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Three Effective Treatment Principles For Sinus Sufferers

April 7th, 2012 Comments off

A key strategy for Principle 1, keep the nose moist while keeping mucus moving, is nasal irrigation. This is a natural remedy I believe every sinus sufferer must understand and should do. In brief, it consists of rinsing out your nose and sinuses with salt and water. I feel so strongly about nasal irrigation that I believe it must be tried first before considering nose or sinus surgery (unless your situation demands it).

Nasal irrigation has become popularized in 2007 by Oprah Winfrey, as she had Dr. Mehmet Oz introduce the neti pot to viewers. Dr. Oz suggests water used for irrigation should be warm and it must include salt; without salt in the mixture that mimics the natural concentration of salt in the body, the water would irritate delicate nasal membranes. He also points out how many ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists recognize the value in doing irrigation, which can be more effective than drugs for treating nasal congestion, stuffiness, or allergies, for example, as it involves directly cleaning out the nose and sinuses. Have you noticed the proliferation of irrigation products in your local drugstore compared to even just 10 years ago? The number of products has increased significantly, because there is much value in cleaning out your nose with salt water. I wish nasal irrigation would be tantamount to and as well understood as washing dirty hands!

The doctor who pioneered the concept of nasal irrigation in the United States is Dr. Murray Grossan, of Los Angeles, an innovative ENT specialist who created the Grossan Hydro Pulse Nasal-Sinus Irrigation System, which has reportedly sold 400,000 to date. Interestingly, based on feedback, Dr. Grossan estimates 10%, or 40,000, of these purchasers are from empty nose sufferers. You can visit his website at http://www.hydromedonline.com to learn more about the Hydro Pulse. Dr. Grossan needed to find an effective remedy for treating his patients, many of whom did not have much money, without using drugs. I use the Hydro Pulse twice a day, in the morning and evening. It is important to point out the Hydro Pulse has distinct advantages over other irrigation products, such as a neti pot or a bulb syringe (the latter of which can house bacteria):

1) The Hydro Pulse pulsates at a rate to stimulate your nasal cilia to their best rhythm, restoring the functioning of the cilia.

2) The Hydro Pulse allows you to irrigate both your nose and throat. It is important to irrigate both, particularly since what is in the nose travels down to the throat. Irrigating the throat can bring circulation to the throat, thereby thinning mucus and reducing postnasal drip.

Another key strategy as part of Principle 1 and that I believe everyone should keep in mind before considering nasal or sinus surgery, except in emergency situations, is to get proper treatment for your allergies. Allergies can lead to enlarged turbinate tissue that can block nasal breathing, so effective treatment for allergies can actually reduce the size of the turbinates, an effect that can be very beneficial. (Please note: the turbinates are very complex structures in the nose with the primary turbinates the size of a finger and they play key roles in heating, humidifying, and filtering air, directing and detecting airflow, and providing 50% of resistance in overall airflow to the lungs.) This treatment might consist of allergy medicine and injections. Allergy injections, for example, have been demonstrated in medical literature to improve the immune system and mucociliary clearance functioning. These are generally administered for 3-5 years for optimal benefit.

A third key strategy of Principle 1 is proper diet. This strategy might seem self-explanatory, but it cannot be emphasized enough. A number of tips to consider in terms of diet including drinking 8, 8-ounce glasses of water per day; drinking hot tea with lemon and honey, particularly during a time of a cold or sinus infection; eating chicken soup; and eating foods that might be beneficial for sinus health such as vegetables, fresh fruits, spicy foods, wheat products, and foods high in protein. Conversely, foods to avoid include caffeinated products and alcohol, which increase nasal dryness, and tobacco smoke, which worsens the lungs and consequently leads to more breathing difficulties.

Principle 2 is maintain good blood supply to the nose. Exercise is a strategy that most people are familiar with and can help improve nasal functioning. Exercise increases blood flow throughout the body, while increasing serotonin reuptake inhibitors that will physically decrease the likelihood someone will develop depression. When I run outside (or walk or do any physical activity), I notice that I can breathe better through my nose. Empty nose sufferers tend to particularly benefit from good blood supply to their nose, sometimes finding inversion techniques to be helpful. An inversion technique consists of having the head lower than the rest of the body to increase blood supply to the head and remaining nose tissue (the turbinates). You can purchase an inversion table to do this technique.

Principle 3 is relax, be it a good night of sleep or reducing stress in everyday life. It is important to get adequate sleep per night, which is the body’s natural way of healing. People who are not getting enough sleep are more apt to come down with sinus infections. I recall reading Walt Ballenberger, founder of http://www.postnasaldrip.net informing his readers that after 2.5 years, he came down with a sinus infection. The reason? He had 3 hours of sleep in a 48 hour period. However, sufferers of empty nose syndrome might need to undergo a sleep study and might even need a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine because their breathing difficulties make breathing (and consequently sleeping) that much more difficult. Some of the more severely affected empty nose patients report only being able to breathe for a few hours at a time each night. Finally, reducing stress is also important for sinus sufferers as that alone can reduce the risk of sinus infections.

If you are among the 1 in 5 Americans who suffer from sinusitis, allergic rhinitis, nasal congestion, postnasal drip, acid reflux, asthma, and/or if you have empty nose syndrome, then I encourage you to consider using the treatment strategies discussed in this article, which might just be a starting point for you to take control of your nasal health. Remember, it is you, no one else, who will take control of your health.

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Tips on How to Treat Chronic Sinusitis in Three Simple Steps

February 17th, 2012 Comments off

Each of us wants things. A lot of people have ambitions for what they need to try and do or achieve. Some times it is something which we would like to possess or own. Other times there is something you want to be or learn to do.

You might have a burning need to treat chronic sinusitis, as an illustration. Many people want that, and it’s really not hard to accomplish once you learn how to. If you want to know the effective treatments for chronic sinusitis, this informative article may help teach you the way. If you need to find out how to cure a worsening case of sinusitis in about three simple steps, read on…

The first step is learn the appropriate natural herbal medicines and try using them for your swollen sinuses.. The reason you need to do this is to get a natural remedy without the dangers of chemical substances.. You should avoid taking over-the-counter drugs without the proper knowledge on these medications.

It’ll be very important to complete this initial step carefully, carrying it out completely, properly and well. Failing to do this 1st step well would probably bring about worsening sinuses and might lead to another disease because negligence..

Your 2nd step will be taking these natural herb medicines in a consistent daily basis. In this step you’ll want to avoid getting your sinus problems worst and also you might want to cure your illnesses as natural as possible..

Your 3rd and ultimate step will be consult your doctor about your chronic sinusitis.. This is very important because taking several antibiotics without the right prescription can be very dangerous to your health.. What is important for one to avoid is making assumptions on the right treatment for your sinusitis..

It is best to follow each and every one of the three steps carefully. Steer clear of the potential problems explained. Avoid likely problems by carefully following the above suggestions.

When you start to take steps on this chronic sinusitis treatment, by adopting the above suggestions you should have the greatest likelihood of succeeding. Then you can pat yourself on the back! And enjoy the many rewards and benefits gained by your effective, well-directed efforts!

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Infection Sinus Treatment Tips – Home Remedy For Nasal Congestion

February 17th, 2012 Comments off

You may find it hard to believe that 37 million Americans suffer with sinus infections each year and it is more prevalent today than it was in the pre-antibiotic age! But that is not to say that antibiotics are not effective in treating it. In fact when sinusitis occurs the use of antibiotics to kill the infectious bacteria is the best way. In this way we look at infection sinus treatment to help alleviate the symptoms related to sinus infections.

One of the best infection sinus treatment tips is to take a decongestant. Also the use of oral or topical steroids for combating sinus inflammation as well as antihistamines for those where underlying allergies are involved are other forms of treatment for sinus infection.

However more and more doctors are coming to realise that the best to successfully fight off a sinus infection is to prevent it from recurring and unfortunately medication alone can not help to do this. A person will need to ensure that their mucous membrane lining of their nasal and sinus passages are healthy and functioning correctly. Below are some natural treatments which will help to keep your cilia healthy and functioning which will prevent mucus from building up in your sinuses. If a sinus infection does occur then these same treatments will increase the effectiveness of any antibiotics or medications that are prescribed to speed up the healing process and thus making a recurrence of the infection less likely in the future.

1. Drink Hot Liquids This is one of the best ways for you to unclog your sinuses is by drinking hot tea either black, green, herbal or decaffeinated (it really does not matter which one you drink). Or you could have hot chicken soup throughout the day instead. But it is important that you drink enough to ensure that your urine is light in colour. These hot liquids will help to moisturize your mucous membrane and help to speed up the movement of your cilia which will then was mucus out of your sinuses more quickly.

2. Apply a warm compress to your face three times a day for 5 minutes. What you need to do is soak a small towel in warm water and then place it over your face below and between your eyes as this will help increase the circulation in your sinuses and so will help speed up the movement of your cilia. This is a popular home remedy for nasal congestion.

3. Irrigate the sinuses. For 3,000 years yoga practitioners have been keeping their sinuses healthy by sniffing a saltwater solution rapidly in and out of their nose at low pressure. However you should not use this method unless you have been taught how to do it correctly. This has been a great home remedy for nasal congestion for thousands of years.

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Natural Sinus Relief – How to Cure Sinus Congestion Naturally

February 17th, 2012 Comments off

Victims of chronic Sinus Congestion may have the following symptoms for 12 weeks or more: facial pain/pressure, facial congestion/fullness, nasal obstruction/blockage, thick nasal discharge/discolored post-nasal drainage, pus in the nasal cavity, and at times, fever. They may also have headache, bad breath, and fatigue. Typically this condition is the result of several causes combined. While you can’t necessarily eliminate the causes, you can be proactive about natural sinus relief solutions and take a few preventative measures that will decrease the occurrence of sinus congestion.

However, allergies can cause sinus congestion, which can lead to headache pain. If you have allergies, the treatment for your allergy will not relieve your headache pain. Some sinus congestion is caused by food allergies. Milk and wheat are both common sinus offenders that cause allergic reactions and boost mucus production. Generally, a sinusitis condition causes nasal congestion and facial pain and pressure, will last more than ten days, and could also cause a thick yellow green mucus discharge, requiring sinus infection treatment.

Many people seek natural sinus relief because they react poorly to the ingredients in decongestant and antihistamine medications. Why? Because usually decongestant nasal sprays should only be used for short periods of time, or they can make congestion worse. Using decongestants when you have an upper respiratory infection may reduce your risk of developing sinusitis.

Antihistamines can be effective for treatment of allergy but when it comes to sinus drainage, the medication actually thicken the mucus, hampering sinus drainage and could lead to an infection.

Sinus congestion is harmful but if you take care of it in a proper manner you can easily get rid of it. One of the simple natural sinus relief without any side effects that you can do at home is using a steam inhalation. You should inhale steam vapors periodically. It is very helpful to steep some eucalyptus in a large pot of boiling water and use as an inhalant to unblock nasal passages. Add a few drops of eucalyptus essential oil at the bottom of a large bowl and carefully fill it with steaming hot water at least three to four times a day for 2-3 minutes. Quickly put a towel over your head and carefully lean over the bowl to breathe in the vapors.

There are numerous reasons why you should combine steam inhalation and eucalyptus ingredients to treat sinus problems naturally. Eucalyptus essential oil is probably the most effective of all sinus infection remedies. Researchers also discovered the highly concentrated extract of eucalyptus called Cineole is a powerful antiseptic properties. This convenient remedy will break up mucus congestion and improve drainage, thus eliminating the block and relieving pressure. This will also soothe inflammation, which will ease sinus pain and provide effective natural sinus relief.

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