Blocked nose, Runny nose treatments
Sitting in the centre of our faces, our nose is an amazing piece of engineering that allows us to breathe, smell scents and keep us healthy.
Here are 4 main nasal issues and what to do about them:
- Blocked nose:
This is defined as a sensation of congestion, where you can’t breathe easily or at all through your nose. People often end up mouth breathing. Common cold or hayfever are often the cause of a blocked nose. This is due to mucus or inflammation in the nasal passages causing them to be constricted. Most UK adults suffer with 2-3 common colds per year.
Conventional treatment is with decongestants which can cause insomnia due to their ‘alerting’ affects.
Homeopathic remedies are Hepar sulph, Kali bich or Pulsatilla
- Runny nose:
Discharge here can be watery, egg-white like or thick yellow-green. You can have a blocked AND runny nose at the same time!
Conventional treatment here is antihistamines to ‘dry’ up the nose but this can lead to dry eyes, urinary retention and constipation as side effects.
Homeopathic remedies are Ars alb, Nat mur, Merc viv and Pulsatilla.
- Nosebleeds:
These are often shocking due to the amount of blood shed rather than the amount of pain. Causes are blow to the nose, becoming too hot, picking the nose. Children who repeatedly pick their nose may also be prone to getting threadworms.
Conventional treatment is to apply firm pressure to the upper part of the nose above the bridge. Applying an ice pack externally can help to constrict the blood vessels. If nosebleeds happen frequently, then cauterization (burning with a sterile metal rod) to cause scar tissue is a longer term solution.
Homeopathic remedy Phosphorus is really good for stopping nosebleeds or indeed any bleeding. Applying orange or lemon juice externally to any bleeding wound will stop it instantly. Yes, it will sting/taste yucky, but you are providing the body with Vit C which is needed for the clotting cascade.
- Loss of smell:
This is often caused by the common cold, where everything then tastes like wet sawdust! C19 can also have this lingering effect long after the other symptoms have gone. This can be quite miserable as it not only affects our sense of smell but taste too. Eating is one of our great pleasures and scent is such a visceral sense, connecting us to our childhood.
Conventional treatment involves ‘smell’ training. This means looking at a lemon and then remembering what this smells like.
Homeopathic remedies are Calc carb, Nat mur and Zinc.
