Question
My child has a runny nose and purple tongue coating (similar to the color of eggplant skin), and the situation has not improved after taking medication for a week. Could this be related to the medication? What remedies can stop the runny nose?
Answer
A normal adult produces several hundred milliliters of mucus daily, which is moved towards the throat by the cilia of the nasal mucosa and usually does not come out of the nostrils. Children have richer blood vessels in their nasal mucosa, produce more secretions, and their regulatory functions are not yet mature, so they often have clear runny noses, which is a normal phenomenon and there is no need to worry. Runny mucus that is purulent and yellow-green may indicate sinusitis, while white mucus may indicate a deficiency of vitamins A and B. Allergies may cause a large amount of clear mucus to flow in a short period of time. Children with enlarged tonsillar lymph nodes may also frequently have runny noses, accompanied by severe snoring and other symptoms, and should be treated promptly.