I have for the past year really terrible nasal drip.. I am always clearing my throat with constant mucus, now my throat is sore at times. I get up coughing and sometimes cough during the day.. Please tell what remedies I can use to stop this nasal drip ..

Please note that I am not a physician and cannot diagnose nor treat any medical condition. That being said, I do have a few thoughts about your situation.

First, have you been diagnosed with allergies and if so do you know your specific triggers? Have you received any treatment for allergies? What about asthma or sinusitis? Due to the chornic nature of your problem it sounds like it is most likely related to allergies but it is impossible to know for sure without a proper physical examination and perhaps even some lab tests.

Have you tried any treatments? Did any work? Did any make the problem better or worse?

Also, do you notice any patterns with the symptoms? For instance, does it worsen in the winter months or summer months, perhaps? Do you notice more mucus after eating or drinking certain foods or beverages? Do you have any pets?

Are you experiencing any other symptoms besides the cough such as fever, chills, or aches? If you have a fever greater than 101 degrees this would be a sign of infection and would warrant urgent medical attention.

Finally, what is the character of the mucus? I know it is gross, but if it is clear that indicates allergies. If it is purulescent, bloody, greenish, yellowish or brown this can indicate the presences of a bacterial or viral infection.

If this is due to allergies, it sounds like your immune system is constantly being offended since the problem is continuous. This means that you are being exposed to the allergen, the substance that causes the allergic reaction, on a regular basis. Remove the allergen, and your allergies should decrease.

Another possibility is that with the allergies being present all the time, you may be more susceptible to infections and may be cycling between allergies and infections. If you have a viral infection, no treatment is available but to take care of the symptoms. If it is a bacterial infection then antibiotics may be appropriate.

It is probably best to get an examination from your doctor and perhaps seeing a specialist such as an immunologist, allergist, or ear nose and throat doctor to get to the bottom of this problem. There could be a variety of factors at play and each may require different treatment.

One very simple and generally safe thing I can recommend regardless of your diagnosis is to do flushes using normal saline in the nasal passages. This can be done with over-the-counter products either with salt packets and pots designed to pour into the nose or spray cans full of normal saline. They flush the nasal and sinus passageways and help to clear them of debris.

Also, drink plenty of water to help thin your mucus secretions to help them drain more efficiently.