What helps with a stuffy nose? ‘Nasal spray only fights symptoms and not the virus itself’ | Healthy

Snotting, sneezing and blowing. Due to the weather changes, a cold is lurking. What helps with a stuffy nose? General practitioner Tanya Tolido answers.

“With a cold, there is inflammation of the mucous membranes of the nose, throat and sinuses,” explains Tolido. “This causes complaints such as a stuffy nose, a runny nose, smelling less well, sneezing, coughing, a hoarse voice, sore throat, headache, earache and ringing in the ears.”

Colds are caused by a virus. “There are several viruses that cause colds,” says the doctor. One of the best known is the rhinovirus and now also the coronavirus. A cold virus can be transmitted by touch. For example, if someone has a cold, has coughed into their hand and then shakes your hand. But also through the air, by inhaling contaminated droplets.”

Steam with hot water

It is a myth that you normally get a cold when you go outside without a coat. “This could have happened even with a coat,” says Tolido. “You catch a cold because you get infected with a cold virus, not because you walk outside without a coat. However, there are other factors that play a role and that have to do with the cold. In winter you spend more time indoors and there is less ventilation, so there is a greater chance of infection. Dry mucous membranes, which is often the case in winter, are also more sensitive to viruses and the immune system is less aware of how to fight a cold virus when it is colder.”


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Steaming with hot water makes the mucus thinner, making it easier to get rid of and breathing better

Tanya Tolido

Unfortunately, there are no magical remedies or advice to get rid of a cold. However, you can make the virus more bearable by alleviating the symptoms. “Your body really has to fight the virus itself,” Tolido explains. Antibiotics only help against bacteria. In fact, it only gives side effects. What you can do is blow your nose so that you can breathe freely through your nose. You can also steam. Steaming with hot water thins the mucus, making it easier to get rid of and breathing better. Don’t put menthol in the hot water, as that can only irritate the airways more.”

Addicted to nasal spray

Also, nasal spray only fights the symptoms and not the virus itself. Xylometazoline (otrivin) temporarily shrinks the mucous membrane in the nose, making breathing through the nose easier. “But you can use this for a maximum of one week,” emphasizes the doctor. “When used for more than a week, the mucous membrane can be damaged and in time the mucous membrane will become thicker. What we see more often in practice is that people who use it for a long time become addicted to the nasal spray. The only time their noses still open is when they use the nasal spray.”


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Smoking has a negative effect on the mucous membranes and can ensure that you continue to have complaints for longer

Tanya Tolido

You can already remove the onion next to your bed. ,,Well, that’s such a granny-know-what trick”, the doctor laughs. It has not been scientifically proven to help. In this case I think: if it does not bathe, then it does not harm. If you cut an onion, your eyes will water because of the substance synpropanethial-S-oxide. But I can’t imagine that this gives relief from the respiratory tract.”

Increasing shortness of breath and wheezing

You cannot prevent a cold, but you can minimize the risk of a cold by living a healthy life. “Eat a healthy and varied diet and make sure you get enough vitamins,” says Tolido. ,, Get enough exercise, go outside regularly (for the vitamin D) and don’t smoke! Smoking has a negative effect on the mucous membranes and can ensure that you continue to have complaints for longer. And stick to the well-known corona hygiene advice.”

Going to the doctor is only necessary in extreme cases. ,, With increasing shortness of breath, wheezing or if the patient feels increasingly sick. This concerns a high fever and if, for example, it is no longer possible to walk to the toilet. And in this time: do a (self) test for covid! It is striking that in practice I see that people now have a cold longer than before the corona time and before we had to stick to the measures. This may be because we have built up less immunity. So a cold can just last two weeks.”


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