Mucous??

[boxcarguy07]

Does anyone know anything about mucous??
I just had the strangest idea pop into my head, that may mucous is a medicine produced by our body that is good for us to swallow? You know, like when you have a stuffy nose (think back to the last time you had one at least  ) and you get mucous in your throat. My mom told me when I was a kid that is was not good to swallow it and that you should spit the mucous out. But who knows? Does anyone?

Sorry if this is a dumb question 

[boxcarguy07]

I just found this quote:
Mucus traps external antigens, like pollen, fungal spores and bacteria. The enzymes in mucus nutralize these threats. There is some evidence that our immune system learns what not to become sensitive to by exposure in the gut - i.e. by swallowing these potential antigens, you lessen the risk of becoming allergic to them. So swallow.


hopefully i'll find some better evidence, but it's something to think about

[reyyzl]

I just found this quote:
Mucus traps external antigens, like pollen, fungal spores and bacteria. The enzymes in mucus nutralize these threats. There is some evidence that our immune system learns what not to become sensitive to by exposure in the gut - i.e. by swallowing these potential antigens, you lessen the risk of becoming allergic to them. So swallow.


hopefully i'll find some better evidence, but it's something to think about

    Well yes, I think if you eat local pollens and honeys, then pollen in the air will stop irritating your eyes, nose and skin.  And mucus too, it is not bad to have mucus, as long as you don't have too much sticky messy stuff all the time.

[TylerDurden]

I've sometimes swallowed some very toxic mucus and felt very bad afterwards. For example, casein-intolerant people like me often produce mucus because we can't digest the milk-proteins so get rid of them that way, and putting them back into the body is not a good idea. Similiarly, I tend to produce mucus after eating any cooked-animal-food and  it's not a good idea for me to swallow it - I just cought it up/blow my nose, instead.

[LvB]

I've noticed lately that when I eat raw turkey I get a lot of mucous in my throat, and some in my nose. I recently started eating raw meat this past week, and the first few times I ate raw beef and fish this happened but more recently fish and beef don't have that effect anymore. Every time this happens I wonder if it's just my body getting used to the raw meat, or if I have a slight intolerance to poultry.

[van]

  I believe that if you eat animals that eat grain, and turkeys and chickens eat the most, you can end up with mucous.  I even experience mucous reactions from eating meat from cows in the winter when all they eat is dried hay, vs, green grasses in the summer.  When I drank milk from my goats, when fall came, and the majority of grasses or forage was green, I would always get mucous and then a cold.  If you go to a dairy where cows or goats get grain, you'll see mucous in their nostrils, and not a very nice looking kind either.  Animals on pasture can have mucous, but it is clear and almost water like. 

[goodsamaritan]

I never get mucus on raw paleo diet.

[yon yonson]

ever since doing raw VLC, i've been getting mucous but only in the mornings. what's up with that? also, i've been getting ketone breath ever since. it's pretty annoying. any ideas? i eat mostly meat and fat and organs but eat a piece of fruit maybe twice a week. those are my only two complaints since doing almost no carb for about 4 or 5 months. feel great otherwise.

[van]

  I too go through periods when there is mucous.  Tend to think it is mostly the animal I've eaten.  I know when I was eating bison raised in Wisconsin, buying fresh, that close to winter I encountered mucous.  They were being fed hay that admittedly by the owners had mold.  Also grain fed beef, even though I have never touched it, could be a problem.  And I would go farther and say I would bet a lot that it would be a problem for some.  Then there's elimination.  Raw proteins are strong cleansers, much more than raw carbs like fruit or vegetable juices.  And then I think we get more sensitive as we get healthier.  Our bodies recognize and try to get allergens out of our system with mucous.  So it might not be a 'bad' thing.   But best suggestion, find healthy animals eating lots of green green grass.

[goodsamaritan]

ever since doing raw VLC, i've been getting mucous but only in the mornings. what's up with that? also, i've been getting ketone breath ever since. it's pretty annoying. any ideas? i eat mostly meat and fat and organs but eat a piece of fruit maybe twice a week. those are my only two complaints since doing almost no carb for about 4 or 5 months. feel great otherwise.

Mucus can also be caused by the air you breath.  Pollution levels in your home or in your city.

[PaleoPhil]

Other than the rare very mild congestion from hay fever (which used to be far, far worse at this time of year when I was eating plant carbs) or suddenly much colder temperatures, my mucous and sinus symptoms have completely disappeared on raw carnivore. I don't have ketone breath yet either. Maybe the animals I'm getting my meat from are good quality (although I do still eat some grain-fed meats)?

For years I always had at least one nasal passage blocked. Now they're both clear all the time for the first time I can remember. It makes exercise so much easier.

I eat raw grassfed ground beef, raw ground venison and bison, raw suet (grainfed and grassfed), melted suet and commercial beef jerky heated below 40 degrees celsius and water. I transitioned gradually to this. Hope this helps.

[yon yonson]

hey guys, im gonna high-jack this unused thread... i really gotta figure out what's going on with me. i've still got mucous pretty often (mostly in the mornings) and pretty terrible ketone (i assume) breath. i've got this pretty girl who i can tell likes me, but because of the breath, i haven't made a move. so, im looking to figure this out quick. is it as simple as adding back more raw carbs? eating more often?

there's also a possibility my breath isn't a metabolic issue (low carb) but rather some sort of infection. i've suspected i have a minor lung infection for a while now, but not sure. the mucous and bad breath kind of point to it and i had some chest pain a while ago but now that's gone... also, i have suspected i had candida issues. can candida infect the lungs?

i don't know guys, i really wanna figure this out though.

ps: i high-jacked this thread because i had posted kinda the same thing a while ago in it (page 1)

[chucky]

You probably know that Candida eats sugar and grows on it. But what is more important is that our gut bacteria keeps candida under control. Bifido bacteria and lactobacilli are the two main bacteria that also don't let Candida go over the edge by acidifying the colon (candida loves alkaline environment).

But lactobacilli and bifidobacteria need soluble fibre (oat bran is super food for them) to grow. So I still haven't figured out how these bacterias can live in our guts without proper nourishment. (I am not troll lol) I am just being open-minded as I am trying to be on low carb as much as possible as the feeling of keto-adapted is good.

How much water do you drink ? I wanted to try out how do I feel when I cut my water intakes by half. My face started to flush pretty easily in places where there wasn't much fresh air. I started to experience anxiety attacks and I was getting more mucous in my nose.

[TylerDurden]

Can't help much. I only had mucus issues when I consumed raw dairy,while going RVAF.Oh, and a relatively tiny bit of mucus during the infrequent detoxes I had. It does sound like candida - have you tried eating lots of raw carbs to see if the symptom goes away temporarily?

[PaleoPhil]

I can only report my experience and you can try to figure out whether any of it applies to you, Yon. The only times I get significant mucous nowadays is the morning after I've eaten sufficient carbs or from cold weather. I have daily urinary ketones but no bad breath that I can detect, nor that anyone else has reported. When I was still eating carbs and cooked foods on a more conventional Paleo diet my hygienists kept recommending a tongue scraper (which I think was either their nice way of saying I had bad breath or just the latest thing they were pushing). I haven't had any hygienists push tongue scrapers on me since I switched to VLC Paleo (and then raw).

[yon yonson]

thanks guys. im think im gonna up my carb intake a little to see what happens. also, im gonna try to drink a lung soothing herbal tea in the mornings. i've got hyssop and thyme. anyone have suggestions for other herbs that are good for the respiratory tract?

[wodgina]

Firstly are sure yo have bad breath?

I would get this sorted fast with this prospect you could go to a doctor to rule out chest infection then the dentist, get him to check your throat and tell him why your there. You may have these type of candida stones on the back of your throat which give you horrid breath (mucous is symptom)

I would fast the go zero carb, reduce stress and sit in the sun.

[wodgina]

Also beens you want to sort this fast you could get Nystatin powder. You can inhale it, gargle it and ingest it. It is natural...ish, you get this from your doctor, it kills candida. Get Primal Defence as well I noticed my bro's BB disappeared around this time. This is all the things my brother did and he is cured.

So this just one person and is not sure which part worked (raw zero carb, Nystatin, Primal Defence) but he's happy! 

[yon yonson]

You may have these type of candida stones on the back of your throat which give you horrid breath (mucous is symptom)

wow, just checked and sure enough, i can see two of these little white balls in the back of my throat. i tried to scrape them out with the back of a spoon but no dice... any suggestions? if nothing else, i have a dentist appointment at the end of the month and i would guess he could remove it for me. i REALLY want to get those out now though. man, that would be soooooo awesome if that was all the smell was (i kinda doubt it, but getting them out has got to lessen bad breath somewhat).

thanks for telling me wodgina! how did your brother get these out?

[wodgina]

I can ask him later but I think it was the Nystatin drops which you put in your mouth. You can get the drops from the chemist without a script. The Nystatin bursts the yeast cell walls.

The powders more versatile but I would get the drops quick smart.

 

[KD]

if they are tonsil stones, its supposedly indicative of an infection, acids, and if you do have candida, probably linked, but it still might be the single trick to your BB

theres probably better sources on cause etc, but heres a conventional article, it recommends a water pick or swab.
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/79547/tonsil_stones_those_foul_smelling_curds.html


I'd be curious to know if anyone else has tried nystatin. I always thought this is just one of those major medical antifungals that essentially suppressed symptoms and work as long as you keep taking them, but on more research its actually recommended by Bee Wilder, who is usually very anti-products and anti-fungals/probiotics. I actually recall taking nystatiin sometime within the decade, which is more an indicator that I've had a candida related issue for some time. I've had these stones, and used to always have sore/strep throats, although not in many years now. I remember my throat being all read and picking at the bastards with something or other, probably a straw or something.

[michaelwh]

I've had tonsil stones since I was a child. You can take them out yourself using a dental explorer, toothpick, or cotton swab. If you use a sharp object, be careful not to injure tonsils.

The tonsil stones continued 1-2 years into rawpaleo diet, but I haven't had any new stones in ~3 months. Maybe they're gone for good, time will tell.

[RawZi]

    Why didn't I ever hear of tonsil stones before?  What is that?  Like a tooth in your tonsil?  I thought I had tonsil probs before, big obvious holes going through them.  My tonsils look normal now, like a ten year old I guess.  AV said mine were not functioning though, at all.

[michaelwh]

    Why didn't I ever hear of tonsil stones before?  What is that?  Like a tooth in your tonsil?  I thought I had tonsil probs before, big obvious holes going through them.  My tonsils look normal now, like a ten year old I guess.  AV said mine were not functioning though, at all.

A small white/yellow ball in your tonsil. Much smaller than a tooth. Take a look at
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonsillolith

(and also the link posted above by KD)