I am a 50-year old woman and over the past two years, I have had a dripping nose whenever I eat or drink something that is mildly hot. It can be very embarrassing for me, especially when I am dining out with friends. Can I know what the problem is?
Dr Stephen Lee, Specialist in Ear, Nose & Throat Surgery, Raffles Hospital
I presume that other than the dripping nose, there are no other symptoms. This often happens to individuals who have a sensitive nose. There are also some individuals who react this way after taking spicy food.
It would be good to have the interior of your nose examined with an endoscope to determine if the nose is structurally normal. Having confirmed that, then it is likely that your problem is a hyper-reactivity of the mucosal lining to some irritants or to some substances to which you are allergic to. When there is an irritant or allergy affecting the nasal lining, then it is quite easy for environmental factors like heat to trigger the copious flow of secretions.
There are some medications that you could use to lessen this problem; either oral medications or sprays. However, if you do not want to take medications for this problem, the other solution would be to do a comprehensive check for both inhalant and particular food allergies. When you can identify specific foods, then you can avoid these foods or at least you will know what to expect when you do choose to eat them. In this situation, knowing that you intend to eat those foods, you could also take antihistamines medication before starting your meal.