Will rhinitis be improved by improving immunity?

Some types of rhinitis will improve as immunity improves, but not all rhinitis can be solved by this method.

My former roommate is a very typical example. In the past, whenever he stayed up late to catch up on projects or cool down during the change of seasons, he would 100% suffer from acute rhinitis. His nose would be so runny that he would blow the tip of his nose red. In severe cases, he would have a headache that would make him unable to go to work. Later, when the project was no longer busy, he insisted on running 5 kilometers three nights a week, and occasionally followed his friends. A friend went hiking. Last winter, the temperature dropped several times, and he never had it again. He even had fewer colds. This kind of rhinitis, which is linked to the invasion of viruses and bacteria, essentially means that when the immunity declines, the nasal mucosa, the first line of defense, can no longer defend itself. When the immunity is raised, and the security at the door is strong enough, naturally fewer infections will occur.

But don’t think that improving immunity is a universal antidote for rhinitis. I know a friend who is a fitness trainer. His body fat rate remains at about 16% all year round. He rarely catches a cold. But when he enters a cat cafe or encounters someone hugging a cat, he will sneeze non-stop on the spot, with snot and tears flowing together. He will be as embarrassed as he wants. He has allergic rhinitis, which belongs to the immune system's "bad eyesight". It regards harmless cat hair and dust mites as invading enemies and releases inflammatory factors to attack. It is not a problem of low immunity at all. No matter how high you raise your immunity, it is equivalent to equipping a security guard with bad eyesight with a more powerful baton. If you hit the wrong person, it will only be harder, which may make the allergic reaction more serious.

Speaking of this, some people may want to refute, saying that there are people around me with allergic rhinitis, and they do have fewer attacks after exercising? This is true. Many clinical studies have now found that moderate exercise, adjusting work and rest, and supplementing with probiotics do not increase the "strength" of immunity, but regulate the balance of immunity and reduce the originally hypersensitive allergic reaction. This is really not the same thing as "improving immunity" as we usually say.

Not to mention drug-induced rhinitis and atrophic rhinitis. Either long-term spraying of decongestants destroys the contraction function of the nasal mucosa, or the nasal mucosa itself atrophies and degenerates. It has almost nothing to do with the level of immunity. Even if you take various supplements every day to replenish your immunity, if you don’t correct your wrong medication habits and repair the nasal mucosa in a targeted manner, there will be no improvement at all.

Not long ago, when I was working as a volunteer in the otolaryngology department, I met an aunt in her fifties. She heard from a health-care channel that boosting immunity could cure rhinitis. She spent several thousand on various imported health supplements, cordyceps and ginseng, but the rhinitis was not cured. She suffered from dry mouth and nosebleeds every day. After checking her allergens, I found out that she was severely allergic to dust mites at home. She usually didn't change her sheets and quilts for half a month. No matter how many supplements she took, she couldn't stop being exposed to allergens every day.

In fact, it is easier to understand if you compare the nasal mucosa to the entrance door of your home: If your immunity is strong enough, it means that the security guards at the door have strong sense of responsibility and ability. They can keep out the thieves such as viruses and bacteria from outside, and naturally they will not make a mess at home.； But if the security guard himself has bad eyesight and treats the door-to-door deliverers and neighbors who come to visit as thieves, no matter how much you increase the security guard's salary and provide him with more equipment, the family will still not be able to live in peace. ； If the door itself has been kicked in and the hinges have fallen off, it will be useless no matter how powerful the security guard is. The door must be repaired first.

So, don’t think of improving immunity as a panacea for rhinitis. Go to the hospital first to find out what type of rhinitis you have, and then make appropriate adjustments. This is much more effective than taking supplements and exercising blindly.