What's going on when there's yellow and sticky stuff in the nose?

It is usually caused by rhinitis. Thick nasal discharge is an obvious symptom of rhinitis. Normal nasal mucosa will not secrete yellow water, so it is most likely caused by some kind of bacteria. You can consider treating rhinitis first. Generally, once rhinitis disappears, this yellow water will naturally disappear.

We often have this feeling, that is, our nose feels blocked and it is difficult to breathe when we sleep. Sometimes when we blow our nose, we find that there is yellow and sticky snot in it, and there is a faint unpleasant smell. Generally, many people don't care about this situation, thinking it's no big deal and it will be fine after a while. In fact, this may be rhinitis, which is mostly caused by bacterial infection. If the rhinitis disappears, this situation will not occur. You should pay more attention to it in daily life and it is best to go to the hospital for examination.

Rhinitis is caused by long-term inflammation of the nose, such as a cold, or physiological factors such as pregnancy or mechanical changes in the structure of the nasal cavity, such as a deviated nasal septum. The inflamed part of the nose will secrete a large amount of purulent substance, which we call nasal discharge. Nasal mucus contains a large number of germs and substances that can cause tissue inflammation, so the accumulation of mucus in the nasal cavity will cause the inflammation in the nose to continue to worsen and develop, and will be more likely to cause a cold, forming a vicious cycle of cold → rhinitis → more likely to catch a cold → more severe rhinitis.

At the same time, the mucus will be transported to the nasopharynx by the nasal cilia, but because it is too sticky to slide into the stomach and be processed, it sticks to the nasopharynx. These nasal mucus will constantly irritate the nasopharyngeal tissue and cause pharyngitis. Therefore, pharyngitis is usually accompanied by rhinitis.

The simplest and most effective solution is to buy a yoga neti pot, pour warm salt water into it, and let the water flow slowly under the guidance of gravity to wash the tender tissues of the nasal cavity, removing the mucus on the surface of the tissue and the viruses and other harmful substances in the mucus. Just wash it in the morning and evening. Once the mucus is washed out, the nasopharynx will be free of irritants and pharyngitis will disappear naturally. At the same time, without the stimulation of mucus in the nasal cavity, the inflammation of various tissues will gradually disappear. The previous vicious cycle in the nasal cavity will be transformed into a virtuous cycle, and the diseased tissue cells will gradually be replaced by new healthy cells. Rhinitis will naturally improve slowly, and people will be less likely to catch a cold.

If medication is used, the drugs are basically in the blood and rarely reach the surface of the nasal mucosa to kill bacteria. At most, they can only have an anti-inflammatory effect on the tissues. The inflammation can indeed be eliminated when taking medicine, but after the effect of the medicine wears off, the bacteria will continue to multiply and re-trigger the inflammation, and the bacteria will gradually become resistant to the medicine, which is not good for the whole body.

Since nasal washing can comprehensively improve the resistance of the nose, it is very effective in preventing various non-infectious and infectious diseases such as colds and influenza. In other words, thoroughly cleaning your nasal cavity once after returning from a crowded place can have a very good preventive effect on all kinds of influenza.

Although surgery is effective quickly, it is risky and has a relatively high recurrence rate. It's better to be cautious.