Courting Addiction?
In addition to looking good on your face and providing a nice profile, your nose has an important job to do – passing warmed, filtered, moisturized air on to your lungs.
And thereby can rest mountains of misery. We know this because computer users search the words “sinus” and “sinus cures” millions of times monthly.
Usually, those seeking information are searching for ways around a stuffy nose or problematic nasal congestion that won’t let them breathe well and may even keep them awake at night.
And then, Eureka! Simple, over-the-counter products – Afrin or Neo-Synephrine – clear the nose in seconds by shrinking the lining inside the nose.
But, (and this is a huge however,) Afrin is not to be used over three to five days. Used too much or too often, those drug store decongestion products can do double damage by:
- Causing a near-addiction dependence
- Creating a “rebound effect” that causes the very problem you want cured
We know of one patient who admits to an Afrin addiction for the past decade.
We often recommend a Five-Day Afrin use, not only for congestion relief but to get a clue what’s going on in your upper nose.
(Read more about the Five-day Afrin plan.)
Here’s the low-down on what is usually happening in the upper nose:
Breathing blockages are often created when the septum – that reed-thin partition between the two nostrils – bends into and blocks a breathing channel.
That can trap mucous and allow germs to multiply. Now, you have nasal congestion.
But wait! There’s more. Other structures in the upper nose, the turbinates, are covered with a type of skin that swells tremendously if you have rhinitis or allergies. Other symptoms of a breathing blockage include daytime fatigue, snoring and perhaps use of a CPAP mask.
A more permanent, non-addicting cure is found by:
- Having a thorough nose exam by an Ears, Nose & Throat (ENT) specialist
- If a bent, twisted or abnormal septum is found, consider septoplasty, the procedure that clears the septum from breathing channels.
Ask the specialist if you would benefit from a trimming of the turbinates while on the table. The procedure is known as turbinate reduction surgery.
- If your nose is unattractive, you can also have a rhinoplasty at the same time.