Alison Odey

Polyps are non malignant growths that when occurring in the nasal passages can block correct drainage, often causing excessive drainage from the nose, sinus infections or breathing difficulties.

They may also cause people to snore or mouth breath. Often exact causes are not known but continual inflammation or irritation of the airways such as caused by allergies can be one reason.

Supplementing with Vitamin C plus bioflavonoids such as Quercetin or Rutin can often help prevent reoccurrence of polyps and also help promote the healing of the tissues.
Quercetin in particular is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory and also reduces histamine release which overall means that it is a huge help when attempting to prevent irritation of mucus membranes.  This needs to be taken on a long term, regular basis to achieve good results.
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In the diet Quercetin is found in red onions, red apple skins, black tea, red and purple berries, broccoli and all other dark green vegetables.

Sufficient levels of Vitamin A (as in beta-carotene) will also help insure healthier mucus membranes. Beta-carotene is found in all the red/ yellow vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin and beetroot, so include as much as possible of these in your diet.

Try to avoid breathing in environmental pollutants such as cigarette smoke, traffic fumes, household cleaners etc as these are all irritants that may promote the formation of polyps.

Also avoid foods that tend to form mucus, such as dairy products, wheat,  sugar,  pastries and chocolate.

Where mucus build up remains a problem, I have known ‘sinus washouts’ to help. These can be obtained from any pharmacy or you can make your own by dissolving a very small amount of plain salt in a cupful of water and putting it into a squeezy container. If you are really clever it is possible to sniff this up one nostril and out down the other!