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The Doctors Book of Home Remedies II: Runny Nose

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Runny Nose

When you consider that the average nose produces up to three quarts of mucus each day to keep your upper respiratory tract lubricated, you have to expect a few extra drips now and then. (And if you have allergies, that three-quart average may turn into six.) Sometimes a stray ounce or two trickles down the back of your throat in the form of postnasal drip. Other times, that mucus contributes to a classic case of runny nose.

All the blame can't be placed on the mucus-making nasal and sinus cavities, or even on allergies. "Only about half of the people with runny nose are actually allergic," says Hueston C. King, M.D., an otolaryngologist in Venice, Florida, and visiting professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. "Many other people have nonallergic rhinitis, which can be triggered by the wind blowing, a change in temperature, even eating."

The obvious solution to any kind of runny nose is to blow your nose, which brings immediate relief and helps remove any irritants. But here are some other ways to make a nose stop running.

Eat Mexican. It's been well documented that spicy foods--particularly hot peppers, Tabasco sauce and other foods with capsaicin--help relieve congestion. It may seem like a contradiction, because this hot stuff triggers the same reflex that causes a runny nose.

So why eat spicy food? "Blasting yourself with hot and spicy food might be a good way to increase the nasal discharge to the point where it will remove whatever is causing it to run. In addition, this same response releases chemicals in the nose that protect you against infection," says Gordon Raphael, M.D., an allergist and former researcher at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in Bethesda, Maryland. "It certainly won't hurt you and could be very beneficial."

Use antihistamines with care. "If your runny nose is caused by allergies, then taking an over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamine will help," says Dr. King.

"But if you get a runny nose from wind, changes in temperatures or other reasons, don't put much faith in OTCs. You may get some relief from antihistamines, but it won't be good relief."

Another reason to exercise caution: "All over-the-counter antihistamines cause drowsiness to some degree," adds Dr. King. The only "nondrowsy" antihistamines, terfenadine (Seldane) and astemizole (Hismanal), are available only by prescription.

What's Causing Your Runny Nose?

Is your runny nose due to allergies or to aging? Many people simply "develop" a tendency toward runny nose as they age, says Hueston C. King, M.D., an otolaryngologist in Venice, Florida, and visiting professor at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Here's how to tell whats causing yours.

You're likely allergic if you get a runny nose only at certain times of the year--usually spring or fall--or when you've been exposed to known allergens such as pet fur, dust or pollen. Also, the "reactor" will come almost instantaneously, "occurring within the first few minutes, of being exposed to that substance, according to Dr. King.

But the cause may be attributed to the natural aging process if it happens after you've been out in the wind or after there's been a sharp change in temperature. If your nose runs as soon as you go outdoors, or come inside, or eat a meal, blame it on aging rather than allergies.

Soothe with salt water. Another effective way to remove allergens causing a runny nose--and to dry out secretions--is to "irrigate" nostrils with a saltwater solution. It may be uncomfortable at first, says Jerold Principato, M.D., clinical professor of otolaryngology in the Department of Surgery at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, D.C., but it gets easier with practice.

Simply dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of table salt in eight ounces of warm water. Draw the water into a nosedropper (aspirator), and with your head tilted back, put the tip of the nosedropper in your nostril. Then breathe in to "suck" the water into your nostril. You may need to do this a few times before you feel relief. When you're finished, blow your nose to remove the watery discharge.

Nudge out nasal sprays. You can also buy nonprescription saline nasal spray or mist at most drugstores. But these products should be used sparingly, because they can have a "rebound effect" and actually worsen the problem.

"For instance, many people may notice that they get a runny nose when they eat. It's not necessarily the spice but rather the change in temperature of the food that causes a runny nose," says Dr. King. For these situations, according to Dr. King, it's fine to use the nasal spray in advance,just to avoid the awkwardness and discomfort of having a runny nose in a restaurant. "But you should use the nose spray only when you dine out," says Dr. King. "When eating at home, you should just endure it."

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