Stop the Annoying Drip in the Throat After Smoking

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Dr. David Hill and today we're going to be talking about stopping that annoying drip in your throat after you smoke. Now if you used any inhaled tobacco products or any other smoke products for that matter you might have noticed they're pretty irritating to the airway. The smoke, from cigarettes or any other inhaled smoke, affects the entire airway. Starting in the nose, including the back of the throat, and all the way down in the lungs. It does several things to increase mucus production and decrease the elimination of mucus from the body. One of the earliest things is that it paralyzes the little hairs that move the mucus layer along the airway and get you to blow it out or swallow it, or where ever it goes. When these hairs stop working, the mucus stops moving. That allows it to build up. Another things that happens whenever you smoke is that the mucus cells become irritated. They feel like they've been attacked and they respond by producing more mucus. You'll notice, that if you've been smoking recently, you'll feel some gunk kind of in the back of your throat. Some irritation, "clearing throat sound", that you may trying to clear. You may even feel it down at your vocal chords. Chronic smokers learn to ignore this sensation, or get used to it. If you're someone who smokes occasionally, it might really bug you. The bad news is there's not a whole lot to do about this once it happens. You can certainly try a decongestant, like pseudoaphedrine, to open up the passages. You might try something like afrin, a nasal spray that opens up the nasal passages. The essential insult to the airway that's paralyzed the cilia and caused the mucus cells to produce more mucus, isn't going away. Once you stop smoking, the good news is that your airway function returns pretty quickly. Within a few weeks, the cilia start to beat again and mucus cells calm down. In fact, people who quit smoking can return to a pre-smoking risk of cancer or heart disease, or something very very close to it within a period of several years. You have every incentive not to feel that drip in the first place. If you do, you can try decongestants, nasal sprays, and maybe smoking a little less next time. Talking about stopping that post nasal drip, from smoking. I'm Dr. David Hill."