What to do if a runny nose persists

What can be more common than a runny nose in the winter season? Rhinorrhea can appear after the slightest hypothermia, if a person's immunity is somewhat weakened. The summer season can also be accompanied by nasal congestion and profuse nasal discharge, depending on the cause of the disease. Usually rhinorrhea stops after 5-7 days from the onset of the disease, but not always. What if a runny nose does not go away after a couple of weeks or persists for more than a month?

Therapeutic tactics depend on the cause of the disease. The reasons for a prolonged runny nose are as follows:

allergic reaction. If the runny nose does not go away for a long time, it is worth looking for allergens. Each person's immunity reacts differently to environmental factors. In the presence of a genetic predisposition or diseases associated with immune dysfunction, the risk of developing an allergic reaction increases. Household chemicals, dust, pollen, hygiene products, cosmetics, perfume or animal hair can act as an allergen;
vascular diseases, pathology of the nervous system lead to a change in vascular tone. As a result, the blood vessels of the nasopharynx are not able to adequately respond to environmental factors, which is manifested by nasal congestion and rhinorrhea. Often, rhinitis is delayed in people suffering from vegetative-vascular dystonia;
rhinorrhea can be delayed due to a chronic infection, which is in a "inhibited" form. It persists in the area of the nasopharynx, mouth, throat, or ear cavity, maintaining a sluggish inflammation. A long runny nose can occur in people with adenoids, tonsillitis, or sinusitis. Exacerbation of rhinitis occurs against the background of a weakened immune system during hypothermia or activation of a chronic infection in the throat;
frequent colds, when the body, not having time to overcome one viral infection, re-infects with another virus.

A runny nose in an adult does not go away for a long time in the presence of a deformed septum or after a traumatic change in the structure of the nose. Immunity can also decrease in the presence of severe comorbidities, such as diabetes, epilepsy, or autoimmune disease.

Only a doctor should treat a prolonged runny nose, taking into account the cause of the disease and the general condition of the patient.

Healing drops and ointments

How to cure a lingering rhinitis in an adult? Today, there are many traditional medicine recipes that are used in the treatment of chronic rhinitis. The most effective are products based on aloe, onion, garlic and essential oils. Here are some recipes:

45 ml of beetroot juice should be mixed with 5 ml of melted honey. Dripping four drops three times a day;
Boil 30 ml of vegetable oil in a water bath for half an hour, cool and add a few chopped cloves of garlic. The medicine should be left for 2 hours, then soaked in cotton swabs and inserted into the nasal passages for 5 minutes. To enhance the effect, you can add chopped onion to the garlic;
3 ml of aloe juice must be mixed with onion or garlic juice (3-5 drops). Dripping three drops three times a day;
Prolonged rhinorrhea can be treated with a combination of honey and aloe juice. For cooking, you need to mix 3 ml of melted honey with 5-7 drops of aloe juice. Dripping four drops three times;
a couple of cloves of garlic must be peeled, chopped, filled with 50 ml boiling water and left for two hours in a warm corner. The resulting infusion can be dripped three drops three times a day;
if the rhinitis persists, linden honey diluted twice with water will help. It is enough to drip seven drops into each nasal passage. For dilution, it is allowed to use boiled or distilled water;
rhinitis is well treated with menthol oil. It needs to be dripped two drops into each nasal passage;
Refined oil should be mixed with 25 g of fresh St. John's wort flowers and left in a dark place for 20 days, remembering to shake the container daily. After the end of the three-week period, the oil must be filtered, stored in the refrigerator, and the medicine must be warmed up before use;
burdock root will help for prolonged rhinitis. It needs to be washed, peeled, cut into small pieces and put into a glass container. Next, fill in with vegetable oil, leave for 15 days in a dark place, after which you can process the nasal mucosa with a cotton swab.

The use of herbal medicines for allergic rhinitis is not recommended due to the high risk of worsening symptoms.

Drinking regimen

Treatment of a long runny nose must necessarily include a healthy diet and sufficient fluid intake. For this, compotes, teas, still mineral water or herbal decoctions can be used.

Note that infusions and decoctions from plants can be used both for internal intake and for rinsing the nasal cavities. The recipe can include one plant or several, which makes the product multi-component and more effective.

Rhinitis will quickly go away if you make a medicine from pine buds, rose hips, chokeberry, calendula, viburnum, linden, black currant, raspberry, eucalyptus, coltsfoot, sage or St. John's wort. Drinking hot tea before bed is especially beneficial. If you combine hot tea with a warm shower or foot bath with mustard, you can get a good warming effect. You can strengthen it in bed, covered with a warm blanket.

Inhalation

If the runny nose does not go away for 2 weeks, you need to think about whether the treatment may be incorrect or the provoking factor continues to act. In this case, it is recommended to consult a doctor for examination and search for the cause of the disease.

The diagnostic complex may include:

blood test (to look for infection, assess the severity of inflammation);
allergy tests;
immunological research;
analysis of swabs from the nasopharynx, inoculation of material on nutrient media;
X-ray examination of the paranasal sinuses, facial skeleton;
rhinoscopy.

When pathogenic microbes are involved in the development of rhinitis, the production of protective components of the immune system occurs. To overcome inflammation and eliminate pathogenic microorganisms, it is necessary to act in a complex manner. For inhalation, you can use several useful tools:

essential oils (eucalyptus, menthol, fir). It is enough to add 5 drops of oil to 280 ml hot water. After cooling the steam a little, you can inhale it for 5-7 minutes;
essential oils can be combined with each other. For example, lemon oil (10 drops), mint and lavender, three drops each should be added to 600 ml of hot water;
several garlic cloves and an onion should be chopped, wrapped in a handkerchief and inhaled for a quarter of an hour, repeating the procedure three times a day;
horseradish must be cleaned, chopped and poured into a glass container with a lid. It is necessary to inhale the aromas every 2 hours, taking 5-9 deep breaths. Store the medicine in the refrigerator;
10 g of eucalyptus, mint, St. John's wort, calendula, as well as chamomile should be mixed and pour 700 ml of boiling water, wait 20 minutes and start inhalation.

The maximum effect on rhinitis can be obtained by inhaling the vapors through the nose.

A runny nose can last for a couple of weeks, bothering you with a little nasal congestion. It would seem that the acute phase is behind and there is no profuse rhinorrhea, but sniffing and nasal breathing remained. To completely eliminate the passing rhinitis and residual symptoms of rhinitis, it is recommended to continue treatment and take vitamin complexes.Only by strengthening the immune system, you can completely get rid of annoying snot.

Treatment of complicated rhinitis

If the runny nose persists, what to do? Long-term inflammation in the mucous membrane of the nasal cavities leads to the spread of the primary infection and the addition of a secondary one. As a result, the risk of developing sinusitis and frontal sinusitis increases, which is most often found with advanced rhinitis. You can cure a long runny nose using the following recipes:

cut the lemon in half, mince it, add 15 ml of vegetable oil and melted honey each. After thoroughly mixing, you can apply the mixture to lubricate the mucous membrane of the nasal passages twice a day, after cleaning the surface with saline;
vegetable oil can be mixed with carrot juice 1: 1. Dripping three drops into each nostril three times a day;
undiluted Kalanchoe juice should be dripped into the nose three drops 4 times a day;
5 g of melted honey must be mixed with 30 g of strong tea leaves, as well as 3 ml of eucalyptus tincture. Dripping the medicine five drops three times a day;
camphor oil with a volume of 50 ml should be mixed with propolis tincture (20 drops) and shaken well. Use two drops for each nasal passage.

Nasal lavage should precede each injection of the drug into the nasal passages. This will help to quickly eliminate a prolonged runny nose in an adult and improve the general condition. For rinsing, it is recommended to use saline solutions, which are allowed for any form of rhinitis.

In the pharmacy, they are sold under the name No-Sol, Humer or Salin. They include sea salt. If you use a hypertonic saline solution, you can get a more powerful effect.

At home, you can prepare a rinse solution using food or sea salt. It is enough to dissolve 10 g of salt in 470 ml of warm water.

Blow your nose well after rinsing.

An allergic rhinitis can last the longest, because its course depends on the presence of contact with a provoking factor.

Drug therapy

Treatment for a lingering rhinitis should include drug therapy:

nasal drops with a vasoconstrictor effect (Lazorin, Tizin), hormonal (Beconase), antimicrobial (Polydexa) or antihistamine (Allergodil) components;
homeopathic remedies (Delufen);
salt solutions (Dolphin, Aqua Maris);
antihistamines in the form of a suspension or tablets (Suprastin, Claritin);
antibacterial medicines (Augmentin, Amoxicillin, Cefotaxime).

Hormonal drugs are prescribed exclusively for severe disease. They are quickly addictive, so over time, higher doses of drugs are required to achieve a therapeutic effect.

The chronic course of the disease is often diagnosed in people with low levels of immune defenses. In this regard, it is recommended to pay attention to general strengthening medicines, for example, vitamins, complexes with microelements. Also, don't forget about climate change, hardening procedures and spa treatments.

In the presence of chronic infectious foci (tonsillitis, caries), their regular sanitation is required. Do not neglect a visit to the doctor and monitor your health, as it is quite difficult to treat a lingering rhinitis, and it does not always end with recovery.