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Everything you've always wanted to know about mucus

But were too grossed out to ask, such as what does green snot even mean?

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Mucus gets a bad rap. Slimy and gelatinous, we often wrongly dismiss it as a repulsive inconvenience—the gross gunk oozing out of our face whenever we get sick.

Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. This extraordinary substance is actually crucial to our health, protecting us from disease and safeguarding delicate tissues all over the body.

“Mucus serves manyShow More

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MYTH: Mucus’ sole purpose is to annoy you.

In fact, mucus is one of our best natural defenders. It acts as a filter, keeping bacteria, viruses, allergens and other particles from entering our bodies, where they can make us sick. Mucus also carries white blood cells and antibodies, which help kill germs if they do manage to sneak in.

MucusShow More

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MYTH: Your body only makes mucus when you’re sick.

When we’re healthy, we may not really think about our mucus—but it’s always there. We generate it constantly; our nose and sinuses produce a full liter of mucus daily, most of which we swallow.

When we’re ill or our tissues become inflamed, our respiratory system makes excess mucus to defend usShow More

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MYTH: Green snot means you need antibiotics.

The color of your snot is important, since it helps doctors diagnose your illness. Typically, clear or very light-yellow mucus is healthy. “If it does have a deeper yellow to brown color or if it has green in it—or even sometimes mucus can contain a bloody tinge—those are more concerning,” saysShow More

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MYTH: Blowing your nose is the best way to get rid of mucus.

“Blowing your nose is probably the most ineffective way of clearing your nasal passage,” says Roberts. “It actually pushes, in some cases, secretions farther up into your sinuses.” An oft-cited study in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases found as much, though researchers couldn’t say whetherShow More

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MYTH: Drinking milk makes more mucus.

When you’re ill, do you ever reach for a tall glass of leche? Odds are you take a pass, because you may have been told drinking milk creates more snot, leading to congestion and making it harder for you to swallow. Professional singers often skip the 2 percent before a performance for the sameShow More

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MYTH: Mucus is exclusive to the respiratory system.

Nope. Various types of mucus are also found on our eyes, in our GI tract—where we digest food—and in the female reproductive system.

Mucus in our GI system creates a home for beneficial microbes and protects against bacterial infections. It also safeguards our stomach lining from the powerful acidShow More

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