Causes And Symptoms Of Sinusitis
Sinus infection is usually caused by a virus, but it can also occur due to fungi or bacteria. The risk of developing sinusitis increases if you have:
- Sinus problems, such as nasal polyps, tumors, and deviated nasal septum
- An allergic condition that affects the nasal passages
- An immune system disorder or medical condition
In most cases, a sinus infection can be treated with home remedies. However, sinusitis that does not go away after 12 weeks, even with medical and home treatments, is known as chronic sinusitis.
The symptoms of acute sinusitis may include:
- Thick yellow or green discharge from your nose or back of your throat
- Nasal congestion
- Swelling, tenderness, pain, and pressure around your nose, cheeks, eyes, or forehead
- A Headache, ear pressure, fatigue
- Reduced sense of taste and smell
- Fever
- A Cough, bad breath
If your symptoms do not improve after a few days, see your doctor for diagnosis and treatment.
Nutrition And Dietary Supplements
Because supplements may have side effects, or interact with medications, you should take them only under the supervision of a knowledgeable health care provider.
Herbs
The use of herbs is a time-honored approach to strengthening the body and treating disease. Herbs, however, can trigger side effects and can interact with other herbs, supplements, or medications. For these reasons, you should take herbs only under the supervision of a health care provider.
- Sinupret. A proprietary formulation containing Sambucus nigra , Rumex acetosa , Primula veris , Verbena officinalis , Gentiana lutea . Several studies suggest that Sinupret may be effective in relieving symptoms of sinusitis. The herbs it contains may work by thinning mucus and helping the sinuses drain. They may also help strengthen the immune system. Ask your doctor if sinupret is right for you.
Utilize Spice As An Optimal Choice
Perhaps it is one of the most commonly used home remedies for sinusitis. As you may know, one of the characters of sinusitis is the congestion of breath caused by thick mucus. To deal with this hard situation, for many years, people have been utilizing spice or spicy foods as a temporary solution to soothe sinusitis. You may not know that spicy food is an ideal way to open your nose and hit your mouth. Actually, it is considered a great remedy to cure sinusitis that you may be interested in. In the New York Times, spicy foods are noted to be able to help eliminate sinus infection well. Actually, you can easily find spicy foods anywhere because such foods as mustard, horseradish, curry, wasabi, hot peppers and even peppermint are always available around you. You can eat them daily or whenever you are annoyed by sinusitis. Alternatively, you can add spice as flavor to your meal to absorb it more easily. By doing so, you must be very surprised with what spicy foods could do for your sinusitis. Immediately, your breath will become normal again, and your sinusitis will be reduced remarkably.
If you are not satisfied with this remedy and want more natural home remedies for sinusitis, keep going on with this article.
Don’t Miss: Over The Counter Sinus Medication
Natures Rite Sinus Relief 15 Oz All
as of January 1, 2022 1:18 pm
Features
- SINUS HEALTH. Sinus Relief is an all-natural nasal spray that may help clear sinuses that have been closed off due to sinus problems. This nasal spray is designed to help reach deep into the passages to encourage a healthy sinus system.
- PORTABLE. This all-natural spray comes in a convenient-to-carry bottle, making it easy to keep in your pocket for use everywhere you go.
- EASY TO USE. Simply spray 1 to 2 times up each nostril every 20 to 30 minute to help rebalance the sinus flora.
- INGREDIENTS. Sinus Relief is made with 35 ppm pure aqueous colloidal silver, deionized water, and polysorbate 20.
- HOLISTIC NUTRITION. Natures Rite was founded on the principle of using combinations of herbs to address the problems in a holistic manner. These products focus on natural solutions to common ailments. All products are manufactured in a facility meeting integral standards in the U.S.A.
How To Use Manuka Honey
Primary Uses: Skin or oral infections , general immune booster.
Manuka honey is primarily used topically .
But since its honey, you can also eat it to give your immune system a boost. Its the most delicious way to fight infection.
- Skin Infections: Take a small dab and lather the honey on the infected area. Cover with gauze or a band aid.
- Internal Immune Boost: If you notice people around you are getting sick or you recently caught a cold, you can take a tsp 1-2 times per day. This can help prevent you from getting sick in the first place or reduce the duration of your illness. I like to combine manuka honey with ginger and cinnamon to make it even more powerful.
I just wouldnt suggest eating it every day for long periods of time since it would get expensive. Manuka honey is more medicine than food. Treat it like something you would put in your medicine cabinet.
Read Also: Best Prescription For Sinus Infection
Diagnosis And Treatment Of Sinus Infections
You may experience many of these symptoms with a cold, but if the symptoms last for more than two weeks, you should make an appointment to find out if you have a sinus infection. After an exam, and possibly some x-rays of your sinuses or a nasal endoscopy, your doctor may offer you antibiotics for bacterial infections. The condition can be acute, lasting for up to four weeks, or chronic, which can linger for years.
For a simple sinus infection, your doctor may also suggest decongestants, like Sudafed, to break up the congestion and reduce swelling in your sinuses in the nasal passages. For chronic sinus infections, your doctor may also suggest steam and hot showers to loosen the mucus. They may also suggest some form of saline solution to clean your sinuses and warm compresses on the nose and sinus area to loosen mucus. If you use over-the-counter medications, you should not take them beyond the prescribed recommendation.
If you do find structural abnormalities that are leading to sinus infections, your physician may suggest some surgical action, such as removing nasal polyps or shrinking the swollen tissues in the nose through a turbinectomy procedure. You can also try sinuplasty, similar to angioplasty, to open up passages with a balloon to permit mucus drainage.
Over The Counter Medications
For help alleviating sinus pressure and pain, try ibuprofen and a decongestant. Some medications include a combination of pain reliever and decongestant.
Mild antihistamines like Claritin and Allegra are helpful in moderation. Strong antihistamines like Benadryl are often way too drying. Be careful not to take antihistamines too often.
Even though you want your nose to stop running, too many antihistamines can make it more likely that youll get sinus infections in the future.
Drugs like Mucinex and Flonase can also be helpful in thinning the mucus in your nose and sinuses.
If you use Afrin, make sure you stop after three days. Though it can seem like a miracle drug, using it more than three days in a row can lead to something called rebound congestion. In other words, when you stop using the Afrin after continuous use, your nose becomes more congested than it was in the first place!
Also Check: Best Way To Cure Sinus Pressure
Causes And Risk Factors Of Sinus Infection
The terms sinus infection and sinusitis are often used interchangeably, but sinusitis simply refers to the inflammation of the sinuses, with or without an infection. The medical term for sinusitis is rhinosinusitis because the illness affects the mucous membranes in both the sinuses and nose. Sinus infections ultimately develop because of sinus and nasal blockages that result in sinus inflammation. There are several underlying causes of sinus blockage, including various environmental, anatomical, and genetic factors. But the most common cause of the blockage is inflammation or swelling of the nasal passages because of the common cold or allergies. when a blockage occurs, mucus fails to drain properly, increases in thickness, and fills the sinus spaces. The cilia also slow down their sweeping and cleaning, making it even harder for mucus to drain. When the mucus is unable to drain, it becomes the perfect medium for microbes to grow out of control and cause an infection.
Do These Things Work For Kids
Sinus infections make everyone miserable, children as well as adults!
Most of the tips above also work for kids, but antihistamines arent recommended for young children.
Young children cant blow their noses well, so helping them thin and clear the mucus from their nose is beneficial.
A nasal aspirator or a product like the Nose Frida can be a lifesaver in helping young children breathe through their nose.
A warm bath can help clear the sinuses and take a childs mind off their illness.
Kids are often fascinated by the condensation that forms on surfaces in a steamy room. To occupy them while a hot shower runs in the bathroom, try tracing pictures with them on the mirror!
Read Also: Can I Treat A Sinus Infection Without Antibiotics
Causes & Risk Factors
Any health situation that blocks off the vital drainage channels of your sinuses can cause a sinus infection including:
- Respiratory infections like the common cold
- Hay fever or exposure to allergens such as cigarette smoke, dry air and pollutants
- Obstructions in the nasal or sinus cavities including nasal polyps, deviated septum, or nasal bone spur
- Non-allergic rhinitis
- Changes in air pressure
- Infections resulting from dental problems
- Physical injury to the sinuses
- Bacteria, viruses, and fungi
The five most common bacteria that can cause sinus infections are: Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus pyogenes.
Risk factors for sinus infections include:
- Having asthma
- Being in the hospital, especially if the reason you are in the hospital is related to a head injury or you needed a tube inserted into your nose
Nasal Irrigation With Sodium Bicarbonate
This home remedy for sinus infection involves the use of sodium bicarbonate, which can be an excellent option for relieving nasal congestion, reducing inflammation and eliminating secretion that caused plugged or runny noses. Sodium bicarbonate prevents the growth of bacteria in the sinuses and treats dryness within the nose, allowing for mucus to become looser.
Ingredients
- 1 nasal irrigator or a 20 ml syringe without the needle
- 1 teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate
- 1 cup of warm water
How to prepare
Mix the water with the sodium bicarbonate until fully dissolved and place in the irrigator or syringe. Lean your body forward, with your head tilted slightly to the side. Place the irrigator or syringe in the nostril and press until the solution comes out of the other nostril. It is important to open and breathe through your mouth while performing a nasal rinse.
You can repeat this 2 to 3 times per day in each nostril.
Another way to rinse your sinuses is to use 0.9% saline, which can be prepared at home with warm water and salt.
Don’t Miss: Premier Allergy Asthma And Sinus Care
No 2 Balance Your Gut Flora
Your good bacteria, also known as your gut flora, are made up of thousands of different species of bacteria that live in your intestines. Roughly 80% of your immune system is in your gut, and the trillions of good bacteria making up your gut flora regulate your immune system and overall health in many different ways. When this community is disturbed or compromised, it can quickly become unbalanced and lead to a lack of good bacteria, interestingly enough, especially in your sinuses.How so? Well, your sinuses, nose, and mouth are all just extensions of your digestive tract. An unhealthy gut flora, or one that has a limited amount of bacterial species can often lead to chronic inflammation. One of the ways this can show up is a sinus infection.Inflammation of the mucus membrane causes a blockage of the drainage ducts and fluid in the sinuses, and this then leads to an infection.So what to do about it? Start eating fermented foods and probiotics of course. To help restore your healthy gut bacteria, go for naturally fermented foods and drinks which introduce live bacterial cultures to your digestive system.
Fermented foods include:
- kombucha
- tempeh all naturally contain probiotics, and the more probiotics in your diet the better!
What Are The Common Medications To Treat Sinus Infection
The primary six types of medications and surgery used for treating sinus infections include:
You May Like: Is Steam Room Good For Sinus Infection
Natural Home Remedies For Sinus Infections
If you are one of the millions of Americans who suffer from sinus infections, then you understand how the coughing, sore throat, headaches, and lack of sleep can make life truly difficult. These symptoms result in lost productivity at work, missed opportunities at home, and a significant decrease in your quality of life.
As a result, you may have found yourself seeking to alleviate your symptoms with over-the-counter medications to no avail. You may even feel stuck in an endless cycle of infection, medication, and frustration that leaves you desperately searching for real solutions. Even when OTC medications provide temporary relief from symptoms, they may result in any number of unwelcomed side effects such as:
Natural Home Remedies For Sinusitis
Sinusitis is a condition that impacts the daily lives of 1 in 10 of our family, friends, and neighbors in Scottsdale and surrounding areas. If you are one of the thousands in our community that are trying to find out how to cure sinus infections permanently, then you understand how the symptoms of sinusitis make daily life difficult. Dizziness is one of the most common sinus infection symptoms and a sinus headache follows as a close second. Sinus sufferers also struggle with symptoms such as:
- Sleep disruption
- Nasal congestion or post-nasal drip
- Breathing problems
- Facial pain
- Coughing, sneezing, runny nose
These symptoms result in countless hours of missed work/school, a loss of productivity, and impaired ability to fully enjoy all that life has to offer.
You May Like: Can Sinus Pain Cause Tooth Pain
When To See A Doctor For Sinus Issues
If your symptoms persist more than one to two weeks, you should consult with your physician.
Youll want to check with your doctor even sooner if you have a severe case of a sinus infection including a high fever, swelling around the eyes, and red and inflamed skin, among other symptoms, Del Signore says.
In this case, or if your symptoms do not clear up within two weeks, your doctor will likely prescribe an antibiotic.
Do Natural Antibiotics Work
Natural antibiotics have been used for thousands of years, and now clinical research is finally catching up and discovering the ability of some powerful foods and herbs, able to destroy the most virulent bacteria.
From Strep Throat to UTIs and Sinus Infections you dont have to look further than your kitchen to find the most powerful natural antibiotics waiting for you to use them without making you sicker later.
Some of the foods and herbs youll find below can be consumed in their original state.
Some gain higher potency when made into tea or tinctures or extracts. Others are best used as essential oils or made into vegetarian non-GMO capsules.
In this post, youll find the complete list of natural antibiotics, how to and when to use them, and the research to back them.
Don’t Miss: Sinus Pressure And Tooth Pain
Natural Remedies For Sinus Infections
1. Top Foods & Beverages for Sinus Infections
2. Foods & Beverages to Avoid
3. Oil of Oregano
4. Grapefruit seed extract
5. Vitamin C
6. Garlic
7. Echinacea
8. Neti Pot
9. Add Moisture
10. Essential Oils