When your sinuses are blocked, fluids collect in the head, causing pain, pressure, and misery. Symptoms of a sinus infection include head-ache, snoring, cough, earache, greenish/yellow discharge exuding from the nose, pressure, fever, facial pain, and sensitivities in the teeth to sugar and temperature changes. Sinusitis or sinus infections often begin after a bad cold and are often worse in the morning, before mucous has a chance to drain. Other factors that contribute to sinus problems include overexposure to dust, pollen, and airborne chemicals, candida, stress, and poor dental hygiene. Here’s how to ease that pressure and congestion.
NATURAL REMEDIES THAT SOOTHE SINUSITIS
Irrigate your nasal passages with 1/4 teaspoon sea salt with 1/4 teaspoon baking soda and 1 cup (235 ml) warm water. Stir and pour into a neti pot, spray bottle, or ear syringe. Wash out each nostril one at a time over the sink with the opposite nostril down. When clearing sinuses, it’s a good idea to blow one nostril at a time (by covering the other sinus with a finger and tissue) to avoid causing pressure and bacteria buildup in the ears.
Next, apply a thin film of almond oil or sesame oil into the nose to help protect it from further viruses. If the nasal passages get too raw, apply a small amount of vitamin E oil or a salve made from soothing herbs like comfrey or calendula.
Herbs that help relieve sinusitis include echinacea, (stimulates immunity), eyebright (decreases congestion), and fenugreek (decreases mucus). The Chinese patent formula Bi Yan Pian is also helpful to many people with a sinus infection. Herbal doses are usually taken three times daily.
Skip This!
Cut out gluten and dairy products for a while and you might find that phlegm production decreases.
GOOD TO GROW!
A few nasturtium leaves and flowers from your garden added to salads also help to open the respiratory passages.
Essential oils that help relieve sinus congestion include camphor, eucalyptus, lavender, pine, peppermint, and rosemary. Olbas inhalers are available at many health food stores and help clear nasal congestion for up to a couple of hours.
BEST FOODS FOR SINUSITIS
Re-evaluating your diet is a good place to start in improving sinus problems. It may be helpful to decrease consumption of dairy, wheat, eggs, and sugar. Citrus, corn, and peanuts can also be potential allergens causing excessive phlegm. Try eating more foods that are pungent and opening to the respiratory tract such as cayenne, garlic, ginger, horseradish, and onions. (Don’t overdo it though, as too much may cause irritation.) Adding some chopped lotus root to soups helps to dissolve mucous. The juice of half a lemon in water helps to thin mucous secretions. Carrots and carrot juice, turnips, winter squash, and dark green leafy vegetables are all rich in beta-carotene and strengthen mucous membranes. Drink plenty of water.
GOOD TO KNOW!
You have eight sinuses, four pairs of air-filled hollow spaces lined with mucous membranes located on both sides of the forehead, between the nasal cavities and eye sockets, and in the maxillary cheekbones. All of the sinus openings, which are thinner than a pencil lead, drain into the nasal passages. Our sinuses help to equalize pressure and also warm, purify, and moisten the air we breathe. The sinuses also give the voice resonance.
Cures from Grandma’s Kitchen
When sinuses feel especially painful and congested, a ginger compress can be very helpful. First make a tea of fresh chopped ginger root, simmered for 20 minutes. Soak a couple of washcloths in the comfortably hot tea, wring, and apply gently over the afflicted sinus areas. Reapply three or four times daily as needed.
Food allergies, especially to dairy and gluten products, can be a possible cause of sinus problems. Often the food sensitivity comes first, then the germs find a haven in the excess mucous. The mucous can sometimes be acidic in nature, causing more irritation. It can take up to three weeks to see the results of eliminating a particular food.
KEEP IN MIND
Exercise like brisk walking in pure air or gentle aerobics or stretching can help improve circulation in your sinuses. Massaging sore sinuses increases circulation, which helps move stagnation. You can also massage the base of the threesmallest toes, which corresponds to the sinus area.
It is possible to confuse a sinus infection with a toothache. To find out which is which, jump up and down, landing on your heels. A sinus infection will be felt in the sinus region above the teeth or both sides of the upper jaw. A toothache will be felt in the tooth.
This Sinus Pressure Relief article is taken from :
The Country Almanac of Home Remedies - Brigitte Mars
