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VERY FEW PEOPLE talk about these things, but let’s break that taboo.
About nine months ago, after I got a very bad cold, the mucus in my nose turned green. This was normal, I thought, because I was sick.
But now, nearly a year later, it’s still green.
After realising I’d also been coming down with many more colds than usual, I finally went to a doctor. He put a scope up my nose and concluded that I’d been suffering from a chronic, low-grade sinus infection that whole time. And I didn’t even know it.
The mucus in your nose serves many functions. Its colour can tell you and your doctor a lot about what’s going on in your body — especially when it’s been an abnormal shade for a long time.
Here are a few of those things, sourced mainly from this Cleveland Clinic infographic and the Centers for Disease Control. You should know, however, that snot colour is not enough to diagnose anything outright. Still, it offers a unique glimpse into your body’s strange ways of telling you that something’s up.
Clear mucus is totally normal. The body naturally produces about 1.5 quarts of it every day — enough to fill a Breyer’s ice cream container. It keeps your nasal passages lubricated and germ-free by acting as a moisturising barrier against dehydration and foreign objects, including bacteria and viruses. But if the amount drastically increases, it could mean that you’re suffering from allergies or the start of a cold or flu.
White mucus could mean a bunch of different things. Most often it means that your nasal passages are irritated and swollen, restricting mucus flow and causing it to dry out. This could be due to a nasal infection or a cold. But dairy products, allergies, and eating dehydrating foods such as coffee, tea, and alcohol can also turn your mucus white. Acid reflux or dry conditions may also be the culprit.
When you have an infection, whether it be a bacteria or virus, your immune system’s white blood cells rush to the site to fight and destroy the pathogenic invader. After they’ve done their job and die, they’re flushed out of your body with your mucus, and in the process can dye it yellow. Yellow mucus doesn’t mean that you need antibiotics, but it means your body is fighting something; possibly a cold. At this point, you may want to wait it out and see if things don’t improve after 10 to 14 days.
Your mucus can turn green from the even larger build up of dead white blood cells. This potentially means that your body is using many reinforcements to fight the infection, and perhaps it’s losing the battle. This is especially true if your mucus has been green for a few weeks or longer. If that’s the case, you should see your doctor; especially if you have a fever or feel nauseated.
Bloody mucus signals that there’s a lot going on in your nasal passages, including dryness and irritation, and the tissues have become damaged. This results from any number of things, including allergies, infection, and lots of blowing or rubbing. Physical trauma — like walking into a wall, face-first — can also turn your snot red.
When blood from your nasal lining dries, it can mix with the mucus and turn brown. But brown mucus isn’t always because of blood. It could also be dirt, dust, discoloration from cigarette smoke, snuff, or a spice. If you’re coughing up brown mucus, though, you should see a doctor because this could be a sign of bronchitis.
Black mucus can materialise after inhaling dirt or dust; or after smoking cigarettes or marijuana. But it can also signal a serious fungal infection, especially if you have a compromised immune system. If your mucus is black for no obvious reason, you should see a doctor. This is especially true if you have a fever, chills, or have difficulty breathing.
- Julia Calderone and Skye Gould.
Serve Apple right!
They are a bunch of thugs. They were (not for the first time) caught using unscrupulous methods to kill off any competition.
Thugs is a strong word. What did they do exactly?
Eh jeff Apple employing over 3000 people in Cork!!! Thugs! They have done a huge amount for the local community. I’ll be Supporting local jobs thats for sure and sticking with Apple :)
Thug’s is a strong ok but the essence of the comment is right. Apple for the most part have created nothing new just did things a similar but better way. Steve jobs said it himself they only ever took other peoples ideas and improves them. others are now doing that to apple. and they deal with it through the courts instead of competing on price and product.
as for how many apple employ in Ireland their competitors employ more people here so that’s no basis for supporting either side
sent from my iPhone
first time I saw a tablet pc was on Startrek, Captain Pickard had one long before Apple.
@Ray
You will find everything from the floppy disk,mobile phone through to tablet came from startrek.As much as people give that show some stick it was ahead of its time.
But he was in the future though…time travel?
If it wasn’t for apple we’d all be using crappy symbian OS phones made by Nokia. Whether you love em or hate them they transformed mobile phones and tablet markets.
Well said Jay ;)
Android is older than iOS.
But Android was already in development before Apple started the iPhone and WebOS was already developed. Palm & HTC had been making touch screen phones and personal assistants for years…
Apple just applied their industrial design & UI to other peoples ideas…
They all stole their ideas from Babbage. How can they claim to be adding anything new? Balderdash!
Should be harsher consequences for apple
Maybe, but having to publicly admit they were wrong? Against Samsung? I bet that will sting horribly more than any fine. It will be very interesting to see how they handle this.
Android Rulez…!!!
For Jay. – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smartphone
I didn’t say invent Smartphones..they transformed them…and no one knows whether IOS/Android was first.
Google claim 2005 for Android but iOS was released in 2007 well ahead of it so it’s safe to assume Apple were working on it earlier than 2006 etc..
Either way both make great smartphones and I’ve had both including the very first android phone released.
never liked apple, and I never will… so I’m really happy to see how that case ended :)
Michelle Hennessy is pretty
Big fan of hers!
I have an iPad and a Samsung android phone and I love them both equally.
I am so disappointed with you.
Stick with one technology and look on with contempt at the other…
the most fundamental aspects of the iPhone are the glass top which is based on a compound called gorilla glass that was shelved by the manufacturer and reported after Jobs met its CEO and described what he was trying to do with touch screens – which conveniently leads into multitouch that came from the iPad design that was already on track at iPhone design stage, and scrolling was designed by the kid Jobs hired in the Apple building foyer after he had screwed his job interview on demonstrating a magnify feature that he jade programmed and first appeared aa a feature on the iMac, not to mention iPod integration etc etc. you may not like Jobs end to end integration that is the basis of the Apple walled garden, but consider why so many US businesses use Apple – because everything is simple – understand one device and you simply get the rest – and everything collaborates particularly with the streamlining of iCloud. Btw – I just composed this comment on my Samsung Note :)
Hi pat, I’m due an upgrade and can’t decide between the note or the galaxy s3. I’m going in tomorrow to get the phone. I love the size of the note but worried I might find it to big for one hand so I’m just wondering how you like it, is it comfortable to use. Sorry I know this is off topic but it’s a big decision for me.
I find the Note to be brilliant. I used to carry a notebook everywhere. Now I just ensure that I have my headphones and mic and I notate on the phone. Anything important is synced to Evernote. I like it :)
Thanks Pat.
Jim: have note too as second phone and it’s awesome… It’s not too big once you get used too also there is function to allow one hand typing – keyboard gets smaller and moves to one or another side of the screen allowing one hand typing which is not really possible on this phone with standard keyboard layout. Screen is perfection finally screen that is comfortable even for watching movies and super hd amoled screen beats even iPhone 4. Have s3 too which is my main phone but prefer note to be honest the only reason note is not my 1st phone is that I use it in car mainly as gps device.
Thanks Fizi I think I’ll go for the note, I mostly use my phone for internet so it sounds perfect for me.
Correct me if I’m wrong but the iPad was around before the galaxy tab. If that’s the case then Apple should get the apology. BTW I have an iPad and tried the galaxy tab, there’s no comparison, Apple rules
Unfortunatley for you, the court case wasn’t based around which you think rules or not… It’s about intellectual property. If what you are suggesting is correct, then Microsoft and Fujitsu should sue both Apple & Samsung as they have been producing tablets for years…
True…the ipad was actually being developed back in 2002-04 but Jobs decided to go with the phone first.
This pics came out in the recent trial.
In light of the super interesting comments above could you change the headline to “Apple and Android users in Ireland drop knowledge bombs about how cool Apple and samsung products are. UK judge to reconsider findings.”
Hey Stephen….everyone knows that Apple products are way cooler than Samsung…even the Judge said it in this same case so it must be true :)
Cool vs Cooler. The only thing we can know for certain in this whole debate is that the judge has a streetwise nephew from Philadelphia living with him. Everything else is irrelevant.
I have a windows phone :(
Actually agree with you on that Paul…if anything it was Bill Gates who created the first tablet pc back in 2002 but it was too far ahead of it’s time. Plus running windows :)
Bloomberg ?
There is a little button just above the comments section for reporting a typo or correction
What is the difference that android was first before iOS I have now Samsung galaxy s3 supposedly best android phone on the market and can’t complain about it, but in all fairness iPhone maybe crashed on me once a week, this Samsung crashes daily. Not like complete crash, but whatever application stopped to work do you want to close, wait, etc. os itself is also just smoother on iPhone – you have to be seriously blind to say otherwise. Android not bad thing but when it comes to simplicity and stability it loses with its in my opinion. Feature wise it wins.
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