-hard (brown)phlegm within it. What is the possible cause of this. |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 12:52: | |
Hard to say without a proper physical check. How old are you, do you smoke, have you been lately ill, any chest trauma, operations, for how long you have this disorder, etc.. etc...
You can either supply more information or, better, go to a Chinese medical practitioner for a thorough checkup. |
doug morgan
| | Posted on Wednesday, December 28, 2005 - 22:46: | |
49,quit smoking 4 weeks ago, no chest trauma, caught the flu on a long distance flight recently from georgia to hawaii, put on amoxicillin but did not seem to be broad spectrum enough |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Friday, December 30, 2005 - 00:19: | |
Could be related to your smoking along with the recent flu that you have had Doug. A flu (or any other chest/lung disease) which is associated with the production of phlegm, may entrap residues of smoking substances which have been lingering in the respiratory system for a long time.
In any event, it is advisable to have a lab test of the pellets and make sure it is not something else. |
MazzyChristensen
| | Posted on Thursday, January 05, 2006 - 21:44: | |
Dear Doc ~
I occationally have traces of black in my snot when I blow my nose, and sometime if I cough up phlem, is this because i used to smoke cigarretts, or is it a sign of somethiing more serious? I smoked for about seven years, and I quit smoking in July this past year, it's now January... |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Friday, January 06, 2006 - 09:19: | |
Please read my reply to the previous query on this chain by Doug. My answer applies to your query as well.  |
Anonymous
| | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 00:22: | |
Does phelgm have any other way of leaving the body other than through nose blowing or coughing it up? As you heal, it is absorbed by the body, or what? |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 11:44: | |
Yes, definitely. Phlegm, as much as other accumulations of stagnant fluid (such as edema of the feet or swollen/water in the knee), usually resolves through metabolic process. It may drain via the lymphatic system or passed out through the intestines.
Blowing your nose or coughing out phlegm does not eliminate the problem rather, in many instances, aggravates ther production of phlegm. In Ch. med. you either use herbs to "dry" phlegm and dissolve it to a thinner fluid substance, or invigorate the circulation by acupuncture to drive it out from its static location. You also strengthen the system that produces it in thge first place in order to stop it from recurring.
Such strategy and techniques are alien to modern medicine and exist only in energy biased treatment methods. |
Keith Yang
| | Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2006 - 07:20: | |
Dear Doc
My 3-yr old daugther has just completed an antibiotic course for her cough. However, her cough did not seem to recover completly although the colour of her phlegm did change from light green to white/transparent. Unfortunately, as she still has phelgm in her, yesterday, her phelgm has turned to green again (completed her antibiotic abt 6 days ago). Is there anything which we could do to help her to remove the phlegm and to prevent another round of fever? She has been drinking lots of warm water everyday.
Thanks. |
Shmuel Halevi
| | Posted on Sunday, February 26, 2006 - 18:52: | |
I suggest Keith that you take her to a qualified Ch. med. practitioner. This is a classical case for Ch. med either by acupuncture or herbs. The green phlegm is indicative of unresolved and latent "heat" pathogen in her lung system which can not be cleared away by the a/bios. Ch. med is the appropriate medicine for such disorders. |
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Phelgm colour