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My son and I are both asthmatics and we are also prone to sinus infections. The specialist has said that there is some correlation between dairy and mucus production. She recommends avoiding milk and milk based products during respiratory flair ups, sinus infections and colds and says instead to pump the clear fluids--specifically water, clear juices and chicken broth to help thin out the mucus/phlegm, which makes it easier for your body to expell. Good luck and feel better soon. We're on some pretty heavy duty meds. Some make us foggy while others wind us right up. Just do what you have to do.

If you have a lot of allergies (see: me), you're not supposed to eat dairy because of the phlegm thing. So I don't, though truly I have not noticed a huge difference since I gave it up.

I eat very little dairy for that exact same reason - doctor's orders. My children were prone to ear infections from fluid (had tubes several times) and they were on low dairy - Children's Hospital doctor's orders.

Thanks! I had also heard about dairy and allergies before, because supposedly dairy contributes to histamine production (and allergies are relieved by antihistamines, or lowering your histamine production). I've had hives and was told to avoid dairy products for awhile and they cleared up very quickly.

I'll give a dairy-free diet tomorrow a try and see if that improves things--thanks for the good wishes--it's not the plague, just a cold but annoying, as all stuffed noses are!

No Dairy and drink as much water as possible.

Dairy usually doesn't appeal to me when I'm sick, and seafood never ever appeals when I'm sick.

However, this brings to mind the old-fashioned doctor my mother used to take me to. One time, when I was sick, the only thing that I was willing to eat was cold hot dogs. I don't actually remember this particular craving, but everything else was a few bites and I wasn't interested. But I'd eat the hot dogs. She called the doctor, asked him what to do.

(shaking head) Sorry. Got a song stuck in my head for a second there.

Anyway, she was afraid that I wasn't getting enough nutrition, and was fearing scurvy or rickets or whatever, and he said that while I was sick it was okay to feed me whatever I wanted to eat. A few days of indulging my whims wasn't going to kill me, and if I was craving a particular food, there must be something in it that my body needed at the time. He said that when I felt better, I'd probably start wanting other things.

So, if you feel like eating dairy products, I'd say just eat them. The extra goo production isn't a pleasant thing, but it's your body's way of combating what's wrong with you, so unless this is a severe problem, I'd still opt to go with whatever the craving happens to be.

When I had pneumonia, my doctor said to lay off the dairy since it could possibly worsen it.

My 2 cents--at drama camp they always told us to lay off dairy for 24 hours before a performance. I am not sure if the leading lights of Broadway do this, but I know I had a lot less throat-clearing when I was off dairy.

My mother used to say "no dairy with a stomach bug" because the dairy gave the bug something to work on. I think this is pretty much lunacy.

Dairy thickens the mucus you have during a cold therefore not good to consume dairy when you have a lot of congestion.

@Heartofglass- That is the most funniest one I have heard yet. Now I wonder how that old wives-tale came about? lol Anyways have allergies and I tend to TRY and stay away from dairy (again TRY) because can tell a difference. Now my mother got this one from her grandmother who insists that you where something on your feet (socks, slippers, shoes ect) when in the kitchen because if you don't you get a bladder infection lol.

I dont know if dairy actually produces mucus, but dairy is hard to digest. I would avoid it, but if its what your craving, and you can handle it, go for it!