Fleghm question - TMI, maybe

[Gizmo]

Ok, I have a problem. I stopped drinking soda because of all the chemicals in them. However, the reason I started drinking as much as I did was because the soda controls and reduces my fleghm (spelling?) problem.

Now that I have given it up, my problem is back. It grosses out me and my bf when I have to spit huge wads of it out into the sink/toilet a couple of times a day.

Things I have already done:

1) Stopped eating drinking Dairy - yes, this helped a TON! I would drink a glass of milk or have a bowl of cereal and almost would not be able to breathe afterwards.
2) Drink a lot more water - also has helped.

Anything else I can do to help?

BF said I should start drinking sparkling water to get the carbonation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbonated_water) without the soda part, but I really want to give up all carbonation. Also, I had a bottle today and it EXPLODED all over my desk at work....

[Miss Cellane]

I'd look into why you have so much phlegm. Could it be allergies? In which case, there might be an antihistimine that could help. And trying to reduce whatever it is in your environment that causes the allergic reaction will also help.

Or you could take a decongestant, but I'd be reluctant to do that for an extended period of time without knowing what was going on.

Are you drinking as much water as you did soda? That would be an easy thing to do--make sure you are getting the same amount of liquid as you did before.

Also try a neti pot, where you rinse out your sinuses daily. It helps with post-nasal drip, which can lead to you coughing up a lot of gunk from your lungs.

[Rosemary]

Do you think the mucus is in your sinuses or your throat?
Acid reflux can irritate the throat and create mucus in the throat. If you don't see post-nasal drip on the back of your throat when you look inside your mouth, it might be that.

[jp1]

After ruling out some 'cause' of all the phlegm I'd also agree with the suggestion to drink club soda. It's literally just carbon dioxide in solution with water. All of the CO2 will get burped out shortly after you drink it, leaving just water to be digested by your body. I drink a lot of water but sometimes I just need something with a little "taste" to it, and that's become my go to beverage for that purpose.

[Mrs-M]

From everything you've mentioned I'm thinking you may have a Candida Yeast problem. Have you been tested for it?

[Gizmo]

From everything you've mentioned I'm thinking you may have a Candida Yeast problem. Have you been tested for it?

No, what is that?

I should also mention that I inherited this problem - my grandfather has the same thing, although no one else in my family seems to have gotten it.

[Gizmo]

I'd look into why you have so much phlegm. Could it be allergies? In which case, there might be an antihistimine that could help. And trying to reduce whatever it is in your environment that causes the allergic reaction will also help.

Or you could take a decongestant, but I'd be reluctant to do that for an extended period of time without knowing what was going on.

Are you drinking as much water as you did soda? That would be an easy thing to do--make sure you are getting the same amount of liquid as you did before.

Also try a neti pot, where you rinse out your sinuses daily. It helps with post-nasal drip, which can lead to you coughing up a lot of gunk from your lungs.

I do have allergies, and already take an antihistimine daily for them. I tried a neti pot, but it doesn't help. It seems to originate in the throat.

[Mrs-M]

Hi Gizmo. It's probably best you Google up a little info on it rather than me trying to explain something I'm not entirely up on. All I know is an old neighbour of ours forever cleared her throat and had all sorts and kinds of problems, however once her condition was diagnosed and she was put on appropriate supplements and things and adjusted her diet accordingly, her throat clearing and flem problem all but disappeared.