Postnasal Drip

It’s like Chinese water torture inside your sinuses. Drip. Drip. Drip. The constant drainage of mucus from your nose into the back of your throat can be infuriatingly annoying—and it can also be a sign of allergies, sinus infection or other problems.

Actually, your sinuses drain mucus down your throat all of the time. It’s just that you don’t notice it unless there’s an unusually heavy flow or the mucus become thicker than normal. The natural remedies in this chapter, used with your doctor’s approval, may help prevent or ease postnasal drip, according to some health professionals.

Food Therapy

“Get the dairy out of your diet,” advises Michael A. Klaper, M.D., a nutritional medicine specialist in Pompano Beach, Florida, and director of the Institute of Nutritional Education and Research, an organization based in Man hattan Beach, California, that teaches doctors about nutrition and its relationship to disease. Milk, cheeses and other dairy foods tend to promote mucus production, which can trigger or aggravate postnasal drip, according to Dr. Klaper.

Juice Therapy

People with postnasal drip may benefit from drinking apple or dark grape juice, says John Peterson, M.D., an Ayurvedic practitioner in Muncie, Indiana. He suggests drinking one eight-ounce glass every day, preferably before a meal. If the juice seems too strong, it can be diluted with water, he says. Cranberry juice can also be helpful, he adds.

For information on juicing techniques, see page 93.

Yoga

To ease postnasal drip, try a neti, a yogic nasal wash, suggests Stephen A. Nezezon, M.D., yoga teacher and staff physician at the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy in Honesdale, Pennsylvania. The wash can help reduce excess sinus flow, he says.

His instructions: Start by filling a four-ounce paper cup halfway with warm water and then add ½ teaspoon of salt. Put a small crease in the lip of the cup so that it forms a spout. Slightly tilt your head back and to the left. Then slowly pour the water into your right nostril. The water will flow out of your left nostril or down the back of your throat if your left nostril is clogged. Spit out the water if it goes down your throat, or wipe the water from your face with a hand towel if it flows out of your left nostril. Fill the cup again, then repeat the procedure on the other side, pouring the water into your left nostril and tilting your head back and to the right so that the water flows out of your right nostril.

Dr. Nezezon suggests using this treatment daily to relieve postnasal drip and to keep the sinuses clear and healthy.

See also Sinus Problems