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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffTry these tips to help reduce discomfort and relieve the symptoms of nonallergic rhinitis:
- Rinse your nasal passages. Use a specially designed squeeze bottle, such as the one included in saline kits, bulb syringe or neti pot to irrigate your nasal passages. This home remedy, called nasal lavage, can help to keep your nose free of irritants. When used daily, this is one of the most effective treatments for nonallergic rhinitis. Use water that's distilled, sterile, previously boiled and cooled, or filtered using a filter with an absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller to make up the irrigation solution. Also be sure to rinse the irrigation device after each use with similarly distilled, sterile, previously boiled and cooled, or filtered water and leave open to air-dry.
- Blow your nose. Regularly and gently blow your nose if mucus or irritants are present.
- Humidify. Set up a humidifier in your work or sleep location. Or breathe in the steam from a warm shower to help loosen the mucus in your nose and clear your head of stuffiness.
- Stay hydrated. Drink plenty of liquids, such as water, juice or noncaffeinated tea. Avoid caffeinated beverages, which can cause dehydration and aggravate your symptoms.
References
- Nonallergic rhinitis (vasomotor rhinitis). American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. http://www.aaaai.org/conditions-and-treatments/conditions-dictionary/nonallergic-rhinitis-vasomotor.aspx. Accessed Nov. 20, 2012.
- Greiner AN, et al. Overview of the treatment of allergic rhinitis and nonallergic rhinopathy. Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society. 2011;8:121.
- Bope ET, et al. Conn's Current Therapy. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2012. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4377-0986-5..C2009-0-38984-9--TOP&isbn=978-1-4377-0986-5&about=true&uniqId=236797353-5. Accessed Nov. 20, 2012.
- Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM): Prevention and control. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/preventioan.html. Accessed Nov. 20, 2012.
- Kaliner MA. Nonallergic Rhinopathy (formerly known as vasomotor rhinitis). Immunology and Allergy Clinics of North America. 2011;31:441.
- Schroer B, et al. Nonallergic rhinitis: Common problem, common symptoms. Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine. 2012;79:285.
- Bernstein JA, et al. A randomized, double-blind, parallel trial comparing capsaicin nasal spray with placebo in subjects with a significant component of nonallergic rhinitis. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. 2011;107:171.
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