Get Your Allergies Under Control
Katie Stavert, 30, of Los Alamos, New Mexico, has already had two procedures to open up her sinuses, but she still needs to take allergy medications and saline solutions if she wants to keep her sinuses clear. Im allergic to everything, she says, but especially sagebrush and trees.
Allergies can definitely contribute to sinus congestion. Jeff Culp, MD, an allergist and assistant professor of medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, tells people to figure out whats triggering their allergies, then plan appropriately either by taking allergy medication or avoiding the allergens altogether.
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Make The Sinus Pain And Mind
Techniques that take advantage of the mind-body connection, such as deep breathing practices and relaxation exercises, can be very effective for relieving sinus pain, notes Das. These practices rely on the minds ability to influence pain perception and are especially helpful with chronic or recurrent pain that is often seen with sinus pressure. Some examples include biofeedback, meditation, yoga, and hypnotherapy.
Snack On Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids that can help relieve inflammation, as well as magnesium, which reduces inflammation by helping relax blood vessels. Both of these nutrients can help reduce sinus swelling caused by allergies, allowing mucus to drain better, preventing congestion. Sprinkle the seeds on salads, bake them into bread, or snack on them on their own to take advantage of their anti-inflammatory properties.
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Best Foods Good For Sinus Congestion
Neha Ghosh
What do you do when a sinus headache hits you? You either turn off the lights, lie down or pop a pill, right? Sinus congestion or a stuffy nose occurs when you are suffering from cold or when the temperature is too hot or cold.
Chronic sinus is worse and devastating that can create various complications. The symptoms of a sinus headache are congestion, sneezing, headache, coughing, etc. Foods that are rich in vitamin A should be included, as these help build a strong defence against the sinus infection-causing pathogens.
Instead of popping antibiotics, the best solution to counter sinus headache is to include the best foods good for sinus congestion.
These are the 10 best foods good for sinus congestion
Your Sinusitis Wont Go Away Heres What You Need To Know
Sinusitis also known as a sinus infection is, for the most part, a bacterial infection caused by inflammation of the sinuses. Chronic and recurring long-lasting sinusitis can render you incapacitated and quickly eat up your sick days.
But when your sinusitis wont go away, what options do you have? This guide walks you through how to identify a sinus infection, what happens if you ignore it, how to treat your chronic sinusitis, and more.
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Foods To Clear Sinuses: Relieve Sinus Congestion With Food
It doesnt matter if you have the flu, a cold, or seasonal allergies being congested can make you feel miserable. When you feel under the weather, it is natural that you will look for ways to get relief. However, certain medications can make you feel worse by making you feel disconnected or overly tired. While your congestion may be gone, you now have another slew of symptoms to deal with. Due to this, some may prefer to go for a more natural approach. In fact, eating foods to clear sinuses can help give you temporary relief, without the added side effects.
If you require a natural decongestant, look no further than your dinner plate. While conventional medicine can help, it can also make you feel drowsy. So instead, eat these foods to clear sinuses, it might just be all of the medicine you need.
Peppermint Drinking peppermint tea, indulging in the candy, or even inhaling peppermint essential oil can help relieve a stuffy nose. This flavorful herb can help fight congestion, as it contains menthol, an anti-inflammatory agent.
Jalapeno Peppers While jalapenos are acidic and can trigger acid reflux if eaten in large amounts when taken in moderation, jalapenos can help relieve sinus congestion. These spicy peppers can help break down mucus and clear out your sinuses.
What Are Other Remedies To Ease And Prevent Sinus Infections
- Run water into the nasals to clean it of excess mucus
- Inhale steam in the shower or bend over a pan with hot water
- Use a humidifier to moisten your air in your home to prevent the nasals from drying out
- Elevate your head to keep the mucus from clogging your sinus
- Dont forcefully blow your nose as it can irritate the nasals
- Use the decongestants with caution
- Dont use antihistamines unless prescribed by the doctor
- Balloon Sinuplasty clear the sinus by flushing the built-up mucus with saline solution
- Stereotactic navigation is a minimally invasive procedure that checks out any abnormal growths
- Endoscopic sinus surgery opens up the drainage passage of the sinus to restore its function
- Complex nasal polyp surgery. Nasal polyps are noncancerous growths on the sinus or nasal passages. The procedure, if done correctly, canclear the nasal passages and ease discomfort.
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Spice Up Your Diet To Ease Sinus Pressure
Many people find that spicy food like peppers or hot mustard opens up their nasal passages and gives them some relief from sinus pain. There is good evidence that capsaicin, which is the active ingredient found in chile peppers, is effective in relieving some types of pain, says Das. Capsaicin preparations have been investigated for the treatment of some facial pain syndromes and of rhinitis with promising results. But if you have the taste for them, you can try spicy foods to help with sinus discomfort.
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Why Are Sinus Infections So Hard To Treat
A sinus infection can be difficult to treat. What complicates matters is the possibility of having a sinus fungal infection in combination with a bacterial infection. Bacteria are opportunist. Oftentimes where there is bacteria in the sinuses there is also fungus. The Mayo Clinic has come to the conclusion that 96% of all sinuses infections are fungal in nature. The fact that bacteria are usually present just complicates matters. Proceeding by attacking the bacterial infections with antibiotics fuels the fungal infection which causes the bacteria to come back shortly after antibiotic treatment. You can see how this maddening cycle continues if one is unaware of the fungal component.
Finding a physician that is well trained in fungus is crucial as outcomes are typically better if a proper culture is done to detect the exact bacteria and fungus growing in ones sinuses. Unfortunately, many people are given round after round of antibiotics without a culture being done. Essentially the doctor has decided to give a broad-spectrum antibiotic that is known to knock out two major bacterial groups. In my case, and maybe in your case, a different antibiotic will be needed.
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Spice Up With Raw Onions
Raw onions naturally help in the opening and draining of sinuses.
It contains a compound called quercetin that has anti-histamine propertiesthis property aids in reducing nasal congestion and sinus inflammation.
According to the study, quercetin inhibits the production and release of histamine. In contrast, histamine is responsible for allergy symptoms such as a runny nose or blocked nose, watering eyes, shortness of breath, and coughs.
Moreover, another study has shown that quercetin suppresses nitric oxide production responsible for the development of allergic diseases.
How to eat raw onions?
You can eat raw onions with salads or add them to your sandwiches.
For more results, you can purchase quercetin supplements.
Rinse With A Neti Pot And Saline Solution
Although these teapot-shaped devices may seem like the latest trend in alternative medicine, the neti pot is anything but new. Used for centuries by yoga and Ayurvedic practitioners in India, nasal irrigation is a gentle and effective way to clear the nasal passages of mucus and allergens. Trying any method that delivers salt water to the nose is a good way to start relieving congestion, says Stringer.
To use this natural remedy, fill the neti pot with a saline solution made of warm water and salt, then insert the spout into one nostril while you tilt your head to the other side, allowing the solution to flow up into your nasal passage and then out the other nostril. When making the saline solution, pharmaceutical grade salt is recommended.
Neti pots are generally inexpensive theyre available in health food stores for around $10 to $20 and research shows that they work well to relieve congestion. Researchers at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, who studied adults with chronic nasal and sinus problems, found that people treated with nasal irrigation had greater improvement of symptoms over two months than those treated with saline sprays.
In addition, researchers in China found that nasal irrigation with saline reduced the need for steroid sprays in children with allergies. Neti pots are safe to use on a daily basis.
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Colorful Fruits And Vegetables
Certain compounds in brightly colored fruits and vegetables â like carotenoids and flavonoids â may have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects that help your body function at its best and may even defend against infection, according to May 2013 research in âAdvances in Nutritionâ.
Per Harvard Health Publishing, these anti-inflammatory foods include:
Food To Avoid During Sinus Infection
Generally, all types of unhealthy food are harmful during a sinus infection. All these unhealthy foods will worsen your sinus infection.
The most common unhealthy foods include fried foods and processed foods. The processed foods are white sugar, white flour, carbohydrates, processed meats, and MSG containing foods.
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Foods To Avoid When Suffering From Sinusitis
Sinusitis is one of the common conditions that affect people who live in polluted areas. Among the common symptoms, acute and lasting pain in the nasal passages is the most prominent.
It is actually hard to avoid sinus inflammation and pain, but fortunately, there are measures that can help reduce the symptoms.
Even though no single food or combination of foods and liquids are a cure for sinus, foods have a dramatic effect on sinus symptoms. You can follow the below guidelines to lower the inflammation. Before getting right into it, let us clear out how food help in the condition.
Foods That Help Sinus Congestion
Sinus congestion, or a stuffy nose, often accompanies sinusitis, but the former can occur for other reasons, such as a cold. Chronic sinusitis is more prevalent than heart disease or asthma and affects 37 million Americans every year, according to Mountain States Health Alliance 1. Additional symptoms include facial pain, trouble breathing through your nose, mucus, headache, fatigue, sore throat and teeth pain. You can opt for medication or sinus surgery, but try incorporating foods into your diet that relieve sinus congestion.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
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Not A Fan Of Heat Try Herbs
Paul Kempisty, a board-certified herbalist and founder of Peekays Herbs, explained that many herbs can pack an even stronger punch than foods. Herbs are quite incredible for dealing with congestion, allergies and many mucus-related problems, he explained. Herbs are like foods that went to college. They generally have a far more complex and powerful nutrient profile. So, while herbs do not really nourish us with the same level of macronutrients found in foods, their potency is a lot closer to the powerful effects of certain medications, but with far fewer side effects and risks.
You can certainly try single-ingredient herbs . But combinations of ingredients, he said, are more powerful. Instead of using massive dosages of single ingredients or single drugs, a sound herbal approach would be to use moderate dosages of several similar botanicals in order to achieve a well-rounded and beneficial result, Kempistry explained.
Dr. Clifford Bassett, an allergist whos the founder and medical director of Allergy & Asthma Care of New York, said that studies have shown both curcumin and ginger to be helpful in reducing symptoms of seasonal allergies. Another study found that consuming curcumin can improve nasal breathing in patients with seasonal allergies.
In general, when trying a new herb on your own, start low and go slow, Kempisty advised. Meaning, start any new herb with a low initial dose and then increase after youve seen that your body tolerates it.
Navage Nasal Care The Works Bundle
This is a Godsend! Almost no nasal discharge after 37 years of suffering. Expensive, but worth my money
The Nasal Care Bundle by Navage can give you natural relief from chronic sinus congestion and seasonal allergic nasal problem. The included salt pods will effectively clear out the nasal clogs while the power vacuum will suck out every disposable and give you complete freedom to breathe and talk easily.
This nasal care doesnt operate like a Neti Pot, Getting used to it may take a little while. You have to put the SaltPod on the countertop and push firmly on it, now push the button under your right thumb. The power suction system will pull the saline water from the upper deck and go inside the nasal passage, clear out every bit of dust, germs, mucus, and other things that make you suffer. It takes a few seconds to get rid of the pain and uncomfortable without any drug.
Using it while you have infections in the ear, or full blockage in your ear or nasal passage is not recommended. Children under the age of 12 should not use it, as the safety precautions of this product say.
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Foods You Are Eating That Can Cause Inflammation
Chronic sinusitis is caused by inflammation of the sinuses or nasal passages.
Amidst growing concern, researchers have been studying how foods that cause inflammation in the body can affect the sinus membranes.
According to a recent article from the Medical University of Warsaw, The Western diet is also associated with a chronic inflammatory process that is involved in all stages of atherosclerosis development and is increasingly recognised as a universal mechanism of various chronic degenerative diseases.
Overindulging in inflammatory foods can contribute to global killers like obesity, cancer and diabetes and cause long-term chronic inflammation, which may also result in sinusitis.
Health24 previously reported how a change in diet can affect your sinuses. While red wine, dairy products and sugary foods may be at the top of your comfort food list, these foods can unfortunately trigger congestion.
Here are six foods that may increase inflammation in the body:
1. Processed sugar
Processed sugars are hidden in your favourite desserts, kids juices, pastries and chocolates. An article published in the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition indicates that a diet high in added sugar may, however, lead to low-grade inflammation and conditions like obesity and insulin resistance.
2. Trans fatty acids
Trans fats are known to trigger systemic inflammation, according to a study by the University of Washington and are found in fast foods, fried products and frozen foods.
Dont Go Near These 15 Foods If You Have Sinus Problems
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The season of allergy goes along during the winter season or the cold months and the usual thing that people experience are sinus conditions or problems. Some people may consider sinus problems as normal or common but it is important to know that sinus problems may be signs of other underlying conditions.
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When To Talk With A Doctor
Recurring headaches and suspected acute sinusitis should always be evaluated by a doctor. Experts believe that most people who self-diagnose sinusitis are actually experiencing migraines. Getting the correct diagnosis is crucial to successful treatment.
Sinus pain and pressure that doesnt improve after 7 days despite treatment could mean that youre being treated for the wrong condition, especially if you dont experience other sinus symptoms.
You should also see your doctor if your headaches are accompanied by symptoms typically experienced with migraine attacks.
You dont have to be experiencing sharp head pain in order to have a migraine. Accompanying nausea, vision changes, and light sensitivity could mean you have a migraine, and not a sinus headache.
For migraine treatment, you can start with your primary care physician, and if needed you may be referred to a headache specialist, possibly a neurologist or ear, nose, and throat doctor.
Behind The Stuffy Nose
The sinuses are small air pockets in the skull around the eyes, nose, and forehead that are lined with mucous membranes. They moisten the air we breathe in while also catching dust, microbes, and allergens before these can reach the lungs.
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This warm, moist environment is the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, fungi, and mold, but the body does a good job of removing or destroying the captured bacteria, spores, and cysts before they can begin growing.
Problems arise when our mucous membranes are damaged, or the mucus becomes too thick to move freely. When this happens, infections can explode to life in the pockets of your sinuses and lead to a more severe condition.
Sinusitis can be painful and debilitating. A few of the symptoms of a sinus infection to watch out for are:
Sinusitis can also be caused by allergies, nasal polyps, the common cold, immune deficiencies, dental infections, or a deviated septum. There are things you can do and foods to add to your recipes that can help prevent sinus infections or clear your sinuses up.
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