Why does our nose get stuffy even when we're not sick, and how can we solve this issue? Pollution in cities may be to blame
Serious violations of air pollution in all major cities across Romania. These also cause what's known as industrial allergy.
The nose is constantly stuffy. Over-the-counter nasal drops have no beneficial effect. But they create addiction. What is the solution?
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Polluted air contains thousands of types of particles. Skin tests, which demonstrate allergies, do not include industrial pollutants. They won't show the presence of an allergy. Nevertheless, the nasal blockage occurs as a result of an allergic reaction. How can we demonstrate this?
Dr. Ana Maria Apostol, ENT specialist: "This nasal congestion reacts to antiallergic medications, but you can't maintain a continuous antiallergic treatment. Indeed, many people went on vacation and allergy symptoms disappeared".
Allergic reactions are not treated with nasal drops that constrict blood vessels. They can be found in any pharmacy. And they create addiction if used for more than 7 days.
Particles from polluted air. In large quantities daily, these exceed the nose's filtering capacity. They gather in the nasal passages. They are also unable to naturally clear out. And this leads to inflammation.
Dr. Ana Maria Apostol, ENT specialist: "Do you want to no longer feel your nose so dry and stuffy? You need to perform a simple routine, such as washing your face and teeth, including cleaning your nose, akin to taking a shower; it leaves you feeling refreshed, that's the effect of nasal cleansing".
Each night, maintaining nasal hygiene should be done using saline water sprays.
We see the nasal turbinates. We can locate them behind the nose. They are 10 cm long and very thin. Subjected to pollution, they enlarge daily. Yet another factor contributing to nasal congestion.
Dr. Ana Maria Apostol, ENT specialist: "The next step is a surgery; we need to reduce the volume of the nasal turbinates, to release the air. The surgical intervention to reduce the volume of these turbinates is simple if done under general anesthesia. If we live in the same polluted air, the pollution will affect them, leading to a tendency to enlarge; however, regular nasal cleaning may prevent their growth".
Daily care for the nose is essential from an early age.
