Image via WikipediaThe options for non medicated relief is limiting for those suffering with collapse&/or blocked nostril(s). Some find salt water or baking soda mixes or drops of solutions in water using a neti pot helpful for sinus issue's. Some will do steam treatments by draping a towel over their heads above a hot steaming bowl of water or mix. You may even try menthol or other topical ointment products. However if you have a collapsed nostril or over enlarged turbinate issues then those treatments won't be of much use. The only other non medicated treatment that may be of help are the nasal breath strips you place over the middle area of your outer nose, like a bandaid. For me this may work well for the first hour, but after that my nose becomes itchy from the adhesive and the strip starts to weaken over a few hours as well. It also may not open the area as much as you need or would like. So whats left??? Well there is one other option i discovered after seeing a well known nose surgeon named Dr.Dean Toriumi in Chicago a year ago. After one of my visits with him, he mentioned that i could try a plastic nose splint (plastic internal dilator) which he helped design. They go inside the nostrils and are much stronger then the otc nasal strips. Because only one side of my nose is very hard to breath with i only use one splint . It takes time to notice its effect, but after a couple hours i find that it does help my congestion problem which then helps me breath better. I usually will try to sleep with it over night. It's not a cure, but it's the best non medicated treatment i have available, which helps reduce the use of otc medications and therefore I strongly recommend it.
For more information contact Dr. Dean Toriumi's office.
***Update: Dec.27 , 2010***
Here are some more new non-medicated options for nasal valve collapse utilizing internal nasal dilators such as: unseen nasal dilator, breathe with eez, nozovent & sinus cones. I will be doing another post soon on minor surgical techniques for correcting nasal valve collapsing. But in the meantime do yourself a favor and check out the links down below. They discuss all kinds of breathing issue's with the nose and the many different options available to improve it.
http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2016/08/nasal-dilator-manufacturers-nose-complementary-therapy/
http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/what-you-can-do-about-your-stuffy-nose
Unusual but somewhat effective treatment for Nasal Valve Collapse
Muscle-building therapy in treatment of nasal valve collapse.
M Vaiman, E Eviatar, S Segal
The present study was performed to investigate the best way to combine transcutaneous and intranasal surface electromyography (sEMG) biofeedback training of muscles involved in nasal valve function with a home exercise program and electric stimulation of nasal muscles.
CONCLUSION: Relieve of nasal valve stenosis and collapse can be achieved with a complex muscle-building therapy as described. It helps a significant cohort of patients with symptoms of obstructed nasal breathing to avoid surgical intervention. Electric stimulation of the muscles does not contribute significantly in achieving of good results.
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/b645/b82dadd65df4cf45d0c70037bf41c08cb9f5.pdf
