Cold, Flu, Allergies & Immunity Sinus & Respiratory Health

I've been having it since I was small.
Now, just recently, every time I blow my nose, there is a " dry-Mucous-rubber-like-white in color-phlegm" coming out with my mucous and phlegm.

Any advice?
( This is annoying, in the library, I got to blow my nose, so hard, that everyone look at me).
This happens daily, everywhere I go.

Hi David,
My name is Rebekah and I am one of the Blackmores naturopaths.
I am sorry to hear of your ongoing problem with mucous and congestion. The description of the phlegm/mucous is helpful because that indicates to me the cause of the discharge is more likely to be caused by an allergy or irritation, as opposed to being caused by a bacterial infection (where the mucous would be green or yellow).
Chronic mucous congestion may be caused by a number of things such as dietary intolerance (common culprits include dairy products, wheat and sugar), digestive issues (such as low hydrochloric acid in the stomach) or environmental triggers (smoke, moulds or fungi growing in damp surroundings, pollens etc). Have a look at your living /working environment and see if there is any damp or mould –if there is try to use gentle cleaning agents like white vinga5 or lemon juice.
You could try to ascertain the cause by starting a basic elimination diet, that is, for one week try and remove all dairy products (milk, cheese, yoghurt) from your diet and monitor to see if there is any improvement in your symptoms (less mucous, less need to blow your nose etc)…the next week you could try and eliminate wheat products (pasta, bread, crackers, wheat noodles) and also see if there is any change. Cutting down on sugar is a good idea for overall health as excess sugar interferes with immune system function.
Make sure you are drinking enough water and you could try drinking warm water with lemon, ginger and a bit of honey which can help clear the nose.
In addition, I would suggest you increase your consumption of garlic (either fresh or in a tablet) as well as horseradish and Vitamin C as these substances have been used effectively where there is mucous congestion.
Other foods that help to boost your immune system include all colourful fruit and vegetables (berries, pumpkin, oranges, lemons, carrots, capsicum, spinach, green leafy vegetables etc), nuts and good quality protein (free range eggs, tofu, organic red meat and chicken). Spicy clear soups can also help clear the sinuses.
I trust this information is helpful David and I wish you all the best with your health.
Kindest regards,
Rebekah

Thanks for this information Rebekah. I have similar results as David, but not as severe and some days are worse than others. It also seems that every time I lay down I immediately feel a blockage at the top of my throat and my right sinus blocked. This also leads to snoring (so my husband tells me!) which is also obviously aggravated by wine (especially red wine). I don't eat much sugar or dairy but will be more aware of what I'm eating to test my body. There doesn't appear to be any mould around - but I do have a cat - I might blame her, then my husband won't be so cranky about my snoring! ;p Thanks for the tips.