Understanding Your Body – Decoding The Color Of Your Snot

I could have used the word mucus but let's be real. It's snot. And when we are feeling snotty we don't want somebody going Bill Nye the Science Guy on why we feel like crap.

The truth of the matter is that understanding the color coding of your expectorations can be quite beneficial in helping you determine what's going on in your body and what you should be doing to treat those conditions.

Clear- That usually is a sign that your nasal irritation is caused by allergies. Usually, an over the counter antihistamine can help ease the sinus drip that is the catalyst for the coughing and scratchy throat that accompanies the pollen season.

Yellow/Green - That's usually a sign of infection of some kind. It could be a sinus infection. It could be a more serious respiratory infection. In most cases, these infections will clear up after a day or so and symptoms can be relieved with over the counter medications. However, if the unsightly discharge continues for more than a couple of days you really should contact your medical professional.

White- This is a sure sign of infection and possibly a serious infection. The "white" is actually puss. We all know what puss is and we certainly don't want it spewing out of any bodily orifice. Contact your health provider immediately because these kinds of infections usually need a little extra medicinal boost to get better.

Just to be clear here. I am not a doctor or trained medical professional so use this information as a guide and not as a substitute for actual medical treatment. We're providing this information to you so when you do speak with your doctor you can offer a better description of your symptoms.