Alexis Furze, MD Blog Effective Treatment for Chronic Post-Nasal Drip
Post-nasal drip occurs when your body produces too much mucus or when mucus isn’t draining effectively. It’s a common symptom of colds and other respiratory infections or allergies that have respiratory effects. Virtually everyone experiences post-nasal drip from time to time. For an unfortunate few, however, post-nasal drip can become a chronic condition.
Post-nasal drip versus runny nose
A runny nose is the forward-facing cousin of post-nasal drip, where excess mucus escapes through your nostrils. It’s the more obvious symptom perhaps, but it can have serious impacts. You can have a runny nose and post-nasal drip together or separately.
Excess mucus runs down behind the nose and below the sinuses, into your throat through internal airways. You probably feel a near-constant need to clear your throat. The presence of mucus can give you a raw, scratchy sore throat that impacts your voice. An insistent cough that originates in your throat rather than your chest is frequently due to post-nasal drip.
Defining chronic post-nasal drip
When your symptoms arise from cold, flu, or allergies, your drip issues typically pass with the condition. These aren’t truly chronic issues.
Bacterial infections causing post-nasal drip can linger without antibiotic treatment. You should seek medical attention within a few weeks of symptoms. Post-nasal drip will be present for 12 weeks or longer before it’s classed as chronic.
Chronic rhinitis is frequently the culprit if you have persistent post-nasal drip. This inflammation of nasal tissue has both allergic and non-allergic forms, and the post-nasal drip is perhaps the most frequent symptom for both origins.
Allergic rhinitis can be seasonal, such as hay fever, or perennial, in response to permanent allergens such as dust or mold. Depending on what you’re allergic to, either type could become chronic. Non-allergic rhinitis may not have an identifying cause, or it could be due to a problem with the physical structure of your nose or breathing passages.
Effective treatment for chronic post-nasal drip
Since post-nasal drip is a symptom rather than a condition. Effective treatment typically means attacking the reason behind the drip itself. While there are home remedies that can help ease the effects of post-nasal drip, these usually don’t do much to address the root cause.
As an otolaryngologist, facial plastic surgeon, and post-nasal drip specialist, Dr. Alexis Furze is an expert you can trust. He can source the underlying cause of your symptoms, leading to long-lasting, effective relief.
While you’re waiting to see Dr. Furze, you can try these self-care treatments to ease the distractions created by post-nasal drip:
- Avoid triggers, such as pollen, dust, dust mites, animal dander, and environmental triggers
- Use air purifiers to reduce airborne allergens
- Avoid irritants that don’t cause post-nasal drip, but which aggravate it such as cigarette smoke and car exhaust
- Use saline products designed for nasal irrigation to reduce accumulations and swelling in your nasal passages
Ask about ClariFix©
Dr. Furze and his team are proud to offer the ClariFix© cryotherapy solution for post-nasal drip and runny nose. Having chronic post-nasal drip means the nerves in your nasal passages are overactive and sending signals that contribute to mucus overproduction.
ClariFix© uses cooling technology to calm nerve signal activity, effectively “freezing” post-nasal drip in its tracks. It’s a simple office procedure done with local anesthetic and no incisions. Most patients see results anywhere between two to six weeks. ClariFix© is safe, with little risk of side effects. It's no wonder this treatment is considered so effective.
Keep in mind, Dr. Furze was the first doctor in Orange County to offer this cutting-edge technology to treat chronic post-nasal drip. He's more than equipped to answer any questions you might have.
For more advanced options, including ClariFix©, steroid nose sprays or even surgery, contact Dr. Furze’s practice. You can schedule your consultation and examination by contacting our Newport Beach office. You’ve suffered from chronic post-nasal drip long enough, don’t wait for another second to find relief.
You Might Also Enjoy...
Eyelid surgery tightens and refreshes your eyes’ appearance, but it’s not always about cosmetics. Drooping eyelids can sometimes block parts of your vision. Functional blepharoplasty can help.
Virtually everyone snores at some point in their lives, though it may be only under certain conditions. Snoring itself is not a health issue, but it can sometimes be a symptom of a potentially serious condition called obstructive sleep apnea.
Being unable to breathe through your nose could be due to an underlying issue in your nasal passages or sinuses. Treatment of the conditions behind your persistent stuffy nose can have you breathing easier.
Scars are an often inevitable byproduct of life, appearing after serious cuts, surgery, acne, childbirth, and more. While many scars fade over time, keloids and other scars, such as sunken acne scarring, may get worse.
While the benign growths called nasal polyps aren’t harmful or painful in themselves, they can interfere with breathing and drainage in your airways and sinuses. A new approach to shrinking polyps, called Sinuva®, may be the answer.
The eyes have it; they always have. Whether they’re truly the window to your soul might be debatable, but your eyes are among the first things that others notice about you. Are your brows working against you? Get a brow lift without surgery.
