Mucus is a substance produced by the body which helps to lubricate the digestive tract and reproductive system. Although we often think of mucus as an annoyance, it’s actually an essential fluid for the body.

Mucus prevents dust particles and pollutants from entering the lungs, it stops stomach acid from eating into the lining of the stomach and aids swallowing.

However, mucus can cause problems if it becomes too thick or is produced in too great a quantity. When you have a cough or cold, caused by a bacterial infection, mucus is often green or yellow in colour, instead of being clear. It becomes thicker and adds to congestion in sinuses and airways.

You can seek advice on green mucus with mucusmanagement.org.uk – an informative website that looks at the causes of mucus production and the different methods of dealing with it.

People who have a chronic cough or asthma may find that cutting down or eliminating dairy products altogether helps ease their symptoms. There is anecdotal evidence that the protein casein found in cow’s milk can cause excess production of mucus.

The best way to test this theory out is to eliminate dairy products completely from your diet for a two week period. If you find that your cough improves and you are producing less mucus, you can then try re-introducing dairy products slowly. If your symptoms worsen, then it’s probably the dairy that is doing this, so you can remove it from your diet again. If your symptoms don’t get any worse, then it’s likely that you don’t have a problem with dairy products and that the two things were not connected.

Although it doesn’t feel like a very scientific approach, it’s worth a try before starting to engage medical assistance and having to take medication to ease any problems connected with excessive mucus production.