How to cure a runny nose at home

Runny nose (rhinitis) is an inflammation of the nasal mucosa, accompanied by swelling and mucus discharge. Most often, a runny nose occurs with colds or after hypothermia. Also, a runny nose can be one of the symptoms of allergic reactions. It can occur with irritation due to external factors (a sharp change in temperature and humidity), be a side effect of taking certain drugs.

Many people consider a runny nose to be a non-dangerous condition, they do not bother to go to the doctor with it and practice various methods of self-treatment of a runny nose at home, with the help of drugs and folk methods, without thinking that complications are possible both from taking drugs and from using folk remedies. “Komsomolskaya Pravda” chose the 9 most popular tips for treating a runny nose for children and adults at home and figured out whether it is worth practicing such treatment tactics at home.

1. Pharmacy drops or sprays from the common cold

If you are tormented by a stuffy nose, then adults and children can quickly get rid of a runny nose at home with vasoconstrictor drugs for a runny nose, which can be purchased at any pharmacy and without a doctor’s prescription. As a rule, they are produced in the form of drops or sprays and differ in the main active ingredient: xylometazoline (Tizin, Xymelin, Xylen, Otrivin, Snoop), oxymetazoline (Vicks, Sialor, Nazivin, Nazol), naphazoline (Naphthyzin, Sanorin), phenylephrine (Vibrocil ). All these drops and sprays effectively help with any type of rhinitis, quickly relieve swelling of the nasal mucosa, making breathing easier for up to 8 hours and practically without causing side effects.

The main thing to remember is that such drugs cannot be used for longer than 3-4 days, otherwise addiction may occur, drug-induced rhinitis, which is treated for a very long and difficult time. Also, some drops from the common cold should be used with caution by pregnant and lactating women, people with chronic diseases and children. Therefore, before buying, carefully read the instructions, follow the dosage, and if possible, consult your doctor.

2. Drops from the common cold based on herbs and essential oils

Also popular remedies for the treatment of the common cold in children and adults at home are herbal remedies made on the basis of extracts of medicinal herbs and essential oils. They also effectively relieve swelling of the nasal mucosa (although not for such a long time as oxymetazoline or xylometazoline), have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects, and are not addictive. However, they must be used with caution, because one or another plant component can cause an allergic reaction and the problem will worsen even more.

One of the popular herbal remedies for the treatment of the common cold at home is Sinupret, which is available in the form of dragees and drops and is effective for all types of rhinitis and sinusitis. The composition of Sinupret includes the root and flowers of gentian, primrose, sorrel, elderberry and verbena.

Contraindications for dragee: allergy to any component of the drug, children under 6 years of age, lactose intolerance. Drops: children under 2 years of age, alcoholism, liver disease, epilepsy, with caution – after suffering brain injuries, during pregnancy and lactation. It is also necessary to strictly observe the dosage indicated on the package of the drug.

3. Steam inhalation

Many, when symptoms of a cold appear with nasal congestion, sore throat and cough, try to help themselves with inhalation. Back in the days of our mothers and grandmothers, steam inhalations over a saucepan with a decoction of herbs or boiled potatoes were considered one of the treatment options. But today the opinion of doctors regarding these methods of treatment has changed.

Firstly, steam inhalations are unsafe, and their effectiveness is low. Hot steam can only increase swelling, dry mucous membranes, and sometimes dangerous burns of the skin and respiratory tract. In addition, in childhood, this procedure is also dangerous with body burns. Children are fidgety and can easily spill scalding liquids on themselves. There are many such cases, so it is worth abandoning such methods of treating a cold.

Questions are also caused by inhalation with a nebulizer or an ultrasonic inhaler. If it is sterile saline, they are acceptable, but will not give much effect. The use of mineral water, herbal decoctions is generally not recommended – these liquids are non-sterile, and fine particles penetrate deep enough into the respiratory tract. In addition, salt compounds in mineral water and components of herbal decoctions are difficult to remove from the respiratory tract and can do more harm than good.

Any inhalation should not be carried out at high temperature, a tendency to nosebleeds, hypertension, heart problems and pulmonary insufficiency.

4. Breathe onions or garlic

Another relic of the past, from which modern ENT doctors literally grab their heads. Who originally came up with such a terrible idea to drip the juice of such caustic plants into the nasal passages is unknown, but the technique is dangerous, especially for children.

Onion and garlic juice contains biologically active irritating and caustic compounds, fruit acids, which, when it comes into contact with the mucous membrane, dry it out and lead to a chemical burn. Such methods can lead to atrophy of the nasal mucosa, a permanent impairment of smell and make the treatment of the common cold more unbearable than the disease itself. Therefore, give up these experiments. If you want, eat garlic and onions in various dishes, spread the plants around the room on saucers to disinfect the air, but you should not bury them in your nose!

By the way, a more pleasant and less labor-intensive way to quickly relieve breathing and fight viruses is to use an inhaler patch with essential oils. A specially selected composition of essential oils has an antiviral, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect, helping to remove swelling and cope with the cause of a runny nose if it is caused by a cold.

5. Rinsing the nose with salt water

One of the most popular ways to quickly get rid of a runny nose at home is to rinse your nose with salt water. Salt draws out moisture, so swelling of the nasal mucosa quickly subsides, and salt water also kills all pathogenic microorganisms. Regular rinsing of the nose with salt water not only flushes out mucus, germs, dust and dirt particles and allergens, relieves inflammation, but is also an excellent prevention of colds.

You can use ready-made pharmacy sprays and solutions based on sea or ocean water: Aqualor, Aquamaris, Dolphin, Quicks. Even a regular saline solution will do, or you can prepare a saline solution for washing your nose yourself at home. To do this, in a glass of warm boiled water, you need to dissolve two teaspoons of salt without a slide. Make sure that the salt is thoroughly dissolved, otherwise the crystals can irritate the nasal mucosa. You can also add a drop of iodine to the solution to enhance the disinfecting effect. After that, you need to pinch one nostril, and inhale the prepared solution through the second. Fluid will pass through the nasopharynx and out through the mouth. After washing the nose, the remnants of liquefied mucus should be carefully blown out. You can also use a syringe or syringe to rinse your nose. However, do not forcefully inject the solution into the nose – you can bring infected mucus into the auditory tube. It is necessary to rinse the nose gently, without forming a liquid pressure.

6. Foot baths with mustard against the common cold

Foot baths with mustard were actively used by our grandmothers and mothers at the very first symptoms of a cold. After these baths with a vigorous smell, from which the eyes sometimes watered, the next day the runny nose disappeared, and the sore throat disappeared. Firstly, hot water improves blood flow and warms up well, while mustard enhances this effect and has a powerful antibacterial effect.

Contraindications to the procedure are high temperature, high blood pressure, pregnancy, varicose veins, skin lesions on the legs, exacerbation of chronic diseases.

To properly steam your feet with mustard in the treatment of colds and runny nose, you need to pour hot water into the basin (about 38-40 ° C, you do not need to pour boiling water), then pour 2-3 tablespoons of dry mustard, and then lower your legs there. When you feel that the water is cooling down, pour hot water into it. Soaring your feet is no more than 30 minutes, then rub them dry with a towel and put on woolen socks, lie down in a warm bed and treat yourself to a mug of hot herbal tea. Already in the morning there will be no trace of a runny nose, and to consolidate the therapeutic effect, repeat the procedure for a couple more evenings.

Children can also soar their feet with mustard, but only after five years, and the procedure time should not exceed 10 minutes, after which the child should immediately be put to bed. If a child protests against such a method of treatment, do not force him. It won’t do any good.

7. We instill aloe and Kalanchoe juice into the nose

Another extremely dangerous method of treatment, similar to the previously described garlic and onion juices. Aloe and Kalanchoe contains in its juice a mixture of active fruit acids and oils, irritates the mucous membrane, causing it to burn. That is why, when instilled, reflex sneezing occurs as an attempt by the body to get rid of the burning and traumatic agent as soon as possible. A similar method of treatment threatens the development of atrophic rhinitis and anosmia.

8. Beet or carrot juice nose drops

The situation is similar with another of the popular folk remedies for the treatment of a cold at home – instillation of beetroot or carrot juice into the nose. All juices contain a mixture of sufficiently active and aggressive substances that lead to irritation of the mucous membrane, increased runny nose and congestion. If you want to replenish your vitamin reserves, eat salads from carrots and beets, but do not use the juices of these plants in the form of nose drops! More effective and safer treatment options can be found.

9. Warming up the nose

Another simple and affordable, but at the same time very effective way to treat a runny nose with a cold at home is to warm up the nose. To do this, you need to take four tablespoons of coarse salt (preferably sea salt), heat it in a dry frying pan, then pour it into a bag of canvas and apply it to the bridge of the nose and wings of the nose until it cools completely. In addition to heat, which relieves swelling and thins mucus, salt vapor is well disinfected and destroys pathogens. Use this method with caution for those who have a tendency to nosebleeds. And for people suffering from chronic sinusitis, rhinitis or otitis, tonsillitis – this method is contraindicated. You can heat yourself up with purulent complications.

Popular questions and answers

We discussed the treatment of the common cold with therapist Lidia Golubenko, determining whether it is necessary to treat a runny nose at all and whether it is worth going to the doctor with it.