# What is the green stuff I cough up when I have bronchitis? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 11, 2001, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-green-stuff-i-cough-up-when-i-have-bronchitis/92763 "2001-11-11T14:35:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-green-stuff-i-cough-up-when-i-have-bronchitis/92763/81 "2001-11-19T19:16:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > \*\ ***JillGat** you got that right. I prefer to join in when I think I have something useful to say, and avoid posting to the other threads where I don’t. > > QtM \*\* You’ll never get your post-count up above 10,000 with _that_ mindset. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-green-stuff-i-cough-up-when-i-have-bronchitis/92763/82 "2001-11-19T19:25:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by handy \* > \*\*Brown Cow, is that the stuff with the cream on top? Yes, it’s very nice but the fat content is too high for me. > \*\* It has a higher fat content. That’s what makes it taste so good! 🙂 Some people have no taste, but yogurt has a lot of culture. 🙂 Well, I guess I’ve played that pun to the limit - and then some. ---
**Author:** ![Shyabrick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b487fb/32.png) [@Shyabrick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shyabrick)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2001, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-green-stuff-i-cough-up-when-i-have-bronchitis/92763/83 "2001-11-19T21:48:01Z")
Forget the doctor. Forget the antibiotics. I’m surprised you’re not dead already. Just curl up in a ball and await the end. By the way, I could’ve gotten a medical degree if it wasn’t for the trumped up necrophelia charges. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-green-stuff-i-cough-up-when-i-have-bronchitis/92763/84 "2001-11-20T02:56:35Z")
I’ve been reading this thread for awhile, expecting it would be closed any day. Since it’s still here and won’t go away, I’m going to shut my eyes and sing. LA! LA! LA! LA! I! Can’t! Hear! You! Hmmm… didn’t work. Guess I’ll throw in my cent. 1. Thanks for showing me the studies about yogurt, KarlGauss. Wasn’t aware of the Mayo research. However, I usually give yogurt etc. with the expectation of reducing yeast infections in women who complain antibiotics worsen these. Will have to look for some studies commenting on this rather than diarrhea. 2. What the patient thinks is “bronchitis” can be pneumonia, sinusitis, asthma, emphysema/COPD or a host of other things. Furthermore, the treatment of acute and chronic cases is quite different. Green sputum may not equal viral infection, but it doesn’t equal bronchitis either. 3. Different age groups have different odds of viral vs. bacterial infection. Different foci of infection have different odds of viral vs. bacterial infection. 4. Doctors are trying to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use, and this is important. Other important end-points may include trying to minimize testing costs or complications. There can be consequences for not treating infections, and some of the rare ones are serious. For this reason, it is wise to start out with non-antibiotic treatments at first… acute sinusitis can be treated with decongestants, nasal sprays, etc. I’m inclined to use antibiotics more after ten days of appropriate symptoms, also considering the patient’s history and response. I try and avoid antibiotics as a first line early treatment. I don’t sanction the use of expensive tests for uncomplicated cases (throat swab good, CT bad). But in the end I’m making an educated guess given the age of the patient and their clinical symptoms. This is different from a guess, an is a common situation in medicine. One NOT always changed by more tests, which must be interpreted in light of pre-test probability. ---
**Author:** ![johnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnson)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-green-stuff-i-cough-up-when-i-have-bronchitis/92763/85 "2001-11-20T03:12:40Z")
Don’t those Mayo guys have a bias? **Of course** they say yogurt isn’t good…they want you to eat **mayonnaise**! Well, I thought it was funny… ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-green-stuff-i-cough-up-when-i-have-bronchitis/92763/86 "2001-11-20T03:25:51Z")
_Hamm on 5, hold the Mayo…_ ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2001, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-green-stuff-i-cough-up-when-i-have-bronchitis/92763/87 "2001-11-20T04:15:15Z")
The patient has recovered despite our best efforts. I think it’s safe to close this thread now. bibliophage moderator GQ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-green-stuff-i-cough-up-when-i-have-bronchitis/92763.md?page=4)