Can you drink milk if you have respiratory disease?

The vast majority of patients with respiratory diseases can drink milk normally, and only a very small number of patients with special inducements need temporary or long-term taboos.

There has always been a saying on the Internet that "drinking milk produces phlegm and aggravates coughs." Many people dare to take any nutritional supplements after catching a cold or pneumonia, but they are particularly strict about avoiding milk. In fact, this statement does not have much scientific basis. Many people feel that their throats are sticky and there seems to be more phlegm after drinking milk. In fact, the macromolecule proteins and lactose in milk make the saliva in the mouth temporarily thicken and stick to the throat. The illusion caused by this does not actually increase the secretion of phlegm in the respiratory tract.

Not long ago, I met a second-grade child with mycoplasma pneumonia in the outpatient clinic. My mother heard from the elders in the community that she should not drink milk when she was sick. She only gave the child porridge and boiled vegetables for a whole week. The fever consumed a lot of money. The child even coughed for half a month and was not able to recover. During the follow-up examination, he lost almost three kilograms. After asking, he found out that he had stopped drinking milk every day. After confirming that the child was not allergic to milk and had no lactose intolerance that caused diarrhea after drinking it, I asked her to warm the child up to two cups of pure milk every day and add more eggs and lean meat to supplement the protein. Within a week, the child’s cough was basically gone, and the inflammation on the chest X-ray was also well absorbed.

Of course, not all patients with respiratory diseases can safely drink milk. If they are clearly allergic to milk protein, or patients with bronchial asthma have had coughing and asthma attacks caused by drinking milk before, they should try to avoid it regardless of whether they are sick or not. Some people are usually lactose intolerant and have diarrhea when they drink cold milk. Their gastrointestinal function is already weak in the acute stage of respiratory infection, so don’t join in the fun. The same goes for drinking Shuhua milk or yogurt after you feel better.

As for drinking, there’s nothing too particular about it. Just don’t drink ice. Ice milk irritates the mucous membrane of the throat. People who are already coughing can easily cough worse after drinking it. It is most comfortable to drink it when it is warmed to about 40 degrees. If your throat feels sticky after drinking, just drink two more sips of warm water to wash it down. There is no need to throw away such a good source of high-quality protein because of unfounded rumors.