Yellow sticky nasal discharge

Some people catch a cold every year, and once they catch a cold, they will have various symptoms, among which runny nose and fever are the most common. After catching a cold, you should insist on drinking plenty of water, and your diet should be light. You should also try to rest at home. Children should not go to school when they are sick, and adults should also take appropriate leave. When yellow, sticky nasal discharge occurs, even though it is almost healed, you should continue to take medicine and drink plenty of water until you recover.

Is the thick yellow nasal discharge going to heal soon?

Generally, if the mucus becomes thicker or yellower, it is considered to be improved, but oral medications are still needed. Yellow mucus should be judged separately. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that "phlegm and fluid" (generally the thicker one is called "phlegm", and the thinner one is called "fluid") is cold in nature. Traditional Chinese medicine theory holds that "patients suffering from phlegm and fluid should be treated with warm medicines", which means that warm medicines should be used for treatment. If you have clear nasal discharge at the beginning of a cold, and then the discharge starts to turn yellow, the amount of discharge gradually decreases, and your nasal cavity becomes dry, this indicates that the cold is getting better; if the amount of discharge does not decrease, and your nasal cavity does not become dry, and instead the yellow discharge becomes thicker and is accompanied by symptoms such as headache and eye discomfort, this indicates that the infection is getting worse.

From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, yellow mucus in the early stages of a cold is one of the symptoms of a wind-heat cold. If the yellow mucus is transformed from clear mucus, it generally indicates that the cold evil has turned into heat. Yellow mucus indicates heat in the body. If the mucus is very yellow, it means there is "fire" in the body, which is a sign of worsening inflammation.

Things to note when yellow and thick nasal discharge appears

It is important to drink plenty of water and avoid catching a cold again. Avoid spicy and irritating foods. If you have the runny nose you described and nasal pain after a cold, you should consider the possibility that it is sinusitis caused by the cold. In this case, it is recommended that you go to the ENT department of the hospital for a check-up. If it is confirmed that it is sinusitis, antibiotics must be used for treatment. It is generally recommended to choose the cephalosporin you mentioned for treatment, but the recommended duration is more than one week.

But it is particularly important to note that yellow runny nose indicates bacterial infection in the body. From the clinical symptoms, patients with viral colds usually have clear watery nasal discharge, and generally the disease can heal itself; if a secondary bacterial infection occurs, the nasal discharge will turn into yellow, indicating that the inflammation has worsened. "Since yellow mucus mainly appears in the later stages of a cold, some people mistakenly think it is a sign that the cold is getting better."