Nasal allergies are very common and as a result, not taken seriously by most people. In most cases you patiently withstand the coughing and sneezing, which might last for an entire day and in the process might inadvertently damage your health by choosing to ignore it for the time being. Here are some of the commonly experienced nasal allergies and what you should do to get relief from them.

1. Runny or stuffy nose: The best option is to just avoid allergy triggers. For example, if pollen is your allergen, then avoid going out during the times pollen count when it is reported to be high. Or, if animals make you sneeze, then make sure to have your hands washed and clothes changed after playing with them. Do not over use decongestant sprays at all. If these symptoms persist for more than half a week, then it's time to seek your doctor's advice.
1. Uncontrollable Sneezing: Again, the best option is to avoid; but in many cases, it becomes difficult for you to avoid the allergen. In those cases, try antihistamine. If that doesn't work, then you can also go for a nasal steroid spray, but again, make sure to not overuse it.
2. Post Nasal Drip: Usually, you unconsciously swallow your mucus. But, if the mucus quantity increases, it becomes thicker and results in post-nasal drip. It isn't much common, but you can practically feel the mucus dripping into your throat from the back of the nose. It can result in a lumpy feeling in the throat and can cause irritation. You can try drinking more fluids and using a nasal spray to reduce the mucus quantity. If that doesn't work, then it's time to seek advice from your doctor.
3. Eyes that itch: Watery eyes that itch are annoying companions of nose allergy and though they might not be a serious hazard for the eyes, you cannot ignore them. Try wearing sunglasses when you go out into a reportedly high-pollen-count weather. It might be a better option to forego contact lenses; they can escalate the entire eye-itching problem. If it becomes too itchy, you can place a cold washcloth over your eyes.

Testing an Allergy
Allergy testing is commonly done by by skin prick test, in order to diagnose the allergens. Once, the allergens are diagnosed, immunotherapy can be started, which will help in improving the symptoms of and in many cases, it provides complete cure.

Allergic Issues of the Nose

A blocked nose is not only annoying, but is extremely discomforting. Several reasons can be held responsible for it and common cold is certainly not the only one. Some other reasons include:
1. Flu
2. Allergy
3. Sinus

Therefore, the remedial measures for blocked nose vary, depending on the cause that led to it. Some of the ways by which you can redress this problem are:

Use a humidifier: Sinusitis is often held responsible for a clogged nose, a condition that is almost always accompanied by severe pain. In such a situation, placing a humidifier in a room proves to be extremely beneficial. This machine treats blocked nose by converting the water to moisture. This fills up the room and significantly increases the humidity of the room. Therefore when you breathe, the humid air soothes the inflamed blood vessels in the nose and helps you to breathe properly.
Take a hot shower: When you find it difficult to breathe, a quick hot shower can go a long way in curing the discomfort. The logic that operates is the steam generated from the hot shower thins the mucus and also considerably reduces the inflammation in the nose, allowing you to breathe normally.
Drink lots of water: Though the suggestion may seem incredible, drinking water actually helps in un-blocking that blocked nose. When you drink a lot of water, the mucus in the nostrils is thinned, at the same time it pushes back the accumulated fluids, thereby curbing the condition of blocked nose.
Using a saline spray: This is one of the most ancient and trusted ways of treating blocked nose. By administering a saline or a nasal spray, the moisture in your nostrils increases and radically diminishes the inflammation.
Use warm compresses: Using a warm compress has been the most reliable form of medication in times of high temperature and also at times of blocked nose. The compress that was dipped in hot water, when placed on the nose and forehead helps to unblock the nasal passages. The soothing effect of the warm compresses reduces the inflammation and facilitates the process of breathing.

Blocked Nose: 5 Remedies For It!

You know that breathing is very much integral to staying alive. It is the only visible symptom that you are alive. Breathing helps in providing oxygen to the body which is essential to carry out various physiological processes. The nose is the organ through which we breathe and should be kept clean so that it does not interfere with the breathing process or cause any sort of breathing difficulty.

Therefore, cleaning your nose on a regular basis is very important in terms of improving your health and increasing your lifespan. Cleansing your nose on a regular basis can improve the quality of breath and help in protecting your breathing passage as well.

Ayurvedic treatment: Neti
Generally Ayurvedic techniques are considered to be the safest ways to clean your nose. Neti in Ayurveda is a cleansing procedure, which involves using a modified cup referred to as a nasal rinse cup.  The cup is filled with water or saline solution and is normally used to clear the breathing passages or the nostrils in particular. Neti is administered in the following steps:

Prepare a saline solution by taking a quarter teaspoon of table salt and dissolve it in a cup of boiled and cooled or distilled water. You also need to take care of the fact that the salt is non-iodized.
After preparing the solution you need to put it in the 'Neti' cup. Then put the nozzle of the vessel firmly against one of your nostril in such a way that the water does not leak out.
Breathe in and out steadily through your mouth.
Lift the pot and tilt it in a manner such that water enters your nostril. After half of the water has passed into your nostrils, remove the nozzle and let the water to run out of your nostril.
Blow your nostril to remove any moisture that is left inside.
Repeat the process with the other nostril.
It is very important to ensure that your nostrils are fully dry and no moisture is present inside as it might lead to further complications such as infection and inflammation within the nasal or the sinus cavities. It has been observed that using a nasal rinse cup during cold seasons helps to reduce nasal congestion to a great extent. Excessive cough or mucus can also be cleared up by using this particular method. It also helps to improve the quality of breath and it also helps you to relax and stay calm.

Neti Treatment - Nose Cleansing for Clear Breathing

What is a foreign body (FB)?
Foreign body or FB is an object or piece of extraneous matter that has entered the body by accident or design. It is common to see certain items getting stuck in the ear, nose or throat especially, in young children. While most of the time they do not raise an alarm, however, sometimes they can lead to severe consequences like rupture of the eardrum or even choking.

How do FBs affect ear, nose and throat?

Children over 9 months develop an ability to pick up objects. As they explore the environment around them, they tend to put items such as peas, beans, marbles, beads, cotton, paper, etc, in their mouth, nose or ears. Similar trend may be seen in adults with mental disorders.
Trauma/ fall/accident can force FBs like rock, pebbles into the ear, nose or throat.
Adults while riding a bike or sleeping on the ground (campsites) can have insects: flies, ants, roaches fly into the nose or ear.
Choking occurs when FBs block the airway, common reasons are: not chewing the food properly, diseases like Parkinsonism, drinking alcohol or certain drugs that slowdowns the process of swallowing.
Managing FB in the ear, nose and throat

Foreign bodies in the ear
Symptoms: Pain in the ear, discharge or bleeding from the ear, feeling of fullness or pressure in the ear and dizziness and nausea in extreme cases.

Management: 

Make sure the patient is sitting in an upright position, pull the pinna or outer semicircle of the ear towards the back. This can help you see the object clearly and also loosen it to wiggle out. If you can see the object clearly, use a tweezer to grasp the object and gently remove.
In case a live insect gets trapped inside the ear lie down and place few drops of warm vegetable or baby oil. Use oil only if symptoms of eardrum perforation like pain, bleeding/discharge from the ear is absent.
Tilting the head to the affected side can facilitate gravity to dislodge the object.
Foreign bodies in the nose:
Symptoms: Pain and difficulty in breathing from that side of the nose.
Management: Keep the uninvolved nostril closed by pressing a finger against the side of the nose and gently ask the person to blow from the affected nostril.

Foreign bodies in the throat:
Symptoms: Choking, inability to breathe and speak 
Management: Perform Heimlich maneuver: abdominal thrusts, if trained otherwise, it is advised to call for medical help immediately.

How can you prevent foreign bodies from entering your ear, nose, throat?

Discourage talking, playing, laughing when food is in the mouth.
Do not give whole grapes, popcorn, nuts to children below 3 years.
Keep small objects out of reach of small children.
Teach children to avoid placing objects into their nose, ears.

Presence Of Foreign Bodies In Ear/Nose/Throat - How It Can Be Managed?

No one likes to suffer from any infection, and especially not in the upper respiratory tract. This is because few things have the potential to ruin a person s productivity, and infection is one of those things. 

The throat pain has its own unique way of irritating the person suffering from this infection along with a headache, which renders all intention to get stuff done useless. This takes a serious toll on a person s health and well-being.

Taking all this into account, a person would obviously want to get rid of the upper respiratory tract infection. In fact, there are a variety of ways in which doctors treat infections of the upper respiratory tract. After all, it all depends on the specific field of medicine that the doctor practices. As a matter of fact, homeopathy is said to be the best way to treat such an infection.

Belladonna is one of the most effective medicines from the field of homeopathy when it comes to treating upper respiratory tract infections. In fact, what often happens is that the medicine which is taken to nips the problem in the bud before it has been given the time and chance to progress.

While it is true that a name such as arsenicum album may be a little disconcerting on account of having the word Arsenic in its name, it does plays a big role in reducing the impact of upper respiratory tract infections. This medicine has its greatest effect on those who feel really cold due to the infection and feel that their noses are blocked. An added symptom is feeling a burning sensation. It may be true that most people who have upper respiratory tract infections experience two if not all three of these symptoms.

Infections such as these do involve a lot of sneezing in some cases. And this sneezing can be really annoying, not only for the person who experiences persistent sneezing multiple times a day but also for the people around him or her! In a situation like this one, the best medicine is none other than Merc sol! People with fevers and a recurrent thirst are the ones who need this medicine.

Sometimes, during weather changes or epidemics, the symptoms may be similar or may even overlap in patients. It is best to visit a homeopathic practitioner to get the right treatment at the right time.

Can Upper Respiratory Tract Infection Be Treated With Homeopathy?

Rhinitis is an irritable medical condition where the mucous lining of a person's nose swells up. The term is more of a category and less of a definitive way to describe something specific. Rhinitis involves a host of other conditions that affect the mucous membranes of your nose. If you were not aware, common cold is also a kind of rhinitis. Rhinitis can cause acute touchiness in the inner lining of the nose leading to continuous discharges from one's nose. It can also lead to clogging of your nose or inflammation of the internal tissues. 

Rhinitis can be divided under two main types; allergic and non- allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis, popularly known as hay fever is caused due to contact with allergens that are usually undamaging. However, in case of non- allergic rhinitis the symptoms take after that of the allergic type but no particular causal factor can be identified.

Factors that can increase your propensity to suffer from rhinitis of any kind are:-

Pollen from flowers
Inhaling certain substances can be harmful; smell of certain chemicals is bad too.
Both active as well as passive smoking can be detrimental
High levels of air pollution contributes to the risk
Weather conditions affect your health; a windy yet humid weather can aggravate rhinitis.
Common symptoms of rhinitis can be listed as below:-

A person suffering from this condition might catch a cold all of a sudden.
People, usually little children, might even face high fevers.
Your nose tends to be runny. After the infection subsides, chances of a thick, sticky discharge are more.
Exhaustion is also felt in combination with headaches and teary eyes.
The nature of your nasal discharge tells the doctor if you are suffering from an allergy or from a viral infection.
A few preventive measures to aid you against rhinitis:-

Rhinitis can be communicable and in most cases it is so. Therefore a person should not share his or her utensils and other personal things such as towels or handkerchiefs with any other person.
One should not be in close proximity of another infected person.
Hands are the most common sources of infection. One must wash his or her unclean hands before touching the face.


All about Rhinitis

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