Drip, drip, drip. When will it end! Have you said that to yourself when post nasal drip – sinus drainage – went on and on? If we were to know the causes we could go right to the root of the problem. So here are some of the causes of sinus drainage:
- Irritation of the nasal passages, caused by: Allergies, air pollution, smoke, viral infection
- Air dryness
- Bacterial infections
Given your particular living environment and lifestyle, try to ascertain the one thing, among those mentioned, that you think could be the cause of the problem. Do a little experimenting. For example: Get your nose close to the carpet, or to some plant in or around the house and sniff profoundly to try to detect whether you are allergic to it. Have you noticed whether the problem begins or is more severe when the air is very dry? Could it be that the drainage started after you have had a nasal or sinus congestion for several days, which then developed into an infection?
The answer to these questions could determine what caused the drainage and how best to end it. For example, if the drainage discharge is very profuse, clear and watery it is most likely an irritation of the nasal passages and in this case you would want to: Drink a lot of pure, simple, room temperature water, at least 5 full glasses a day. If allergies seem to be the culprit then an antihistamine such as loratadine 10mg – Claritin – would stem the drainage. The latter does not cause drowsiness, this is important if you need to drive. Taking extra vitamin C is very helpful in many cases.These three simple remedies should begin to relieve allergy symptoms within 24 hours.
If the cause of the drainage seems to be air dryness, then the use of a cool steam humidifier in your immediate environment should offer substantial help. I use an ultrasonic humidifier and it seems to work very well. It keeps the nasal and sinus membranes properly moist and avoids the extra watery mucus they produce to compensate for the air dryness. Again, drinking abundant plain, pure water can do much good and help prevent a sinus infection.
Bacterial infections are sometimes the cause of the problem. You would know it by the thick, sticky, yellow-green discharge. If the infection has already fully developed the best thing to do is to go see your doctor who would very likely prescribe an antibiotic such as Bactrim DS. If you catch the infection early on, then drinking lots of plain water and taking some botanicals which boost the immune system should stem a full blown infection and dispose of it in a few days.
Reducing significantly mucus producing foods goes a long way to treat and prevent sinus and nasal drainage.