What is mucus?
Mucus, which is commonly referred to as snot or boogers, is the gelatinous fluid that we see when we blow our noses.
Where does mucus come from?
Mucus is produced by the mucous membranes in the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, and urogenital tract.
What is mucus?
Mucus, which is commonly referred to as snot or boogers, is the gelatinous fluid that we see when we blow our noses.
Where does mucus come from?
Mucus is produced by the mucous membranes in the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, and urogenital tract.
Mucus plays an essential role in our immune system:
- Mucus is a lubricant, moisturising the tissues in our body, allowing us to do actions such as swallow, blink and clear our bowels.
- Mucus traps unwanted bacteria, viruses, and allergens from entering our bodies and flushes them out, like what we see when we have a runny nose.
- Mucus fights against infection by facilitating the movement of antibodies or white blood cells to sites of infection.
- Mucus helps house and regulate the human body’s microbiome
The body makes about 1.5 litres of mucus a day! If we’re healthy, we don’t notice it, but there are times when our bodies produce more mucus than normal. Excess mucus production is caused by certain health conditions and environmental factors.
Health conditions include:
- infections, such as the common cold and sinus infections
- lung diseases, such as pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, cystic fibrosis and COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- asthma
- acid reflux
- allergies
Lifestyle and environmental factors include:
- allergens, such as pollen
- irritants, such as hot, spicy food
- certain foods, such as milk and other dairy products
- certain medications
- smoking or pollution
- a dry, indoor environment
Thick, excessive mucus clogs your airways, causing symptoms such as:
- blocked sinuses
- cough
- runny nose
- nasal congestion
- sore throat
- sinus headaches
mucofizz 200 contains the active ingredient acetylcysteine, a mucolytic agent. mucofizz 200 works by reacting with the chemicals in the mucus, breaking it up and making it less sticky so that it’s easier to cough up. This clears your airways and makes it easier to breathe.
- Clear, thin mucus – healthy!
- Yellow, thick mucus – usually comes with illness.
- Green mucus – there’s an infection! The mucus appears green because it contains neutrophils, white blood cells that release a greenish enzyme when fighting infections.
- Blood-tinged or brown mucus – common with upper respiratory infections; the inside of your nose may be irritated or scratched. Having a small amount of blood in your mucus is normal, excessive bleeding is not!
Consult your doctor when:
- You’ve had excess mucus for more than four weeks.
- Your mucus is changing colour.
- Your mucus is getting thicker and increasing in volume.
- You have a fever.
- You have chest pain.
- You’re short of breath.
- You’re coughing up blood.
- You’re wheezing.