Many people experience great discomfort during dry weather or in dry climates. The inside of the nose dries out and some people find that their body’s reaction to this problem actually makes it harder to breathe.
Nosebleeds
Another frequent difficulty from dry nasal passages is a propensity to nosebleeds. For a person taking an anticoagulant, such an event could become a medical emergency. We are always interested in new approaches to keeping the nose moist, but we worry about anyone putting mineral oil or petroleum jelly in the nose. Chronic inhalation of such substances could cause lung inflammation.
Q. You wrote about saline spray for dry nose. My ENT [ear-nose-throat specialist] told me about Ayr Saline Gel OTC for dry nose. It really works.
I used to suffer from bad bloody noses. As long as I use the gel, they no longer trouble me. It keeps the mucous membranes moist much longer than just plain saline.
A. We suggested using saline spray in the nostrils rather than petroleum jelly because of the danger of lung inflammation (lipid pneumonitis) if petrolatum is inhaled. A gel formulation sounds handy.
