post nasal drip and terrible taste pleeeeeaaase help

i really need help with this problem because it is driving me absolutely insane. i have constant post nasal drip which has a  strong sour salty bitter taste. this problem has been constant for years now and it is affecting me very negatively. i"ve been to many ent's and allergists. ihave tried almost every nasal spray and allergy pill out there and nothing works. allergist said i'm allergic to 17 out of 53 things. i'm allergic to dust mites, ragweed mold pollen etc. had ct scan done which showed deviated septum. 2 doctors suggested surgery to repair dev septum because that might be the problem. 2 other doctors say that allergies are the cause of the pnd.  i'm not having surgery for something that is'nt a definite fix. i got allergy shots for about six months and saw no improvement. i would'nt mind the pnd if it did'nt have this terrible taste and smell that ggets on the back of my toungue. this is really ruining my life because it is changing my personality.i dont even like being in social situations anymore for fear of bad breath.  theres got to be something that can be done.if someone can cure this i  will seriously send you a thousand dollars.
some other questions are
i am travelling to other countries for about 8 months is there a chancethis could cure it?
can acid reflux or heartburn be the problem?
could thproblem be from a food allergy?
also could the problem be from cigarettes even though i don't smoke everyday?i am disgusted with myself please help.$1000 for cure.     thanks

[National Jewish]

It is quite clear that this is a very annoying problem for you.  You have asked many questions.  Here are some answers and opinions.

1.  Is this an allergy?
It

[bactitech]

Has any of these doctors ever done a culture of your nasopharynx? Theis is fairly easily accomplished by tilting your head back (doc must do this) and inserting a special very thin wire swab to the back of your NP area (ENT's know how to do this) and collecting a specimen. It probably should also be cultured for fungus.

If there's a bad smell, bacteria may be involved. Have X-rays ever been done of your sinuses?

These are just questions I have off the top of my head. I'm a medical technologist in microbiology.

Good luck.

[Inanga]

I had very similar problem for about 10 years - got worse and worse. Post nasal drip stopped me sleep because I'd choke on mucous in my sleep -totally frightening! Docs thought it was only a pollen allergy problem but I had that a few years ago and knew the symptoms were different. I eventuall worked out it was food related - so far I know that these are problems for me: wheat/gluten, some forms of soy, dairy. Also melon and banana and tomatoe are problems. There is some info on the relationship between pollen and fruits here:
http://www.allergy-clinic.co.uk/food_allergy_for_doctors.htm
Basically there are similarly structured proteins.
Anyway since modifying my diet I've been practicvally as good as new - I can now tell within a minute or 2 whether something is giving me a problem - before it was so murky I had no idea what was causing it. I started by avoiding wheat and gluten and went from there. if I win the $1000 I'll recommend a charity to send it to 8)

[karmakarmakarma]

hi inanga. after reading your suggestions about gluten soy etc i went on a few elimination diets and found that post nasal drip still occuring! i usually have to cough it all up when i do heaps of exercise n stuf.. any more suggestions?

[BradW0905]

Once I eliminated dairy from my diet, I started to take some supplements that were recommended by an herbalist in my area for post nasal drip. Currently, I am on 1200mg of NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine), 1600mg of Quercetin with 400mg of Bromelain, and 1500mg of vitamin C a day. This combination has done wonders for me.

NAC is an antioxidant that thins mucus and provides antiviral action.

Quercetin helps decrease mucus production and swelling by blocking the release of histamine from immune cells. Bromelain is an enzyme that has been shown to reduce swelling and inflammation in the sinuses.

Along with the supplements I have been drinking around 100 ounces of water a day.

I have been on this routine for almost 2 weeks and I am VERY pleased with the results. My drip has been reduced to almost nothing.

[bactitech]

Interesting comments. We use NALC (n-acetyl-L-cysteine) plus 2% sodium hydroxide to "digest" sputum specimens for setup for TB cultures. The NALC cuts the mucus. The NaOH kills off most bacteria (except the TB organisms, which are extremely hard to kill).

Do you get anything done or do you live in the bathroom all day? If I drank all this water I would get absolutely nothing done and wouldn't be able to travel anywhere.

Are these supplements easily obtainable at health food stores?

[BradW0905]

haha yeah, I am working on my masters degree, so I get most of my stuff done. I just always have bottled water on me wherever I go. Once you get in a routine, its very easy to drink all the water. As far as the supplements go, yes, they are really easy to obtain. Any  healthfood store will have them.

[BradW0905]

One more thing. I use Breathe Right nasal strips every night. The herbalist told me it was crucial to get as much air through your nose during the night as possible, to help with the elimination of the nasal drip. Once I started using them, I noticed a huge difference in my sleeping patterns. I used to wake up in the middle of the night with a little stuffiness in my nose, but now I usually sleep straight through the night. I urge anyone, with or without PND to use them.

[wattz]

I got a similar problem.Only that it sounds much worse.If I swallow saliva a nasty smell rushes out.I've done an operation to correct my deviated septum..it worked for less than 2 months.
All the nasal sprays seem 2 have little or no effect.
If any other person has any information it will really be appreciated.

[repooc]

Mentioning the "bottled water" everywhere you go is so familiar. I've been to every specialist, ENT, allergist, general MD, gastro, immunologist, cariologist, ect. They all basically point the finger back in the direction of another doctor. My biggest problem is coughing, yes I smoke, but that's not it! Sure it's not helping, but it's definately PND, I sit there in the bathroom with a flashlight & can see huge globs of mucous slowly "drip" down from the back of my throat. It's getting better on it's own without any medications but it's been about 18mos now. With me it all started with a bad upper respitory infection that I've never encourtered before, with a fever I've never encountered before in my adult life. Ever since then I've had this nasty PND. The fact is no doctor knows how to cure this. They can't even cure the common cold, how would you expect them to cure this! Stop wasting money on all these nasal washes, $100 puslator irrigation machines especially! And whatever you do don't fall for the Candida yeast growth cures either. I thought for sure after visiting one of these sites that I had it I must have ordered from 2 different sites at least $200 worth of what came out to be pure "****"! The best thing to do (and it's what I'm trying to find) is a doctor that works by cash only! As long as you go to a doctor who's working hand in hand with the pharmecutical companies all they're going to do is push some more dope on you! There's potent medicine (normally vaccines) out there that can get rid of what we have but it's hard to find a doctor that has it & who is not monitored by the pharmecutical companies. Good Luck to you!!

[RickGB]

I like your thoughts.  I to have tried it all.  Yeast concerns and an acidic body have got my attention.  I too have spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars on Dr. visits, herbs, vitmins, candida supplements, holistic cleansing, etc.  If you ever find that Dr. let me know.  He will become a wealthy man with all of us looking for this cure. Something must have worked for someone out there.

[missgail]

I read your desperate plea for help and want to respond with what has worked for me.  I to suffered from post nasal drip, sour taste and just an overall feeling of rotten.  I had never had this before and started to think what am I allergic to?  Well the answer for me wasn't what was I allergic to but what can I do to help turn this around.  I believe in doctors but don't feel that a quick fix with a pill or two is the answer.  I know that the body responds best to overall good health.  When the body is out of balance as mine was I headed for a good health store and spoke with a nutrision expert.  I found that for the most part my bodys PH alkaline was 5.5 when it should have been between 6.8 and 7.2.  There is a lipess paper that you can buy at a pharmacy or your local health food store, I would start there.  You tear off a small piece and run it though your urine.  There is a color chart on the side of the dispenser that reveals where you are with respect to your PH.  That sour acidy taste running down your throat like mine is acidy.  I'm new to this site so I don't want to sound like I'm a doctor or an authority, I'm not.  My parents were intellegent and always talked about the importance of eating plenty of friuts and vegetables, fish and chicken.  With todays fast pace life styles most of us don't eat right, including myself.  I love mexican spicy food, the hotter the better.  Unfortunaly this is catching up to me and I know find myself eating lots of green vegeatables (fresh) not canned and plenty of water at least 6 glasses for me.  Moderate amounts of fruit including fresh blueberries which are high in antioxidents are great.  My PH was way out of wack I started taking Green Magma and a good Super Enzyme.  I stayed off white breads, pastas and junk food for a while.  In a very short time I was feeling so much better, my post nasal drip started to slow down and than stopped.  Lastly our bodys want to heal themselves, we only need to eat good food and watch our diets and the healing will begin.  I like controlling my own salt intake, fast food resterants were getting the best of me and know I cook at home where I know I can care for my body. I actually have more to say but don't want to take up the whole board.  
PS I am happy to speak with you further if you have questions please write.
Gail