Introduction to Home Remedies for Postnasal Drip
You may wake up with a sore throat, a hacking cough, or simply clearing your throat every morning -- or you may just feel as if something has settled in the back of your throat. Any of those experiences could mean that you've got postnasal drip.
On any given day, you've got one to two quarts of mucus running down the back of your throat. That's an awful lot of slime running through your head, but it serves a significant purpose. Mucus acts as a broom, cleaning out the nasal passages. It kicks out bacteria, viruses, and other infection-causing invaders and clears out other foreign particles. Mucus also helps humidify the air that travels in your body, keeping you and your insides comfortable. Unless you think about it, you probably don't even notice all that mucus making its way down your throat. But if you become acutely aware of mucus in the back of your throat, or feel as if someone has turned on a faucet in your head, you're probably dealing with postnasal drip.
Postnasal drip happens when mucus production goes awry. There may be an overproduction of mucus, which gives you that typical drip, drip, drip feeling in the back of your throat. The mucus is clear, thin, and very runny. At the other extreme is thick, sticky mucus that is yellow or green. This kind of mucus occurs when mucus production slows down and thickens, hanging around in the throat.
Many factors can trigger a change in mucus production, including:
Allergies. If you can tell spring is coming by the amount of tissue on your dashboard, you've probably got a hay fever allergy -- one of the most common causes of postnasal drip.
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There are many home remedies for postnasal drip that you can use to alleviate some of the discomfort. Learn about home remedies for postnasal drip.
Air pollution. Some major pollutants in smog, such as nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide, can make your mucus go haywire.
Cold air. When you step outside on a cold wintry day, your nose is likely to start dripping. The same increase in mucus production happens when you're in any cold, dry environment.
Colds and flu. Your nose runs during a cold or the flu to get rid of unfriendly bacterial or viral invaders. So, if you think about it, postnasal drip is actually a great defense. Try to remember that when your nose is raw from blowing it.
Deviated septum. This is a technical term that means the cartilage that divides the nose into two sides has moved. It may be an innate structural problem, or it may be caused from that thwack in the nose you got while playing patty-cake with your one-year-old. Whatever the cause, a deviated septum can alter mucus flow.
Dusty or smoky conditions. Dust and smoke can dry out your nose and make it tough to produce an adequate amount of mucus, so the mucus you do produce gets thicker. As a result, you end up clearing your throat every few seconds.
Getting older. Another one of the joys of passing years is that your mucus production slows down and your mucus gets thicker. That's why you hear older men hacking when they wake up. Thicker mucus takes some time to get moving through the throat. Swallowing muscles get weaker as you get older, too, so you may not be able to get rid of mucus as well as you once could.
Nasal or sinus polyps. Okay, so "polyps" is not a word you really like to hear, especially when they're growing in your nose. But polyps are typically noncancerous growths that simply obstruct or change mucus flow.
Pregnancy. A change in hormones seems to cause postnasal drip problems in some pregnant women.
Sinus infections. Your doctor calls it "sinusitis." Infection in the four cavities surrounding your nose can make you miserable. Sinuses can become swollen or blocked, and bacteria set up shop, causing a mean infection. Thick green or yellow mucus is a good indication that you have a sinus infection. Don't let this one go without seeing a doctor. Antibiotics are the only way to completely clear it up.
Some medicines. Antihistamines, diuretics, and some tranquilizers can dry up mucus production. When those commercials say that a product gives you "dry mouth," you can bet it gives you a dry nose and throat, too.
Some home remedies can ease the symptoms of postnasal drip and might be able to prevent the problem. Keep reading to learn more.
Home Remedy Treatments for Postnasal Drip
Most problems with postnasal drip are merely irritating and eventually will go away. But you can alleviate some symptoms with these home remedies from your kitchen.Home Remedies from the Cupboard
Salt. Gargling with salt water can help soothe your sore throat. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to 1 cup water and gargle away.
 ©2007 Publications International, Ltd. Gargle salt water to help soothe a throat raw from postnasal drip. |
Home Remedies from the Refrigerator
Baking soda. If you're willing to do anything to clear up your mucus problem, try this remedy. Mix 1 cup warm water, 1 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of baking soda. Get a nasal syringe and squirt the mixture into your nostril, closing off the back of your palate and your throat. Tilt your head back, forward, and to each side for eight to ten seconds in each position to get the solution through all four of your sinus cavities. After you swish everything around, blow your nose. Try squirting in three or four bulbs full of the solution on each side of your nose. If you don't have a bulb syringe, you can snort the mixture out of your cupped hand. Try this process up to six times a day when you're dealing with postnasal drip. If you want to avoid future problems, do it twice a day.
Water. Drinking enough water is a common-sense defense against postnasal drip. It keeps your mucus thin and your body, including your nasal passages, well hydrated. Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.
Home Remedies from the Stovetop
Kettle of boiling water. To keep the humidity high and stable in your house, keep a kettle of water on low boil.
Do Remember
- Away with allergens. If cat dander tends to make your mucus start multiplying, it's logical that you can avoid postnasal drip by avoiding that allergen. If you're not sure what allergies aggravate your nasal passages, do a little detective work and find out.
- Skip the smog. Smog contains known nasal irritants. Check your newspaper for news on air quality for the day and try to stay indoors as much as possible on bad days.
- Skip the smoke, too. Secondhand smoke can have just as bad an effect on your throat, sinuses, and nasal passages as firsthand stuff does.
- Do a decongestant. This magic medicine can help drain your sinuses and make you feel loads better. Just be sure to use the pill kind and avoid nasal sprays.
- Consider a cough syrup. It may sound strange, but some cough medicines thin mucus. Try Robitussin or Vicks Formula 44 to make your mucus more movable.
Cold and flu season is no fun, especially when you're suffering from postnasal drip. Learn more about nasal irritants by clicking on these links:
- To see all of our home remedies and the conditions they treat, go to our main Home Remedies page.
- Learn about methods you can use to fight the common cold in Home Remedies for Colds.
- In Home Remedies for the Flu, find ways to fight back when influenza hits home.
- When your nasal passages are packed with infection, find relief in Home Remedies for Sinusitis.
Timothy Gower is a freelance writer and editor whose work has appeared in many publications, including Reader's Digest, Prevention, Men's Health, Better Homes and Gardens, The New York Times, and The Los Angeles Times. The author of four books, Gower is also a contributing editor for Health magazine.
Alice Lesch Kelly is a health writer based in Boston. Her work has been published in magazines such as Shape, Fit Pregnancy, Woman's Day, Reader's Digest, Eating Well, and Health. She is the co-author of three books on women's health.
Linnea Lundgren has more than 12 years experience researching, writing, and editing for newspapers and magazines. She is the author of four books, including Living Well With Allergies.
Michele Price Mann is a freelance writer who has written for such publications as Weight Watchers and Southern Living magazines. Formerly assistant health and fitness editor at Cooking Light magazine, her professional passion is learning and writing about health.
ABOUT THE CONSULTANTS:
Ivan Oransky, M.D., is the deputy editor of The Scientist. He is author or co-author of four books, including The Common Symptom Answer Guide, and has written for publications including the Boston Globe, The Lancet, and USA Today. He holds appointments as a clinical assistant professor of medicine and as adjunct professor of journalism at New York University.
David J. Hufford, Ph.D., is university professor and chair of the Medical Humanities Department at Pennsylvania State University's College of Medicine. He also is a professor in the departments of Neural and Behavioral Sciences and Family and Community Medicine. Dr. Hufford serves on the editorial boards of several journals, including Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine and Explore.
This information is solely for informational purposes. IT IS NOT INTENDED TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE. Neither the Editors of Consumer Guide (R), Publications International, Ltd., the author nor publisher take responsibility for any possible consequences from any treatment, procedure, exercise, dietary modification, action or application of medication which results from reading or following the information contained in this information. The publication of this information does not constitute the practice of medicine, and this information does not replace the advice of your physician or other health care provider. Before undertaking any course of treatment, the reader must seek the advice of their physician or other health care provider.
