Post Nasal Drip Homeopathy Treatment: Causes, Symptoms & Medicines

A feeling of mucus being accumulated in the throat or when there is dripping of mucus from the back of the nose into the throat, this condition is said to be a Post Nasal Drip(PND).

Postnasal drip itself is not a disease, but it is the effect of other conditions like sinusitis.

The mucus is usually produced continuously from the glands which are present in the nose and throat. This mucus is of great help in moistening and cleansing the nasal lining. It also helps to trap and clear whatever is inhaled and helps fight infection.

We usually do not notice the mucus from the throat since it mixes with the saliva, drips into the throat, and is swallowed.

But when our body produces more than the usual quantity or thick, it affects us. It might blow from the nose presenting as a runny nose or into the throat as a postnasal drip.

Postnasal drip occurs when there is an excess of mucus production or thick mucus secretion or impairment in the clearance of mucus from the nose and the throat.

If the post nasal syndrome is associated with chronic cough for a very long time, it is upper airway cough syndrome.

It is not a life-threatening condition and, most of the time usually resolves on its own. Many people live with chronic postnasal drip, especially during allergy seasons.

Though most of the cases decide on their own, the ones which are long-lasting and chronic can become a breeding ground for germs and can lead to other infections like sinus infections, ear infections, etc.

If the mucus is discolored and appears bloody and emits a foul smell, and is also accompanied by fever, immediate treatment is essential.

Swallowing problems that also lead to mucus accumulation in the throat may also appear like post nasal drip. These conditions are more common in the aged and conditions like gastroesophageal reflux etc.

Hence knowing the exact reason is essential for treating the disease.

Post Nasal Drip Causes

Several conditions that can cause postnasal drip – 

-Colds, flu, bacterial infections

-Allergic postnasal drip, allergies like hayfever are responsible; pollens cause seasonal allergies.

-Vasomotor rhinitis (which is also called overly sensitive nose)

-Sinusitis, Asthma

-Abnormal growth in the throat.

-Obstruction in the nasal passage such as nasal polyps.

-Fungal infection is a sporadic case.

-In children, the most common cause is objects being stuck in the nose.

-Pregnancy

-Medications are used to control blood pressure and for birth control. These medications tend to thicken the mucus.

-Changing weather, cold temperatures, cold, dry air: inhaling cold or dry air leads to irritation of the mucus lining in the nose and throat. Thereby body reacts by increasing mucus secretion to warm the passage and ease the itch.

-Deviated nasal septum: when the wall between the nostrils is not in shape, it leads to difficulty in draining the mucus, leading to postnasal drip.

-Enlarged turbinates in the nose.

-Certain foods like spicy food may trigger mucus flow

-Certain products create fumes like chemicals, perfumes, cleaning products, smoke, or other irritants.

-Chronic respiratory conditions like COPD.

-Age-related conditions are leading to nasal blockage or gastroesophageal reflux.

-Rebound congestion due to overuse of nasal sprays.

Thin clear secretions are due to colds, flu, allergies, cold temperatures, bright light, foods, pregnancy, medications, hormonal changes, and even deviated nasal septum.

Thick secretions often result from dryness in heated up space, sinus allergies, dairy foods, etc.

Post Nasal Drip Symptoms

A sensation of mucus dripping is the commonest, and apart from it, other symptoms depend upon the underlying disorder.

-The feeling of constantly wanting to clear your throat or swallow

-Itchy sore throat. There is always a tickly feeling in the throat.

-Cough is worse at night, and it is a ubiquitous presence and is persistent.

-Coughing up clear, yellow, green, or brown mucus.

-A sensation of the lump at the back of your throat and a burning feeling in the throat.

-Excess mucus that goes into your stomach can cause nausea.

-If the mucus happens to block your eustachian tube(which connects your middle ear and throat), it could lead to an ear infection.

-Sinus infection is also very much a possibility if these passages are clogged. This leads to facial or sinus pain and headache with discomfort.

-Bad breath is also known as halitosis.

-Blocked or runny nose, sneezing.

-Hoarse voice

-Pus or white patches are covering the throat or tonsils.

-There can be constitutional symptoms like body ache, fatigue, fever with chills, with enlarged lymph nodes in the throat. There can also be decreased sense of smell, nasal congestion, puffiness under the eyes, redness, and watering.

-Heartburn is also noticed in those people who are suffering from gastroesophageal reflux.

-Upper airway cough syndrome includes

• Postnasal drip

• Dry cough, which is persistent for more than eight weeks

• Unpleasant sensation in throat ( like tickling, or something stuck, etc.)

Post Nasal Drip Complication

You might need emergency medical treatment in case you experience the following.

• Difficulty breathing

• Difficulty swallowing

• Fever

• Lump in the throat

• Bump or sore in the nose which doesn’t heal

• Sudden swelling of tongue or throat.

Post Nasal Drip Diagnosis

Postnasal drip is usually diagnosed with the help of symptoms themselves. If any other symptoms accompanying, then it will help to identify the underlying cause – 

-One may do PHYSICAL EXAMINATION to look for signs of swelling and congestion in the throat.

-A Doctor will examine for other symptoms like headache, fever, chills, body ache.

-If the mucus/sputum is blood-tinged, then it would require further evaluation.

-In case an allergy is suspected, then a doctor might suggest doing allergy testing.

-Imaging might be required if the physician suspects any anatomical variations like deviated nasal septum.

-One might do further interventional tests like gastroduodenoscopy to visualize the lining of the esophagus, stomach, duodenum in cases of GERD.

Post Nasal Drip Management

Tips To Manage Postnasal Drip At Home/Auxillary Management

• Elevating the head while sleeping will help in the mucus drainage and reduce the amount of mucus accumulating in the throat.

• Drinking plenty of fluids helps in thinning out the mucus and thereby helps in drainage and prevents dehydration.

• Drinking warm teas and broths helps in relieving other symptoms like sinus and sore throat.

• Steam inhalation will help out in thinning out the mucus.

• Avoiding pets, preventing molds by using a dehumidifier and exhaust fan is essential.

• Use allergen-proof covers on mattresses and pillows.

• Washing the bed linen once a week in hot water and drying it in the heat of the sun is essential to prevent dust and allergies.

In Incase Of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease(GERD)

• Avoid caffeine and alcohol

• Avoid spicy, oily food and those who disagree.

• To lose excess weight.

• Do not eat or drink at least 2 hours before bedtime.

Conventional Line Of Treatment of PND

• Oral decongestants

• Antihistamine – to control allergy

• Antibiotics in case of infections

• Steroids and nasal sprays are also given in case of severe allergies.

• Acetaminophen and lozenges are used to ease the sore throat.

• MUCUS thinning drugs are also used in some instances.

• In the case of gastroesophageal reflux, dietary management with medications will help to curb the condition.

Post Nasal Drip Homeopathic Medicines

The conventional line of treatment only aims at control of symptoms, but homeopathy aims at cure.

Homeopathy is a science that doesn’t focus only on illness and symptoms but also on the patient. So after the complete detailed history of present and past disease and considering the family illness, a drug is prescribed per the patient’s state.

Duration of treatment would vary from person to person depending upon several categories like age of the patient, state of the patient, severity of the illness, etc.

1.ALUMINA: For Postnasal drip with dryness and full of sticks feeling in the throat

Symptoms:

It is suited to older people with a lack of vital heat or prematurely aged people and are fully debilitated.

The patient is thin, inactive, and wants to lie down, but this increases his fatigue.

There is a lot of dryness with irritability in the throat.

This leads to tremendous mucus production, which is thin and acrid.

The patient’s throat becomes sore on eating onions, and they have to clear the throat constantly. They feel as if the uvula is hanging down.

The throat is dry, full of sticks, constricted, and food cannot pass through it. Thick tenacious mucus drops from the nose into the throat. They have a constant desire to clear the throat.

Swallowing becomes painful for the patient who is more for solids but better on empty swallowing and warm drinks.

The patient can feel the tightness from the throat down to the stomach as if food could not pass, but they can swallow tiny morsels at a time.

Dosage and potency:

200C, 1M potency in a single dose. Its action is slow to develop; hence shouldn’t be repeated frequently.

2.ANTIMONIUM CRUDUM: For Postnasal drip with thick yellowish mucus

Symptoms:

The medicine is suitable for elderly persons and young individuals who tend to grow fat.

The patient is very sentimental. They are gross feeders and etas beyond the capacity of digestion and without discrimination.

The patient develops hoarseness of voice after a cold water bath and a rough voice from overuse.

They feel as if a foreign body is lodged in the throat. Hence the constant desire to swallow.

There is thick yellow mucus dripping from the nose into the throat.

Dosage and potency:

30C, 200C potency can be administered to the patient. Since it’s a deep-acting medicine, You shouldn’t repeat it too often.

3.CORALLIUM RUBRUM: For Postnasal drip with reverberating minute gun cough

Symptoms:

It is suited to nervous individuals. They are too cold when uncovered and too hot when covered. They feel better from artificial heat.

The patient experiences profuse mucus secretion dropping through the posterior nares; this leads to frequent hawking.

This postnasal drip leads to the development of cough. The cough is of continuous paroxysms begins with gasping for breath accompanied by purple face followed by vomiting of stringy mucus and exhaustion.

This cough is said to be reverberating minute gun cough.

The patient gets a cough as soon as he eats. The air passages are so sensitive that they feel cold on deep inspiration.

The complaints are worse in the open air, changing from a warm to a cold room.

Dosage and potency:

30C, 200C potency can be administered to the patient with frequent doses. 3-4 pills twice or thrice a day till improvement is seen.

4.GLYCERINUM: For Postnasal drip with a crawling sensation

Symptoms:

It acts profoundly and long and helps in improving the general state of the patient.

The patient’s nose is stopped up with irritating coryza and sneezing.

They have a crawling sensation on the mucous membrane with post nasal drip.

The patient’s head feels complete, and pulses and even occiput feels full.

The chest also seems complete, and they develop a hacking cough with a sense of weakness.

Dosage and potency:

30C, 200C, and higher potencies in repeated doses work wonderfully in these conditions.

5.HYDRASTIS CANADENSIS: For postnasal drip with thick yellowish ropy secretions

Symptoms:

It is indicated in old easily-tired people who are very lean thin, with less body fat and muscle wasting.

They are depressed people who desire death.

The patient develops sinusitis after coryza. The thick tenacious discharge goes from posterior nares into the throat.

There is a watery excoriating discharge from the nose. Hence the patient tends to blow the nose all the time.

There can be ulceration also of a nasal wall with bleeding from the nose.

In the case of children, they wake up suddenly because of this thick tenacious post nasal drip.

The patient hawks thick tenacious mucus.

The complaints worsen on inhaling cold air, in dry winds, open-air, on washing, touch, motion, etc.

Dosage and potency:

Mother tincture, 30C potency, can be administered in repeated doses till there is improvement in the patient.

6.LEMNA MINOR: For Postnasal drip with nasal obstruction

Symptoms:

It is an excellent remedy for postnasal drip if it results from a nasal polyp, swollen turbinates, and atrophic rhinitis.

The patient is prone to asthma from nasal obstruction. This condition worsens in wet weather.

The patient experiences loss of smell. There is a lot of crust formation and abundant mucopurulent discharge from the nose into the throat.

The patient experiences string-like pain from nose to ear.

There is a lot of dryness in the nasopharynx.

This medicine helps in reducing nasal obstruction when it is an oedematous condition.

The complaints worsen in damp rainy weather, especially in heavy rains.

Dosage and potency:

30C potency in repeated doses till improvement is seen.

7.MERC IOD RUBRUM: For Postnasal drip with a stiffness of muscles of throat and neck

Symptoms:

This medicine is indicated in the early stages of cold in children.

It is very active as a bactericide.

The patient develops coryza with dull hearing, and the right side of the nose becomes hot.

They hawk mucus from the posterior nares, and the turbinates are swollen.

The mucous membranes of the nose and throat become boggy.

The eustachian tube (connects throat and ear) closes and opens with a pop.

The patient develops cough from the elongated uvula and sore throat due to postnasal drip.

Dosage and potency:

30C potency 3-4 pills thrice a day till You can administer improvement.

8.PENTHORUM SEDOIDES: For Postnasal drip with constant wet feeling in the nose

Symptoms:

This medicine is indicated in chronic disorders of mucous membrane with irritability.

It is indicated in chronic postnasal drip, chronic pharyngitis, where a mucous membrane is purple and relaxed.

Posterior nares(behind the nose) feel moist and raw. The nose and ears feel full.

There is hypersecretion of mucus from the nose.

The patient develops loss of voice or hoarseness from relaxed vocal cords.

There is a constant wet feeling in the nose, which is not relieved by blowing.

Girl children experience post nasal drip at puberty. This medicine will act as a curative.

The discharge from the nose is thick pus-like streaked with blood.

Dosage and potency:

It is better adapted to chronic conditions and acts best when given in repeated doses with low potency like 30C.

9.SINAPIS NIGRA: For Postnasal drip with dry nostril and throat with thick lumpy secretion

Symptoms:

Postnasal drip mucus discharge feels cold.

The left nostril is stopped up the whole day or in the afternoon and evening.

There is scanty acrid discharge from the nose.

The nose is dry hot with lachrymation and sneezing.

The nostrils are alternately stopped up with a lot of dryness.

The patient develops a hacking cough which is relieved by lying down.

Dosage and potency:

30C potency 3-4 pills thrice a day till improvement.

10.SPIGELIA ANTIHELMIA: For Postnasal drip with a discharge of bland mucus

Symptoms:

It is suited to individuals who are feeble and debilitated.

The patient is affected with chronic postnasal drip. The patient complains of tickling and itching of the nose.

The nose becomes dry anteriorly. There is also a discharge of mucus from the nose during face pain.

The complaints are worse from touch, motion, noise, turning, washing, concussion.

They feel better by lying on the right side with head high.

Dosage and potency:

30C,200C potency can be administered to the patient. 4-5 pills twice or thrice a day as per the state of the patient.

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