What to do against a runny nose?

Especially in the winter months many patients suffer from a runny nose. What you can do against a runny nose is above all the use of well-known home remedies. Of course, nasal sprays also help, but they should not be used too often and, above all, not for too long, as they cause lasting damage to the nasal mucous membrane and lead to so-called adaptation behavior.

This means that the nose gets used to receiving nasal sprays and therefore always needs a certain “dose” to function normally. Therefore, in extreme cases, a certain addictive behavior can occur, which can be very harmful to the nose. For this reason, nasal spray should only be used initially if the nose is running.

What you can do with a runny nose is to use inhalation baths. These are hot water, which is mixed with Emser salts or even spruce branches so that the patient inhales the water and thus gets a clear nose. It is also important not to underestimate a runny nose.

A runny nose is usually caused by a slight cold. However, if the nose is runny all the time and severe headaches and fever occur, you should consult a doctor as a runny nose can also be the result of a liquor leakage due to a fracture of the base of the skull. A cold is called chronic rhinitis if it lasts longer than three months and does not disappear or disappears only very irregularly.

What patients with chronic rhinitis should do is to take care of their nose regularly. Frequent nose blowing can cause the sensitive nose to become red and dry very quickly. Therefore, the use of gentle handkerchiefs as well as regular lubrication of the nose with a fat-rich, perfume-free cream (Bepanthen® or Vaseline) should be observed.

What you should also do in case of a chronic cold is to have the correct diagnosis made by a doctor, because in the worst case, in addition to running your nose, a tumor can also be stuck (in this case, blood often comes out of the nose). For this purpose, the nose is examined with the help of an endoscope, a small rod with a camera at the other end. With the help of this device, the cause of chronic rhinitis can be diagnosed.

If the chronic cold occurs together with an inflammation of the paranasal sinuses, it is called rhinosinusitis. Since this can be extremely painful and in the long run also puts a lot of strain on the body, it is important to take action against chronic rhinitis and its consequences. A chronic rhinitis is often caused by an anatomical narrowing.

If the nasal septum is too strong or displaced or if nasal polyps constrict the sinuses, surgery should even be considered. What one should also do to counteract chronic rhinitis is to inhale water baths. Pharmacies usually have special salts for this purpose, such as the Emser salts, which can be added to the water, heated and then inhaled for about 10 minutes under a closed towel.

This helps to clear the nose and the inhalation has a cleansing effect and promotes blood circulation to support the immune system. To minimize the focus of inflammation in the nose, the doctor may administer cortisone nasal spray, which must then be taken regularly for 6 weeks, but in some cases antibiotic therapy is used.In many cases, however, consideration should be given to having surgery performed as it can significantly improve symptoms in almost 90% of patients. Doctors speak of an allergic rhinitis when the rhinitis is caused by allergens such as pollen, grasses or animal hair.

Depending on the allergen that triggers the rhinitis, the rhinitis can occur seasonally (for example, during the pollen count) or it can persist throughout the year (for example, in animal hair). Every time the body reacts hypersensitively to an allergen, it is a so-called reaction of the immediate type (type 1). What one should do in case of an allergic rhinitis is first of all to avoid the allergen.

If a patient is allergic to pollen, he should avoid going jogging in a meadow in the spring months, as this can lead to a fatal allergic reaction with shortness of breath, palpitations and sweating. In case of an already known allergic rhinitis, it also helps to always consult the doctor in time before coming into contact with the allergen. A physician can now prescribe anti-inflammatory drugs that not only reduce the runny nose but generally weaken all symptoms and thus make the time in which the allergen is dominant more tolerable.

If you only have a mild allergic rhinitis, you can also use cromoglicic acid to prevent the allergic reaction. In some cases, it also helps to desensitize the body. This means that the patient is first injected with a very weak dose of the allergen, for example a pollen tincture, on the skin.

This dose is increased continuously without triggering an allergic reaction. Instead, the body gets used to the allergen and no longer classifies it as dangerous. In many cases, a complete cure from the allergy can be achieved.

It is important to do this only under the guidance of a physician and not to go off on your own as this can lead to a fatal allergic reaction that damages the body much more than it helps. In addition, with many allergies, such a desensitization is not possible, such as an allergy to house dust. Here it should be paid attention to avoid the allergy-causing substance since this is the only thing that can be done against the allergic rhinitis.