Violation of nasal breathing not only negatively affects the quality of human life, but also increases the likelihood of developing an infection in the airways. Stagnation of muconasal mucus (nasal secretion) in the nasal cavity is fraught with inflammation of the paranasal sinuses and, as a result, the development of sinusitis. In today's publication, the causes of nasal congestion without a runny nose and treatment with folk remedies will be considered.
The most common cause of nasal breathing is irritation of the nasal mucosa. Pathogens, dry air, allergens and adverse drug reactions can cause unwanted reactions in tissues.
At the initial stages of the development of ENT diseases, the treatment of nasal congestion can be carried out with the help of folk remedies that have a pronounced antiseptic, decongestant and wound healing effect.
Recipes for rinsing the nose
Irrigation of the nasal cavity (nasal lavage) is an effective physiotherapy procedure that allows you to reduce swelling in the airways and flush out disease-causing agents from them. To eliminate nasal congestion without a runny nose, solutions are usually used, which include sea salt, medicinal herbs and pharmaceuticals with an antiseptic effect.
Sea salt solution
Saline solution is one of the most effective remedies that is used to sanitize not only the nose, but also the laryngopharynx. For therapeutic purposes, doctors recommend using sea salt, since it contains trace elements and minerals. To cure rhinitis, you need to rinse the nasal cavity with the following solution:
- boil 250 ml of mineral water;
- dissolve 1/3 tsp in liquid. salt;
- add 1-2 drops of "Iodine solution" to the solution.
Do not use sea salt to prepare the solution, which contains fragrances and synthetic dyes.
It is best to prepare a remedy for a cold just before irrigation of the nasopharynx. To achieve the desired effect, rinse your nose at least 3 times a day for a week.
Medicinal chamomile decoction
As a medicine for irrigating the nasal mucosa, you can use a decoction of medicinal chamomile. It has a calming, wound healing and antiseptic effect. For the convenience of preparing a medicinal decoction, it is recommended to purchase chamomile in packaged form. To independently prepare a drug for nasal congestion, you should:
- pour 2 bags of chamomile ½ l of water;
- boil the grass over low heat for at least 7-10 minutes;
- strain the broth through cheesecloth and suck to 37-38 ° C.
To enhance the anti-inflammatory properties of the broth, you can add 1 teaspoon of dried sage to it.
Chamomile-based preparations can be used to treat not only an infectious rhinitis, but also sinusitis. However, the effectiveness of the procedure largely depends on the regularity of irrigation of the nasopharynx with a medicinal decoction. If you have a stuffy nose due to insufficient air humidity, you need to rinse no more than twice a day - in the morning and in the evening.
Solution with "Furacilin"
Treatment of the common cold with folk remedies allows not only to eliminate the symptoms of the disease, but also to destroy the infection in the lesions. If purulent exudate is present in muconasal mucus, in 98% of cases this indicates the microbial nature of inflammation. A solution with "Furacilin" will help to eliminate the bacterial flora in the respiratory tract:
- crush 1 tablet of "Furacilin";
- fill the powder with 200 ml of water;
- heat the solution to 38 ° C.
This antimicrobial agent is widely used in traditional and alternative medicine to treat sinusitis, bacterial rhinitis, and frontal sinusitis.
During the procedure, the solution must be injected into the nasal canal very slowly. In case of violation of the technology of nasopharyngeal irrigation, the probability of penetration of pathological secretions into the auditory tube increases several times.
Steam inhalation
Unlike synthetic drugs, folk remedies practically do not cause side reactions. They do not include toxic substances that can accumulate in tissues or cause degeneration of mucous membranes. Steam inhalation will help get rid of nasal congestion. However, doctors warn that they can only be used in the absence of high fever and bacterial inflammation in the nasal cavity.
Mineral water inhalation
Mineral water helps alkalize the mucous membranes in the respiratory tract. This creates unfavorable conditions for the development of fungi and bacteria in the nasopharynx. If you have a stuffy nose, you can carry out steam inhalation with "Borjomi" or "Essentuki".
Before resorting to inhalation, you need to pay attention to the following points:
- soda water must be poured into a bowl and wait until carbon dioxide is completely released from it;
- then the liquid should be heated to 40-42 ° C (if desired, 2-3 drops of eucalyptus essential oil can be added to the water);
- covering your head with a waffle towel, you need to breathe in vapors of mineral water for 7-10 minutes at least 3 times a day.
During inhalation, the secretion of nasal mucus may increase, but this process is completely normal.
Herbal inhalation
Inhalation with medicinal herbs will help to cure the nose without a runny nose. In particular, thyme, chamomile, sage and oregano have a pronounced anti-inflammatory and regenerating effect. Inhalation of vapors of medicinal decoctions helps to eliminate swelling in the tissues and, accordingly, to facilitate nasal breathing. To prepare a decoction for steam inhalation, you must:
- pour 2 tbsp. raw materials 500 ml of water;
- boil the product over low heat for 5 minutes;
- strain the broth and cool to 42 ° C.
Important! There should be a gap of at least 1.5 hours between inhalation and food intake.
There are various ways to prepare mucolytic agents that help thin the mucus in the nasal cavity. In order not to buy additional drugs at the pharmacy, it is recommended to simply add 1 teaspoon of baking soda to the herbal decoction. It will help to reduce the viscosity of muconasal secretions, which will speed up its evacuation from the nasal passages.
Nasal drops
Using folk remedies, you can completely abandon the use of pharmaceutical nasal preparations. For the preparation of anti-inflammatory and wound healing drops, you can use neutral vegetable oils, juices of vegetables and medicinal plants. Many of them contain immunostimulating substances that strengthen local immunity and prevent re-inflammation of the nasal cavity.
You can treat nasal congestion and an infectious rhinitis by the following means:
- Kalanchoe juice: chop a few leaves of the plant and squeeze the liquid out of them using gauze; instill 2-3 drops of the drug in each nostril 3 times a day;
- garlic oil: chop 4 cloves of garlic and pour 100 ml of olive oil over them; insist the remedy for at least 4-5 hours, then strain and instill 2-3 drops into the nose several times a day;
- onion juice: mix onion juice with Kalanchoe juice or boiled water in a ratio of 1: 5; instill 3 drops of the drug 4 times a day during the period of exacerbation of rhinorrhea.
It makes sense to use onions and garlic only if there is a yellow-green discharge from the nose, indicating a bacterial or viral nature of the disease.
Onions and garlic have a pronounced local irritant effect, so they can be used only in the absence of obvious damage in the nasopharynx. With atrophic rhinitis, the mucous membrane becomes thinner and may bleed. The instillation of onion juice and garlic oil can cause inflammation and even more tissue swelling.
Conclusion
Nasal congestion indicates severe swelling of the mucous membrane in the nasal passages or the accumulation of viscous secretions in the respiratory tract. To eliminate inflammation and speed up the evacuation of mucus from the nose, it is recommended to resort to steam inhalation and nasal rinsing. Medicinal herbs, mineral water and saline solutions, which have anti-edema and wound healing effects, can be used as preparations.
To moisturize and disinfect the nasal cavity, it is advisable to use nasal drops based on onion juice and garlic oil. The composition of vegetables includes phytoncides, which suppress the activity of pathogenic microbes and opportunistic fungi. Timely use of folk remedies allows you to stop the manifestations of respiratory disease and prevent the development of a cold.
