Most of us experience lingering cough or swelling in the throat after a bout of respiratory allergy or infection such as common cold, flu, sinusitis, or rhinitis. One of the reasons why this can happen is post nasal drip. During an infection, sputum forms in the nose. Some amount of this sputum may trickle down into the throat from behind the nose. This is called as post nasal drip. When that happens, the throat becomes irritated, swollen, and cough follows. Cough may further worsen the swelling of the throat, which may aggravate into furthers problems.  You can find more about such conditions in http://www.healthscribes.com/category/searchByCategory/Nose,+Throat,+Lungs,+Breathing, and in http://www.healthscribes.com/category/searchByCategory/Allergies.

I have been living with chronic sinusitis for the last fifteen years. I was used to frequent coughing and throat infections because of this. I tried allopathic treatments, including decongestants and antibiotics. I also tried homeopathic and ayurvedic treatments. To some extent, all of them helped. But to sum up, none of them could completely cure my condition. However, I have learned a very simple and yet very effective way to minimize the incidence of throat infection.  You can read more on sinusitis at http://www.healthscribes.com/disease/Sinusitis-+Acute.

Managing post nasal drip went a long way in preventing recurrent throat infections for me. An ENT specialist advised me a simple measure. Whenever I sense something dripping into my throat, I cough mildly to bring it up and then I spit it out. Doing this may not be convenient. It may be embarrassing to do this in public places. It may also be tiring to walk up to the wash room when the dripping is continuous. But that is the price to pay for preventing throat infections and cough. Add to it the benefits of avoiding cough syrups, anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and even antibiotics in some cases. All of them come with little or more risk of side-effects.

I preferred living with the embarrassment and the inconvenience of spitting out the dripping sputum to the easier option of medicines. I started using medicines very sparingly. Overtime, the frequency of my throat infections came down and so did my usage of medicines. It happens because, when the incidence of irritation on the throat reduces, the throat tissues recover over time and become healthy again. And one can actually feel the improvement. A healthier throat can ward off potential infections better as well. It becomes a positive loop of a healthy cycle.

After following this simple rule of keeping my throat free of dripping sputum for three years, I could stop using the medicines for throat infections completely.  I just do not need them anymore. Gargling with warm salt water, and acting promptly upon any respiratory infection are sufficient for me to manage the throat infections now. However, one should not shut out the option of medicines completely. If one gets infected, and if the infection seems growing, one cannot wish away antibiotics. Then only a doctor and those medicines can help. But one can do a lot to prevent infection in the first place. And that is where healthy life actually starts!

Educating oneself about health and health problems goes a long way in preventing, and in managing health problems in a better way.