Thyme And Honey Infusion
An infusion with thyme and honey is rich in anti-inflammatory and antiseptic substances, like thymol, carvacrol, cymene and linalol. It also possesses and expectorant action, which helps with the elimination of phlegm and relieves runny nose and plugged nose caused by a sinus infection.
In addition, the honey helps to reduce inflammation, lubricate the throat and relieve coughing and phlegm. People who are allergic to honey, proplis or pollen should not add honey to their tea, and opt to use just the thyme.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon of thyme extract, or 2 branches of fresh thyme
- 1 litre of boiling water
- 1 tablespoon of honey
How to prepare
Add the dry thyme to the boiling water and allow it to soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Strain the infusion and drink up to 3 cups per day.
Thyme infusions should not be used by people with stomach issues, like gastritis or ulcers, or by people with liver problems. Thyme infusions should also be avoided by people who take anticoagulants like warfarin or clopidogrel.
How Coughing And Sinus Infections Are Related To Each Other
When you experience excess mucus draining into your throat, this is actually known as post nasal drip, and it is just one of the many cold symptoms also associated with chronic sinus infections. Post nasal drip doesnt just cause coughing, though. It can also bring about a sore throat, a hoarse voice, nausea, and even bad breath.
But why exactly does post nasal drip during a sinus infection lead to coughing? Well, imagine mucus running down your throat. Is your throat irritated? Probably. Do you feel a tickling sensation? Most likely. All of these sensations can trigger a reaction that reaction is coughing.
Unfortunately, all the nose blowing and coughing that youll continue to do as a result of the mucus drainage will only lead to more mucus and more irritation. This is why its important to understand the best way to stop a sinus infection and relieve post nasal drip.
How Is Sinusitis Diagnosed
Your healthcare provider will ask you a lot of questions in order to develop a detailed medical history and find out about your symptoms. They will also do a physical examination. During the exam, your care provider will check your ears, nose and throat for any swelling, draining or blockage. An endoscope may be used to look inside the nose. In some cases, you might be referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist. If you needed an imaging exam, your provider would order a computed tomography scan.
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How To Treat A Sinus Infection At Home
You can effectively treat sinus infections at home with over-the-counter medicines or one or more home remedies.
Dethlefs recommends, Drink plenty of water, use Vicks vapor rub on chest and bottoms of feet, rest and sleep and humidifier. One thing I like to do when my family is sick is boil water on the stove and melt Vicks vapor rub in it. Then pour solution in ice cube trays and freeze. Add 1-2 ice cubs to bottom of shower.
OTC medicines that may improve symptoms of a sinus infection include:
- Nasal decongestant sprays help reduce swelling in the nasal passages to promote drainage flow from the sinuses. This sinus infection treatment should only be used for three to four days to reduce the risk of rebound congestion.
- Nasal corticosteroid sprays help reduce swelling and inflammation in the nasal passages without causing rebound congestion.
- Antihistamines remain particularly helpful for those whose nasal passages become inflamed and swollen due to seasonal allergies.
- Nasal saline washes and rinses help clear mucus from the nasal passages to promote easier breathing.
Your doctor may also prescribe antibiotics if OTC medicines fail to relieve your symptoms within seven to 10 days. Antibiotics are usually only prescribed as a last-resort treatment for sinus infections due to the risk of overuse, which may lead to other difficult-to-treat infections.
Home remedies for sinus infection include:
What Can I Do
While you wait for your infection to run its course, you can take steps at home to feel better.
Look into nasal sprays. Store-bought saline nasal spray loosens up mucus, temporarily clearing it from your nasal passages. A steroid nasal spray like fluticasone may help tame inflammation, especially if you have underlying allergies. Unsure about using a steroid? Follow package directions and go to your HCP with questions.
Be wary of decongestant nasal sprays, like oxymetazoline . Using them for longer than three days could cause rebound symptoms persistent stuffiness eased only by the spray itself. Dryness and addiction are also possibilities.
Embrace sinus rinses like the neti pot. Many sinus infection veterans swear by nasal irrigation systems, such as plastic squeeze bottles or teakettle-shaped neti pots. These devices are filled with a sterile saline solution and used to flush snot from your sinuses.
Neti pots and their ilk are widely available and typically safe, as long as you handle them properly. Dont use water directly from your tap. Instead use distilled water, a sterile saline solution or water that has been boiled and then cooled.
Try over-the-counter medicines. Experts recommend analgesics including acetaminophen , ibuprofen and aspirin to ease pain, as well as decongestants like pseudoephedrine to alleviate the pressure of congestion.
Finally, you may want to avoid flying or scuba diving, since either can aggravate sinus pain.
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The Most Powerful Ginger Recipes For Sinus Infections
Sinus infections, also known as sinusitis, are all-too-common throughout the year and millions of people suffer from them. In fact, some unlucky individuals have to deal with chronic sinus infections. Sinusitis, whether chronic or acute, is caused by allergies, colds and fungal or bacteria pathogens, and common symptoms include congestion, facial pain and pressure, and thick mucus.
While there are several over-the-counter and doctor prescribed treatments for sinus infections, they often carry various side effects or harsh, toxic ingredients that end up worse than the actual sinusitis. Thankfully, there are more natural and safer options, such as ginger, that organically treat sinus infections.
The following 3 powerful ginger recipes contain only three ingredients, none of which are toxic, and are extremely effective at relieving the symptoms associated with sinus infections.
Ginger Tea Recipe
1 to 2 inch piece ginger root, fresh 1 cup water 1 to 2 teaspoons honey, optional
Ginger CompressThis ginger compress recipe is a great way to alleviate sinus infections and de-stress.
Ingredients: 2 to 3 inch piece ginger root, fresh 2 to 4 cups water Hand towel
Ginger ExtractThis ginger recipe requires a bit more work than the previous two, but it is well worth it.
Ingredients: 1 to 2 inch piece ginger root, fresh Mortar and pestle Cheesecloth
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Dont Use Tap Water For Nasal Irrigation: Use Saline Or Diy Solution Instead
Nasal irrigation, or flowing a saltwater solution into the sinus passages, is an effective way to treat sinusitis. A small number of studies, including one published in 2016 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, has found irrigation does improve sinus symptoms.
But it is critical that you use water that has been sterilized, rather than liquid taken directly from your sink or shower. This is because in some cases people using tap or shower water have introduced a dangerous parasite into their sinuses.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that, very rarely, people using nasal irrigation with tap water have become infected with the dangerous parasite Naegleria fowleri. These organisms may not cause harm if swallowed because stomach acid wipes them out, but they can live and thrive in the warren of passageways of your sinuses.
To avoid this potential risk, purchase sterile saline sprays, from Simply Saline or other brands, or make your own saline solution using water labeled distilled, or boiling your tap water for three to five minutes. If you’re using boiled tap water, cool it to lukewarm and store any extra water in a clean, closed container for use the following day .
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What Prescription Drugs Cure A Cough
When cough is severe, over-the-counter medications and home remedies may not be enough to relieve symptoms, and prescriptions may be needed.
- Codeine and other narcotic medications are often prescribed as effective cough suppressants. Many times these are combined with the cough suppressant dextromethorphan, or the expectorant guaifenesin.
- If cough is due to whooping cough, bacterial pneumonia, complicated bronchitis, or sinusitis it is usually treated with antibiotics such as penicillin, cephalosporins, or azithromycin .
- For cough due to allergies, such as hay fever, inhaled nasal steroids may be prescribed.
- For postnasal drip that does not respond to OTC drugs, nasal inhalers such as ipratropium bromide can help.
- If cough is a result of asthma, prescription inhaled bronchodilators and inhaled steroids help decrease inflammation of the airways. Short-term oral steroids, which help reduce inflammation, are sometimes prescribed to relieve chronic cough.
- pantoprazole .
Your primary care provider such as a family practitioner, internal medicine specialist, or pediatrician may diagnose and treat a cough. If cough is severe an emergency medicine specialist may see you in a hospitalâs emergency department.
Many times cough symptoms will worsen at night. This may be due to postnasal drip or acid from the stomach backing up into your throat from acid reflux. There are some strategies and home remedies you can use to help ease nighttime cough:
Get Your Antibiotics Fast
No one likes being sick, and having a sinus infection can be very uncomfortable. Getting antibiotics as fast as possible is crucial to healing, and is made possible with PlushCare. Our online doctors can diagnose your sinus infection, write a prescription, and send it to your local pharmacy in 15 minutes. PlushCare can help you effectively, quickly, and easily treat your sinus infection.
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Symptoms Of A Sinus Infection
The primary symptoms of a sinus infection could be initially mistaken for the common cold, including a stuffed up nose and a decrease in your senses of taste and smell. However, other symptoms such as pain or pressure around the sinuses, achy teeth, and thick yellow or green mucus indicate that your cold has progressed into a sinus infection. Additionally, cold symptoms that last longer than a week may be a sign you have sinusitis. Other symptoms associated with a sinus infection include:
- Headache
- Phlegm-producing cough or a cough that gets worse at night
What Causes Pressure In Your Sinuses
Sinus pressure is caused by the swelling and inflammation of the membranes inside your sinus passages. This irritation causes the membranes to produce more mucus to try to flush out whatever is causing the inflammation. The excess mucus then adds to the pressure inside the sinus cavities.
Some triggers of sinus pressure include:
-Allergies
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Irrigate Your Sinuses To Help Ease Symptoms And Prevent Sinus Infections
Nasal irrigation is basically a method of using a saltwater solution to force out germs and plugged-up mucus residing in the sinus passages. Other terms for this are nasal wash, nasal douche, or lavage. Some people refer to it by one of the popular devices used to get the water in, a neti pot.
A small number of studies has found irrigation can improve symptoms, including one review published in September 2016 in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
Experts caution that it is important to use distilled or sterile water to avoid the rare possibility of introducing a parasite into your sinus passageways.
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Treatment Options For Sinus Drainage And Coughing
When the main symptom is coughing, most people turn to over-the-counter treatments to manage the cough, such as cough syrup or throat lozenges. Alternatively, one can use a cool-mist humidifier in the bedroom at night. For adults and children over one year of age, a teaspoon of honey at bedtime can be beneficial. While these treatments might provide immediate relief, they dont treat the root problem: excess drainage from the sinuses, triggering medications or other throat irritants.
An ENT can perform a thorough history and physical to ascertain both sinus and non-sinus contributors to cough. CT scanning of the sinuses, available in the office, can be invaluable in diagnosing the source. Appropriate treatment can then be prescribed. You might need to take medication to thin the mucus, or antibiotics if you have a bacterial sinus infection. Certain exacerbating conditions may need to be addressed, or medication changes made. If these noninvasive treatments dont work, then your ENT might recommend surgery or in-office procedures to open the sinuses.
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Natural Remedies To Get Rid Of A Sinus Infection Fast
How to get rid of a sinus infection fast? A sinus infection or sinusitis causes inflammation of the cavities or tissue lining around the sinuses . When sinuses become filled with fluid and get clogged, bacteria and other harmful microorganisms grow and result in an infection. Luckily, there are many solutions to getting rid of a sinus infection that you can do at home.
Final Thoughts On Home Remedies For Sinus Infections
Although sinus infections are common, there are home remedies for sinus infections that can help. Common sinus infection symptoms include a thick green-yellow nasal discharge, pain around the eyes and cheekbones, and clogged nasal passages.
In this article, we discussed several home remedies, including flushing your nasal passage with a neti pot drinking water applying a warm compress or essential oils or consuming bromelain, honey, grapefruit seed extract, echinacea, horseradish, and cayenne pepper tea, green tea, and ginger tea.
A number of these sinus infections
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Is It Possible To Prevent Sinus Infections Or Sinusitis
Currently, there are no vaccines designed specifically against infectious sinusitis or sinus infections. However, there are vaccines against viruses and bacteria that may cause some infectious sinusitis. Vaccination against pathogens known to cause infectious sinusitis may indirectly reduce or prevent the chance of getting the disease however, no specific studies support this assumption. Fungal vaccines against sinusitis are not available, currently.
If you are prone to recurrent bouts of a “yearly sinus infection” it may be important to consider allergy testing to see if this is the underlying cause of the recurring problem. Treatment of the allergy may prevent secondary bacterial sinus infections. In addition, sinus infections may be due to other problems such as nasal polyps, tumors, or diseases that obstruct normal mucus flow. Treatment of these underlying causes may prevent recurrent sinus infections.
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In This Article
If youre constantly plagued with a stuffy nose that just wont quit, you might actually be dealing with a sinus infection.
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This kind of infection occurs when fluid builds up in the air-filled sinuses and nasal cavities, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When that happens, germs can grow and flourish.
Because most sinus infections are caused by viruses, according to the CDC, many dont need to be treated with antibiotics .
Instead, you may want to talk to your doctor about ways to naturally ease your symptoms. Here are the best home remedies to get rid of a sinus infection.
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Can A Sinus Infection Make You Cough
Can a sinus infection make you cough? Yes a sinus infection can definitely lead to coughing. This particular situation has everything to do with excess mucus and how your sinuses attempt to drain that mucus.
When youre dealing with cold symptoms, youre suffering from allergies, or you have a sinus infection, your body is likely to create more mucus than normal, which can end up draining into the throat. While this sounds rather disgusting, mucus in the throat is pretty common, and it can happen whether youre sick or not.
However, when this drainage happens persistently for an extended period of time, you can find yourself with a nagging cough. A cough from a sinus infection isnt necessarily cause for alarm, and it doesnt mean you automatically need to book an appointment with your doctor.
Lets break down coughing during a sinus infection and what a doctor might recommend as treatment.
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What Is The Best Medicine For A Sinus Infection
Most of the time, sinus infections will clear up within 7-10 days with rest, fluids, and some simple over the counter and home remedies. If your sinus infection lasts longer than a week, you should speak to a doctor. Here are some of the best medicines for a sinus infection:
Nasal decongestant sprays such as oxymetazoline may relieve symptoms, but you should not use them any longer than three days since you may suffer from rebound effects.
-Over the counter steroid nasal sprays like fluticasone or triamcinolone can relieve your symptoms, and they do not have a risk of rebound effects.
-Saline nasal irrigation or a Neti Pot can help flush mucus from your sinus cavities, which can help reduce your symptoms. It is important to note that you should use filtered or boiled water tap water can cause problems.
-Antihistamines and decongestants are easily found over the counter and can help alleviate sinus pressure and sinus headaches. Some examples may include Sudafed, Zyrtec, Allegra, and Claritin.
Mucus thinners can make the mucus easier to remove, and less mucus may mean less sinus pressure. Mucous thinning medication includes Mucinex, or Guaifenesin.
-Over the counter pain medications such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help relieve sinus headaches.
Do you have a sinus infection that has lasted more than a few days? If it is time to explore antibiotics, book an appointment with an online doctor.
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