How to Stop Post-Nasal Drip, According to Doctors


Olde Hornet

Well-Known Member

Whether you have a cold, allergies, or acid reflux, figuring out your trigger is key.​

What is Post-Nasal Drip?

Post-nasal drip starts in your sinuses, which are air-filled cavities located under the bony base of the cheeks, behind your forehead and eyebrows, on both sides of your nose bridge, and behind your nose directly in front of your brain, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI).

Your sinuses are lined with a thin layer of mucus, which latch onto dust, germs, and anything else that may be floating in the air, the ACAAI explains. Small, hair-like projections in the sinuses help move the mucus (and anything hanging out in it) into the back of the throat. From there, it trickles down and into your stomach.

Post-nasal drip is actually a continuous process that’s a normal bodily function, says George Scangas, M.D., a sinus surgeon at Massachusetts Eye and Ear and an instructor in Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Harvard Medical School. “The average person makes about a quart of mucus in their nose, sinus, and mouth per day, and we all swallow that mucus,” he says. “While everyone has a small degree of post-nasal drainage, we do not all sense it.”
 
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