# Where's the snot go when medicated? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 6, 2000, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-snot-go-when-medicated/5939 "2000-01-06T17:00:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Robbnn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f05b48/32.png) [@Robbnn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robbnn)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2000, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-snot-go-when-medicated/5939/1 "2000-01-06T17:00:00Z")
You have a bad cold. Nose and sinuses stuff with the green stuff. You take Sudafed TM or somesuch… the nose clears, the sinuses open… Where’d the snot go? ---
**Author:** ![aha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eada6e/32.png) [@aha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aha)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2000, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-snot-go-when-medicated/5939/2 "2000-01-06T17:06:00Z")
has to be absorbed by the body eh? * * * “Ward, You’re upsetting the beaver.” Barbara Billingsley ---
**Author:** ![Jinx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Jinx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jinx)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2000, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-snot-go-when-medicated/5939/3 "2000-01-06T17:07:00Z")
The mucous membranes working overtime are allowed to hault snot production, and the residuals drain to the stomach or indirectly into the lymph system. ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2000, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-snot-go-when-medicated/5939/4 "2000-01-06T17:49:00Z")
When your body is invaded by a cold virus it generates histamines as part of its defense mechanism. Histamines stimulate mucous production. When you take an anti-histamine (get it?) the histamines retreat and mucous production approaches normal levels. So the snot doesn’t go anywhere, it just never gets started. You will note from the foregoing that cold medication does not affect the cold virus itself, merely your body’s reaction to it. Lewis Thomas discusses this phenomenon of the body’s defense mechanisms being worse than the invading organism in _The Lives of a Cell_. * * * _My Child Is An Honour Student At Hogwarts_ ---
**Author:** ![smilingjaws](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@smilingjaws](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smilingjaws)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2000, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-snot-go-when-medicated/5939/5 "2000-01-09T01:09:00Z")
Hey, if you want to avoid taking those antibiotics you can irrigate your sinuses with warm salt water (1/2 tsp per cup of water + pinch of baking soday) Use a baby nasal aspirator and suck the water up your nose–it’ll either come back out your nose or out of your mouth along with the nasty snot. Do it 2-3 times a day when you’re stuffy and you will breath much easier and you won’t get an infection. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2000, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-snot-go-when-medicated/5939/6 "2000-01-09T03:31:00Z")
Be careful about adding just the right amount of salt, though. Too much, and your nose will get that nasty _dry-yet-sticky_ feeling. Too little, and the treatment will do no good. Me? Having chronic sinus problems myself, I usually just Ny **Q** uil myself into a coma until the weather changes… -David ---
**Author:** ![Surgoshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Surgoshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surgoshan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2000, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-snot-go-when-medicated/5939/7 "2000-01-09T05:05:00Z")
Pluto, your kid goes to Hogwarts? What year? Can I get in? Does he know Harry? Can he show me some tricks? How about smuggling me a wand? And some robes? Oh, um, question, um, I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![psycat90](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@psycat90](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psycat90)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2000, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wheres-the-snot-go-when-medicated/5939/8 "2000-01-09T06:09:00Z")
Where else? They go out and **boogie**! * * * so you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts. what’s so amazing about really deep thoughts? Tori Amos