Treating sinusitis.

GhostUser · Dec 27, 2002

Earlier this summer I had an MRI and CAT scan to diagnose something unrelated and it was discovered (no surprise to me) that I have "mild sinus disease". I've had problems with my sinuses all of my life and have mild allergies to smoke, pollen, dust and dander. Cutting out dairy seemed to help initially, but it seems as if I'm still stuck with clogged sinuses and the need to blow my nose more often than I'd like. I also tried to avoid some of my known allergens and have managed to develop a bit of an immunity to the cats in the house. 
Do any of you have sinus problems, and if so, what do you do (or what have you done) to ease the problem? 
My GP mentioned that it often progresses to the point of requiring day surgery or something along those lines. I've had problems for about 15 years and it hasn't worsened to that point and I don't think it will.

Thalia · Dec 27, 2002

I do. I use (although not religiously like I should) steroidal nose spray to reduce inflammation (not "natural" but neither is being sick all the time). I also make some effort to reduce allergens in my home, but I have a cat and house plants, so they will be there no matter what. I try to keep my windows closed and use the ac in the summer. 
Sometimes I use a saline douche in my nose. (I can explain more, later.) It is refreshing. But I am going to a new dr., one who is a specialist. They can put a camera up there to see if there is an infection that they couldn't see otherwise. Sinus infections can really reduce one's energy and possibly lead to a brain abcess if untreated. So generally I put up with it and try to let the Dr. know if I might have an infection.

GhostUser · Dec 27, 2002

I've always had problems with my sinuses too but figured out that it's mainly attributed to cig. smoke. Anyhow, you probably know that keeping the sinus open is key to avoiding painful sinus infections. One of the ways I would do that is by letting the shower run as hot as I could stand it and letting it hit me right in the face for as long as I could stand it. Now, I know I'm going to gross some folks out, but on this subject how could you not? Anyhow, sometimes my sinus's got to the point that the mucus was so thick that blowing my nose did no good. So, I did a little research and found something that seemed to help in those instances. Snort warm salted wated (yeah I know, yuk)..The moisture will help loosen and the salt helps to dry out the sinus's themselves. You may be doing this already, but sleep with your head elevated on more than one pillow. This will help you to avoid sinus headaches and will promote the drainage through the night. Sometime I would use Vick's vapor rub at night. They have it now in a bottle that contains a pull up wick. I think it's called Vick's vaporizer in a bottle or something like that. It's pretty good too. Well, that's all I can think of for now. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

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GhostUser · Dec 27, 2002

I do sleep with my head elevated and try to have a hot shower or steam of some sort every morning. It really makes a difference when I skip a shower. I don't get sinus headaches and don't think that I've had an infection. My sinuses are just partially blocked most of the time. 
I've never tried snorting salt water or using any sprays. 
I'm in your boat, Thalia. With the cats and plants in the house, there's only so much that I can do about allergens. They're not going anywhere, either. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/smiley.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

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soilman · Dec 27, 2002

I had a fistula form and some brain damage, though since this happened in 1967, and all they had was old fashioned transillumination x-ray imagery back then -- there is no imagery extant where the damage shows up. But I felt it when it happned, over the course of a few hours, one day. 
Since then I have had chronic facial pain, due to nerve damage of my facial nerves. My facial muscles on my forehead were partially paralyzed for awhile, too. I get continued sinus infection due to permanent damage to the mucus membranes. 
Steroids make my condition better for a few days, then it gets worse -- they are only good for allergies -- the increase the risk of infection, including serious brain-damaging infections. Stay away from nasal steroids unless you are absolutely sure it is just an allergic reaction, that is causing mucus discharge or stuffiness or both, and there is no infection whatsoever. 
Yes I have found nasal douches to be very helpful. Indispensable. My nasal passages swell, and I cannot breathe thru my nose at all unless I use 12-hour nose spray. Before these came on the market, the old-fashioned 3-hour spray was useless, so I underwent dramatic improvement around 1976 or so when the 12-hours appeared. Plus the brain damage prevented me from understanding what was happening, so I never got any treatment until the early 80's. Because I didn't eat flesh, my family assumed I was crazy, rather than brain-damaged, an they had no interest in helping me get medical, for the continuing sinus condition, just psychiatric treatment, which of course could not possibly help a sinus infection. 
Nasal douche. I empty out a nose-spray bottle, the kind with a metered dose and a check valve (which prevents nasal mucus from entering the bottle, and reduces the need for adding preservatives to the saline solution or changing it every time you use it), and fill it with saline. I think it is better to use pure salt with no additives, and not to use iodized salt or "free-flowing" salt. I use diamond crystal kosher salt. No other ing. but salt. 
Abt 1 teaspoon per cup of water approximates normal saline. 
Avoid all air pollution. Staying away from cats and dogs and from rooms with fireplaces and from smelly cities, helps me avoid acute exacerbations -- I don't want to have more brain damage. To prevent this, I do whatever I have to to keep smokers far away from me, when indoors, and keep any smoke they make blowing away from me, when I am outdoors. Tobacco smoke played a role in my condition developing in the first place. It is important to keep cats and dogs away from me too, in indoor spaces. I won't go to people's houses if they have indoor-living cats or dogs, or any large mammal like that. 
I use hot soup with hot pepper or pepper sauce like Tobasco sauce. This stimulates mucus production, and the increased mucus production tends to clear out the sinuses and nasal passages, and enable you to breathe thru them, and reduce the likelyhood of tissues becoming infected. It washes out the old, thick, decaying mucus, and replaces it with fresh healthy mucus. I hightly recommoned pepper stimulation -- unless you are totally and completely clogged (rarely the case), in which case the new mucus won't push out the old mucus, but will simply add to the old mucus, and increase the pain. 
Yes, I smoked for awhile, from age 14 to age 19 approximately. I had to because they did not have nicotine gum back then, and I was made a nicotine addict by my father, as a result of his smoking in the house, the care, etcetera. When he was away at work, and my atmosphere was not infused with nicotine, I needed to smoke cigarettes myself, in order to avoid nicotine withdrawal symtoms. 
I consider parents who expose their children to tobacco smoke to be comitting felony child abuse. 
Because my brain injury happened when I was only 19, most of my mental abilities that I suddenly lost, as a result of the injury, eventually returned -- slowly, over a period of about 12 years. So I have pretty much normal mental ability now, but I still have facial pain (treated medically). Of course I fell behind socially and economically over those 12 years, and never caught up.

Thalia · Dec 27, 2002

<a href="http://www.allergybuyersclub.com/" target="_blank">Here</a> is a site that sells some supplies that might help, too. I have a cover for my mattress and pillows. I also have a humidfyer with an anti-microbial filter and a humidistat so it stays between 30-40% humidity. 
I am thinking of getting <a href="http://www.allergybuyersclubshopping.com/friedelaircl.html" target="_blank">this</a> when I have more money. It was rated #1 by consumer reports and has a cleanable filter, so you don't have to buy expensive replacements all the time.

soilman · Dec 27, 2002

Wow that Friedrich air cleaner is expensive. You could buy about 7 paper air filters, for your $150 air cleaner, for that $500 price. Plus the Friedrich sitll has a carbon post-filter, than needs to be replaced occaisionally, and a pre-filter that needs to be washed, plus I doubt that it does as good a job as a paper-filter air cleaner. Plus they recommend cleaning the electrostatic plates -- once a week!!! Paper filters have to be changed only once every 3 to 6 months.

GhostUser · Dec 27, 2002

Nice Thalia..I wish I could afford one of those. 
My Dr. said that Cleveland is one of the worst places to live if you have any kind of sinus trouble or allergies.

soilman · Dec 27, 2002

"My Dr. said that Cleveland is one of the worst places to live if you have any kind of sinus trouble or allergies." Could be, but he was referring, undoubtedly, to outdoor air. Indoor air pollution from tobacco smoke is much worse than the worst outdoor air anywhere. Moving from a house in Cleveland with one smoker in it, to a house with no smokers, will make a much greater improvement in overall breathable air you have, than moving from Cleveland to a wildnerness area. Even an apartment building, in super-clean city, with say 20 apartments, with one apartment having one smoker in it, will probably have worse air in all the 20 other apartments, than you will have outdoors in cleveland.

LadyFaile · Dec 28, 2002

my sinuses are always blocked. always. the last week staying at my mom's the cigarette smoke played havoc, i was sneezing constantly, (which i do anyways, but more so this week) and had a runny nose all week long, plus itchy eyes, couple of nosebleeds, headaches, etc. 
no different than usual at home, but more severe. blah. sometimes i find a hot damp cloth over the whole face helps to get things moving, but if i get a sinus headache the only thing that gives me any relief is an icy cold cloth over the eyes and forehead 
i've tried steam, the whole head over the sink under a towel thing, and it hasn't worked. got a steam humidifier and it didn't really help, and then i found out it can make it worse if you don't clean it out with bleach like once a week. pfft screw that.

GhostUser · Jan 21, 2003

Whatever you do don't take antibiotics. Sinus infections are usually treated with antibiotics, but this only makes the problem worse in the long run. 
Your intestines have friendly bacteria competing with fungi and yeast for room to grow and multiply in your gut. When the friendly bacteria die off too much due to any number of reasons, the fungi and yeast take over. 
This causes Leaky Gut Syndrome, where the yeast/fungi can be absorbed into your bloodstream. They then travel throughout your body causing havoc, among them, sinus infections and sinusitis. 
Antibiotics hurt this problem in the long run (despite being able to kill the infection in the short term) because antibiotics can't discriminate against good and bad bacteria, so they wipe out your friendly flora in the gut. 
What to do? Restore your friendly bacteria! Eat cultured soy yogurt a couple times a day for a month. Or, get a probiotic supplement (acidophilus) from a vitamin store and take it twice a day between meals for a few weeks. 
This will restore your friendly bacteria to healthy levels and, in turn, allow the sinus infections to die off and not return. 
edited to add: 
Leaky Gut Syndrome and sinusitis and the problems described above are usually symptoms of a candida (yeast) infection. If you're experiencing fatigue, depression or chronic headaches as well, you probably have a candida infection. 
If this is the case, in addition to taking a probiotic supplement you should do a number of other things to try and cleanse your body of the infection. First and foremost avoid all sugars, especially refined sugars, as candida feeds off of sugar like mad. 
Other processed carbs are good to cut back on, as well, but not as crucial, and complex carbs are fine. Flour is bad for candida cleansing, and bread is about the worst thing you can eat. 
You should also, if you can afford it, buy a candida cleansing kit which will have several herbs you'll need to take daily which will help cleanse your system. Drink LOTS AND LOTS of water, no soda, no alcohol, no coffee.

The_Gazumper · Jan 25, 2003

I've been having dreadful sinus problems recently too. First of all, the Doctor put me on amoxycillin, which did nothing. Then, she put me on Cefaclor. And surprise, surprise - it had no effect whatsoever. 
So now I'm on this Beconase nasal spray. I've only been using it for a few days though, so I can't really say whether it's a success or not. 
Are vegans/vegetarians more vulnerable to sinus infections? Loads of my veg*n friends have been suffering from terrible sinus probs over the past few months, yet my meat-eating buddies seem to be ok... 
Bastards.

soilman · Jan 27, 2003

Sinus mucus secretions, like perspiration, are an excretory material. Sinuses perform an excretory function, tho doctors will rarely tell you this. They just tell you about how the holes in your bones improve your voice and make your head lighter. 
Block your sinuses: you retain toxins in your head. Therefore I don't think it is just air pressure (neg or pos) that causes sinus pain. 
Mucus too thick? It may block the tiny ostia that the sinuses use to communicate with the nasal passages. 
Anything that makes sinus-nasal mucus thicker, may cause sinus problems. I've heard that dairy products do theis but I am somewhat skeptical.

GhostUser · Feb 3, 2003

I have a daily cough that I'm beginning to think is from my sinuses draining constantly. Nothing I've been prescribed has helped but then the doctor has only been treating the cough. He prescribed narcotics twice. One made me sleep all the time, the other gave me insomnia. Can't win sometimes. I have to get it checked out again by a specialist, too.k 
My father had a bad sinus infection. It was so bad he would pass out or become very dizzy even when driving! It took the doctor 2 years to come up with the right medicine to clear it up. I guess the very last antibiotic they came up with knocked the infection out. The doc had told him that when he looked at the xray he never saw such a bad infection. It's important to get it taken care of a.s.a.p. and find the right treatment that works. Some antibiotics work for some and some don't work for some. Good luck with it.

The_Gazumper · Feb 3, 2003

> become very dizzy even when driving! 
Exactly the same happens to me. I feel okay as I get into the car, but when I start driving, I start feeling a bit giddy. Weird.

GhostUser · Feb 4, 2003

I haven't really had sinus problems since about 6 weeks after I quit smoking. Go figure, it was the cigs all along (sheesh, wish I would've found that out a little sooner).

soilman · Feb 7, 2003

"I haven't really had sinus problems since about 6 weeks after I quit smoking. Go figure, it was the cigs all along (sheesh, wish I would've found that out a little sooner)." 
Unfortunately, I quit cigarettes too late -- after one sinus episode spread to my brain, and did some brain damage, and also permanently damaged my facial nerves. It is true that the anti-tobacco educational information that is readily available, underplays the role of tobacco in causing sinus disease, which is rarely fatal, and plays up the fatal diseases that tobacco causes. However, sinus disease is bad enough, and a good enough reason to quite smoking tobacco -- or inhaling any kind of smoke at all -- immediately. I wish I had been smart enough to quit before I did permanent and permanently painful, damage to myself.

with_open_eyes · Mar 6, 2003

i too have had problems with my sinuses for a long time. 
it got to the point where i went to the doctor so many times (when i was younger) that medicine no longer worked and i got tested for allergies and was told i should have an injection once a month against the allergies. 
after all the medications and nasal sprays, i opted to find an alternative and tried acupuncture. it works! the first day i had it, it cleared my nasal passages immeadiately and so much yukky stuff came out (sorry) it was so nice to be able to breath through my nose again. 
i continue to have acupuncture (6 years later) when needed. 
my sinus problems have cleared up nearly 100% since i stopped eating/drinking dairy products. for me dairy was a major contributor. 
whatever you do - don't hold your nose when you sneeze !!! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/sad.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="

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i used to hold my nose when i sneezed but in december '02 i got the worst sinus infection i have EVER had which resulted in me being stuck in bed for a good 10 days. my head ached and i could not stand for too long, i was in so much pain and i felt horrible. i didn't want antibiotics and put off going to the doctor for 5 days but then it became unbearable and i didn't want any permanent damage so i finally gave in and went to the doc. he was actually a specialist in ear, throat and nose so i was with someone who knew their stuff (i hope!). he did the usual things but also he did like a mini ultra-sound on my face and checked those pockets under your cheek bones (maxillary sinuses) and they were sooo full and infected that i would have had to have surgery if it got any worse. i told him i didnt want to take antibiotics and he totally understood my requests and did some acupuncture and some unhalation work and also something else weird .... in the end he did give me a plant based medicine to treat the sinus problem. i got better a few days later. 
i did my own treatments as well with herbs and teas and essential oils and acupressure which helped a little too ... 
anyway, the reason it got so bad was cause of me holding in my sneezes so now i NEVER hold my sneezes in and i tell everyone that i see not to hold theirs in either. i know its hard sometimes if you don't have a tissue but its worth it. i never want to feel like that again ... 
something no one has mentioned here is acupressure. 
check this out: <a href="http://www.acuhealth.com.au/hayfever.html" target="_blank">http://www.acuhealth.com.au/hayfever.html</a> 
for me now, the worst triggers are air conditioning on the plane and also cigarette smoke. in the aeroplane the air conditioning and bad air stuffs me right up and i end up sneezing for the whole flight. 
plus i am super sensitive to cigarette smoke and the slightest little whiff and my nose gets blocked and i get a headache as soon i am exposed to it. i hate it sooooooo much !!! <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/images/smilies/spew.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title=":spew:"> 
anyway, this is way toooo long, sorry for rambling .... 
good luck with your sinus problems.

soilman · Mar 7, 2003

"don't hold your nose when you sneeze !!" 
duh!

soilman · Mar 7, 2003

How do you know it was the accupuncture that helped you, rather than your stopping your habit of holding your nosed when you sneezed?

Treating sinusitis.

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