Medicines that Make a Stuffy Nose Stuffier, and What to Use Instead
A stuffy nose is a common complication of allergies, colds, and flu.
It's tempting to use a nose spray or an antihistamine to try to unclog nasal passages, but many over-the-counter products and commonly prescribed medications actually make the problem worse.
Here are a few examples: · Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) Used regularly, can raise blood pressure, requiring treatment with a blood pressure medication which, ironically, dries out the sinuses · Fluticasone (Flonase) It can open up airways, but dry them out so much that they bleed.
Then the clotted blood causes just as much clogging as dried mucus · Budesonide (Rhinocort, Rhinocort AQ) It stops swelling, but can also cause bleeding, as well as headaches Similar problems are a side effect of regular use of aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, oral contraceptives, beta-blockers to control blood pressure, estrogen replacement therapy, and many drugs used to treat depression.
Even worse, almost any nose spray used for more than a week can cause the symptoms it is intended to treat.
There are better ways available to treat allergic rhinitis.
Rhinitis medicamentosa Stuffed-up nose that is caused by medications intended to relieve it is so common that there is even a medical term for the condition, rhinitis medicamentosa.
One study found that 6.
7 per cent of doctors have the condition.
Another study found that 52 out of 100 allergy patients came to the doctor for treatment of congestion actually caused by medication, both over-the-counter and prescription.
Alternatives to pills and sprays But if you can't treat your stopped-up nose from allergic rhinitis with a pill or a spray, what can you do? Here are some suggestions.
· For small children, irrigate with saline solution.
"Irrigation" means applying 2 or 3 drops of sterile salt water, never so much salt water that there is even the slightest possibility of gagging or choking.
For infants, the loosened mucus and phlegm then has to be removed with a bulb syringe.
This is a device that looks like a miniature turkey baster.
It does not have a needle.
· Try a vaporizer.
Humidifying the air loosens crusts inside sinuses and nose passages and makes them easier for sneezing to remove.
· Even better, try an ultrasound essential oil diffuser.
Vibrating thousands of times per second, ultrasound diffusers create millions of tiny drops of essential oil that float through the air and stay in the air, ready to be breathed in to relieve stuffiness.
The most effective of all the alternative treatments And to make any allergic rhinitis treatment work better, consider the benefits of facial massage.
The World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine, in Bundoora, Australia, reviewed 92 studies of acupressure for allergic rhinitis.
The researchers concluded that acupressure was more effective than herbal medicine, as effective as antihistamines, and more effective than any other technique, including herbs, prescription medication, or acupuncture, for keeping stuffiness and runny nose from coming back.
The great thing about acupressure is that you don't have to take an advanced study course to do it.
You can do effective acupressure at home, and you don't even have any particular massage skills.
Don't let allergic rhinitis interrupt your daily activities or even your job.
Allergic rhinitis treatment with acupressure device
It's tempting to use a nose spray or an antihistamine to try to unclog nasal passages, but many over-the-counter products and commonly prescribed medications actually make the problem worse.
Here are a few examples: · Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) Used regularly, can raise blood pressure, requiring treatment with a blood pressure medication which, ironically, dries out the sinuses · Fluticasone (Flonase) It can open up airways, but dry them out so much that they bleed.
Then the clotted blood causes just as much clogging as dried mucus · Budesonide (Rhinocort, Rhinocort AQ) It stops swelling, but can also cause bleeding, as well as headaches Similar problems are a side effect of regular use of aspirin, Tylenol, Advil, oral contraceptives, beta-blockers to control blood pressure, estrogen replacement therapy, and many drugs used to treat depression.
Even worse, almost any nose spray used for more than a week can cause the symptoms it is intended to treat.
There are better ways available to treat allergic rhinitis.
Rhinitis medicamentosa Stuffed-up nose that is caused by medications intended to relieve it is so common that there is even a medical term for the condition, rhinitis medicamentosa.
One study found that 6.
7 per cent of doctors have the condition.
Another study found that 52 out of 100 allergy patients came to the doctor for treatment of congestion actually caused by medication, both over-the-counter and prescription.
Alternatives to pills and sprays But if you can't treat your stopped-up nose from allergic rhinitis with a pill or a spray, what can you do? Here are some suggestions.
· For small children, irrigate with saline solution.
"Irrigation" means applying 2 or 3 drops of sterile salt water, never so much salt water that there is even the slightest possibility of gagging or choking.
For infants, the loosened mucus and phlegm then has to be removed with a bulb syringe.
This is a device that looks like a miniature turkey baster.
It does not have a needle.
· Try a vaporizer.
Humidifying the air loosens crusts inside sinuses and nose passages and makes them easier for sneezing to remove.
· Even better, try an ultrasound essential oil diffuser.
Vibrating thousands of times per second, ultrasound diffusers create millions of tiny drops of essential oil that float through the air and stay in the air, ready to be breathed in to relieve stuffiness.
The most effective of all the alternative treatments And to make any allergic rhinitis treatment work better, consider the benefits of facial massage.
The World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine, in Bundoora, Australia, reviewed 92 studies of acupressure for allergic rhinitis.
The researchers concluded that acupressure was more effective than herbal medicine, as effective as antihistamines, and more effective than any other technique, including herbs, prescription medication, or acupuncture, for keeping stuffiness and runny nose from coming back.
The great thing about acupressure is that you don't have to take an advanced study course to do it.
You can do effective acupressure at home, and you don't even have any particular massage skills.
Don't let allergic rhinitis interrupt your daily activities or even your job.
Allergic rhinitis treatment with acupressure device
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