Why Does My Nose Run Like a Faucet?
- Posted on: Jun 19 2018
Some people have to carry Kleenex with them all of the time. They have a runny nose when they eat, when they exercise, when the weather changes, or seemingly for no reason at all.
They have had their sinuses evaluated and there isn’t infection. They use allergy medicines but it really doesn’t help. They may have even had allergy testing and it wasn’t positive.
What is Vasomotor Rhinitis?
These patients have Vasomotor Rhinitis. A special nerve in the nose called the sphenopalatine ganglion is responsible for stimulating the nasal turbinates to swell and and produce secretions. This is intended to provide humidification to the air as it passes through the nose. In vasomotor rhinitis, this nerve is hyperactive. It sends too much stimulation to the turbinates causing complaints of a frequent runny nose and congestion. This nerve becomes hyperactive sometimes because of sinus and allergy issues or frequently also as we get older.
How does Clarifix help a runny nose?
A new form of therapy called Clarifix is now available to treat vasomotor rhinitis. Clarifix is a simple 5 minute office procedure done in our office under IV sedation. A small balloon is placed inside the nose using a tiny telescope. It is placed up against the hyperactive nerve. The balloon is rapidly cooled allowing the nerve to be cooled for 30 seconds. Studies have shown that this reduces the hyperactivity of the nerve by up to 80%. There is a slight headache for about 30 minutes after the procedure but no downtime at all. Patients are right back to their normal activities the next day.
After this therapy there is a significant reduction in both the runny nose and congestion for patients with lasting results.
Schedule a Consultation
If you are carrying around Kleenex without relief from allergy therapy, come see if Clarifix is a good option for you. Contact our office at 512.601.0303 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Slaughter today.
Tagged with: clarifix, runny nose
Posted in: Allergies, Sinus and Nasal
