Mucus: Good, Bad, & Ugly

With fall on the horizon, the airwaves will soon be flooded with ads promoting traditional sinus remedies.

Their message: mucus must be dried up and destroyed.

They’re dead wrong.

You see, mucus is absolutely essential to maintaining good health.

For one, mucus helps trap and block out unhealthy particles, like bacteria, viruses, and dust, which try to get into your nose on a daily basis.  

Talk about timely.

In fact, 90% of unhealthy invaders enter your body through your nose. 

Also, mucus helps keep your mucous membranes moist.

Similar to how your skin protects the outside of your body, mucous membranes protect the inside.

If they dry out, they can crack, leaving your body vulnerable to attack from outside invaders.

And finally, mucus helps with the physical removal of viruses and fungi. 

But to perform this vital function, mucus needs to be thin and fluid. 

If your mucus is thick and stagnant – like “boogers” – and stays stuck in the sinuses and nasal cavity, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and other bad guys.

To keep your sinuses healthy, you must break up stagnant mucus. 

And that’s where your cilia come in. 

Not to be confused with nose hair, cilia are microscopic cellular strands found in your nasal cavity and sinuses. 

Cilia move mucus out of your sinuses into your nose, and out of your nose to the back of the throat, propelling unwanted invaders out before they can do harm. 

To keep your sinuses healthy, you need to keep your mucus thin and normal so these tiny hairs can keep the bacteria and toxins out. 

Here are some natural ways to do that.

First, you want to keep your body hydrated with lots of water and hot teas.

Remember, drying out can cause cracks in your internal armor. 

And with your defenses down, unwanted irritants can enter your nose and wreak havoc on your sinuses.

Stay hydrated to help keep your defenses strong.

You can also take targeted supplements with proven nutrients, like N-acetyl cysteine (NAC).

NAC has been widely studied and shown to transform thick, sticky mucus into thinner, clearer, healthier mucus.

And finally, try a probiotic supplement daily to keep your population of good bacteria in your sinuses strong.

An influx of good bacteria can help crowd out the bad bugs looking to cause nasal trouble.

Fall and winter can be particularly hard on your sinuses. 

Fall has its own seasonal irritants, from leaves and trees and such.

And the dry winter air causes mucus to harden, stopping the natural flow you need to stay healthy.

Plus, you’re spending more time indoors and exposed to potential allergens, which can lead to increased production of mucus. 

But the answer isn’t to dry it all out.

Mucus is your friend, not your enemy. 

Ignore the ads and help keep mucus thin, healthy, and moving for lasting relief through the season.