Tips for Cold and Flu Season: What the Colour of Your Mucus Means

This season, I caught both a cold in February 2016 and the Flu in June 2016. I conclude, the strains have changed because, they were both devastating and I seem to catch them every two years or so. The Flu had me at home for two weeks. I had majority of the symptoms and my nights were beyond miserable.

In the final week, I was left with puffy sinuses and a constant flow of mucus. In the next couple posts, I want to share some information on dealing with mucus/phlegm.

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How to Determine What the Colour of Your Mucus Indicates

Mucus is normally clear, but some pollutants and viruses may cause it to change colour. The colours of mucus are:

Clear
Green
Yellow
Brown
White

Each colour may signify a certain type of an infection. Help your doctor define your symptoms to determine what infection your mucus colour represents.

Mucus production is a normal healthy state, unless it becomes excessive or discoloured. Mucus is a basic defence against airborne particles that may irritate the mucus membrane lining (soft tissue that coats the interior of your cavities). Your body normally produces about an ounce of clear mucus a day, but if mucus production exceeds this, there may be a problem.

Mucus is continually made by the cells lining of the sinus passages. This lining may become irritated, causing it to produce more mucus which may then settle on your nasal and throat lining causing a sore throat, bad breath, coughing and the dreaded post nasal drip.

Clear mucus is often discharged nasally but when there is an excess it may be discharged post nasally. Post Nasal Drip (PND) occurs when excess mucus, usually caused by sinusitis or other inflammatory disorders, drips down the back of your throat or nose.

Although clear mucus commonly represents postnasal drip, it may also represent various other disorders, including:

Hay fever
Sinus congestion
Flu
Allergies
Acute sinusitis
Colds

Green mucus is a definite indication that one has a sinus infection. Most infections are usually caused by bacteria or viruses, however 90% of sinus infections result from viruses.

The best treatment for a sinus infection is to have your body fight the infection for you, which means you have to have a good immune system. Homeopathy and natural medicine help build up your immune system and gives it that boost it needs to fight off infections and the associated viruses.

Green mucus is often thick and causes congestion and pressure. This can cause more discomfort as thick mucus is often the primary cause of sinus headaches. Your body reacts to the change in mucus by producing even more mucus, causing post nasal drip which in turn irritates your throat glands and stomach linings.

Yellow mucus is not only a good indication that your body has a sinus infection but is also an indicator that it is fighting off the infection.

Bloody or brownish mucus is usual discharged when your sinuses are engorged or inflamed which causes bleeding to occur. This blood then mixes with your mucus. Brown mucus is a common complain of smokers, because tobacco smoke irritates the mucus inning causing it to becoming damaged and inflamed.

When you have nasal polyps or irritated mucus membranes, your mucus is blood stained and looks brownish or bloody. Blood stained mucus is also the case with an irritated throat.

Alcohol consumers often have inflamed and engorged throats and bronchi, thus coughing up blood stained or brownish mucus.

Several other things may cause your mucus to be brown. These include the following:

Certain foods, such as chocolate, other snacks, garlic and red wine
Bacteria and viruses

Dairy products may thicken and whiten your mucus causing congestion and pressure in the nose and sinus area. This is often accompanied by fatigue, fever and sharp shooting pains of a sinus attack.

White mucus often starts with a runny nose, where clear mucus is discharged. When the sufferer drinks milk or other foods responsible for whitening mucus, then they discharge white mucus. When clear mucus is swallowed post nasally, some people find it irritating and thus vomit it up. When vomited, mucus may appear white in colour.

About the writer:
Poetess Denise N. Fyffe is a published author for more than six years and enjoys volunteering as a Counselor. She has transitioned into being a Jamaican blogger and freelance writer.

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