How to Get Rid of Snot

I am so sick of snot!!

Are you as sick of snot as I am? I've been dealing with snot and drainage myself for about a month now. If you're like me, you probably had a flare of allergies recently or have had a cold. I call that lingering clear snot and post-nasal drainage "post-inflammatory _______" (you fill in the blank). Fact is, it could be a lot of things. You may have chronic allergies with chronic rhinitis or chronic sinusitis, it may be vasomotor rhinitis or that great waste-can diagnosis of "non-allergic" rhinitis.  You could even have picked up --sigh— another cold. You'll need to visit with your doctor to find out which one you're dealing with to get a definitive answer. Even that answer sometimes comes as a diagnosis of exclusion, so don't despair!

So, what to do about this snot-plague on the human race? Well, there are a couple of things I can safely offer as over the counter treatments which will possibly help you now and help your doctor figure it out if these don't give relief.

Head's up: if you are averse to putting things in your nose or have a strong gag, skip to #3.

1. Nasal saline irrigation

  "Do you know what a neti pot is?"

I ask this all the time in the office. Here are the top three available in my neck of the woods. My personal favorite is that bulb syringe on the left. I like it because chances are good you've already got one in your house AND you can literally get it down to a drop at a time to use the thing and not feel like you're drowning in saline. As an Osteopath, using it with that side-to-side rinse technique with your head tilted over the sink (demonstrated all over You Tube) goes right along with our lymphatics doctrine: as long as fluids are kept in motion, health is maintained. Our bodies are self-cleaning apparatuses, after all. Half of the battle with snot is keeping it viscous and moving out from places it can stagnate and later cause infection or uncomfortable collections of fluid like the middle ear, sinuses, and eustachian tubes. 

You should use water that you're certain is not contaminated with anything: bacteria, algae, mold, chlorine, etc. Generally speaking, don't use well-water. When in doubt, buy distilled water or boil your water and cool it covered before use.

A simple saline recipe is all that's needed to comfortably cleanse the nasopharynx. Pre-made packets are fine, but I recommend ones containing the sugar xylitol, if you're going to the expense of buying one. Xylitol has been clinically proven superior to saline alone when used topically in a nasal wash.

Below is my simple saline recipe. Make it fresh every time.

1/2 cup warm water

1/8 tsp. non-iodized salt (sea salt, kosher salt, pickling/canning salt, non-iodized table salt)

pinch of baking soda

Rinse side to side until all you're blowing out is the saline solution and not snot. Repeat at least twice per day. I like morning and evening BEFORE you use any kind of nasal sprays as treatment.

Freebie for the day: DON'T USE GUAIFENESIN products if you have a continuous, thin stream of post-nasal drainage or runny nose. Guaifenesin is meant to take thick secretions and thin them down in the presence of water so you can blow them out of your nose or cough them up from your chest. I find it actually exacerbates thin secretions!

2. Nasal steroids

Yes, you can use nasal steroids now without a prescription. The main ones are fluticasone propionate nasal and triamcinolone nasal. Do not use nasal steroids if you have glaucoma or have had allergy to either of these ingredients in the past without first clearing it with your doctor. It's worth a week's trial of one of these products after pre-cleaning with nasal saline irrigation to see if you can't clear the clear snot yourself. 

3. See your doctor

That's right. If these two simple steps are not clearing your snot, the snot is causing you to cough, provokes wheezing or if the snot suddenly loses it's clear color, get thee to a physician, pronto. There's nothing worse than being that patient who's been dinking around with drainage for weeks at a time and getting nowhere. Two weeks without fever, color, pain or lack of relief with home remedy is a good rule of thumb for lay-folk to follow when trying home remedies. If any one of these 4 complications suddenly appear, go to your doctor right away.

In addition, if you don't want to rinse your nose or put spray in it, your doctor is the one to guide you to the right tablets to take for relief. Antihistamines and decongestants aren't for everyone and can exacerbate a whole host of chronic illnesses or cause drug-drug interactions that can make a simple snot problem a major medical fiasco.

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No rocket science here today, folks, but my best over the counter stabs at clearing pesky snot. Join me again next time for how you can prepare your family for the impending cold and flu season with preventatives and treatments that really work!

Blessings,

Dr. Lydia