Misconceptions abound about mucus and phlegm and about what their consistency and color mean.
"This is probably one of the most common discussions that I have to have with patients as an ear, nose, and throat specialist," says Michael S. Ellis, MD, a clinical professor of otolaryngology at Tulane Medical Center in New Orleans.
"I call it the New Orleans nose. People in New Orleans think they have allergies causing their mucus problems, but that's wrong."
These "mucus problems" aren't just plaguing New Orleans residents. People across the country are fighting runny noses, clogged noses, postnasal drip, and everything in between.
Respiratory infections, the common cold, sinus infections, allergies, smoking, and even your environment all trigger changes in your mucus that can leave you frustrated and wandering the pharmacy aisles looking for the best solution.
Mucus is like a gelatin, a sticky substance the function of which is to lubricate and also to filter," says Dr. Ellis. It's made by cells in membranes that run from your nose to your lungs. While you swallow most of it without noticing, what’s left behind keeps your airways moist so that they work properly.
However, Ellis explains, what most people think of as mucus in their nose and sinuses is a delicate balance of both mucus and watery secretions — fluid made by the cells of the nose and sinuses.
Usually these two substances work together smoothly, and you probably don't even notice them.
"If you get an allergy or a cold and your nose is running like a faucet, you're making an excess of watery secretions," Ellis says.