Postnasal Drip

Postnasal Drip

Some mucus is always gliding effortlessly down the back of your throat, but what happens when that normal trickle turns into Chinese mucus torture--the steady drip you know (and dread) as postnasal?

You hack. You ahem. You swallow. You snort.

In short, you suffer.

Some causes of postnasal drip are well known, such as colds and allergies. A less recognized cause is aging, when mucus turns a bit thicker and more obtrusive. So much for the causes. How about the cures?

Water down your woes. You want to keep that mucus as thin as possible," says Alexander C. Chester, M.D., clinical professor of medicine at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Steaming your nose in a hot shower or sauna, drinking a lot of water and humidifying the air will lighten the load on your nose and throat, he says.

Squirt in some salt and soda. Saline sprays or drops will help flush away excess nasal secretions, says Gailen D. Marshall, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor and director of the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Division at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. In eight ounces of water, dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of table salt and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. Use a nosedropper to squirt about half of the solution up your nose, he advises.

Postnasal Drip: A Gut Reaction?

We've all seen a faucet that drips down the drain, but how do you visualize a drip that goes up? What we sometimes think is that postnasal drip actually is bubbling up from the belly.

"I've seen many people undergo numerous surgeries for postnasal discharge, and they still have the problem," says Mark Loury, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore. "That's because the secretions are usually coming not from above the mouth but from below."

Thanks to a leaky valve separating your esophagus from your stomach, saliva, food and digestive enzymes may gurgle up your throat into the back of your mouth, a condition called gastroesophageal reflux. You may vomit a little or at least have a sour taste in your mouth when it is severe.

But more often a patient will complain of a dry, nonproductive cough, throat clearing, occasional hoarseness and a drip sensation in the throat area. "Because they may have the feeling it's coming from the nose," explains Dr. Loury, "many people think it's postnasal drip."

Fatty foods, alcohol and caffeine all encourage reflux, as does a large meal. When you do overindulge or feel that reflux feeling, reach for a Tums, Dr. Loury advises. Taking an antacid about 30 minutes after eating and then again before going to bed eases the symptoms.

Give your throat a saline swish. Once you've rinsed out your nostrils, gargle with the remainder of the saline solution. "That will soothe a scratchy throat and help eliminate the drainage sensation," Dr. Marshall says.

Get a rise out of lying down. If you notice the sensation of secretions in your throat at night, try raising the head of the bed by putting a few books under the legs of the headboard. (Be sure the bed will remain steady.) The drip won't pool in the back of your throat, and any stomach contents that might be creeping up your throat will drain back to where they belong, says Mark Loury, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore.

Don't scoff at a cough cure. Over-the-counter anticough preparations such as Robitussin and Vicks Formula 44 also thin the mucus, explains Horst R. Konrad, M.D., chairman of the Division of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield. These preparations will at least allow your mucus to take a smoother ride down your throat.

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