Natural Sinus Relief

If you suffer from sinus problems you already know how sinusitis can seriously impact your quality of life, your ability to have a good nights rest, your ability to do what you need to do at work each day or simply enjoy some family time.

• Do you suffer from regular headaches, nasal drainage or blocked nasal passages?
• Are you continually suffering from sinus pressure pain?
• Do you have a perpetually runny nose?
• Are you always feeling tired and unwell?

If you answered yes to any of these questions then the good news is that you are not alone. Did you know that chronic sinusitis is in fact one of the most common chronic illnesses in the US today! With the rise of airborne pollutants in most countries breathing related problems such as Asthma, Bronchitis and Sinusitis are definitely on the increase.

A straight-forward definition of sinusitis is quite simply just an inflammation of the sinuses and because this ailment is not life threatening the impact it can have on your well being is often misunderstood by those that have never had the problem. Some years ago the Harvard Medical School undertook a study on the impact of sinusitis on one’s quality of life. The results were overwhelming in reaffirming the significant impact this ailment has your work life, energy and mental health.

The good news is that the range of treatments available to sinus sufferers that are effective have increased over the last few years but there is unfortunately no magic pill available. There is great value in you being pro-active about your chronic sinus condition and exploring all of the options available to you. Some of the more common treatments include:

• Devices for irrigating and cleaning your sinuses
• Decongestants and Sprays
• Antibotics
• Sinus Surgery
• Natural Sinus Relief Methods

My experience has been that even though sinusitis tends to be a chronic condition by pro-actively working with your medical practitioner and understanding the information available on this website you should be able to reduce your dependence on antibotics, reduce the effects of post nasal drip and potentially reduce your chronic congestion when you sleep or even excercise.

What is Natural Sinus Relief Really All About?

Natural sinus relief methods can provide a good alternative to or can be complimentary to traditional sinus treatments. While this might sound too good to be true, at least for some people, for others who understand that many of these healing approaches have been developed over many years and do provide some very real benefits.

It is true that some natural approaches are nothing more than hokum while some ideas have their roots in generations of successful healing.

For instance, one such tale involves putting menthol crystals in hot water and inhaling the fumes. Guess what? It works for some people. It really is possible to obtain natural sinus relief from ancient and traditional sinusitis treatments that are complimentary to the over the counter or prescribed medication and sprays that so many of us are trained to use.

Lets now talk about some of the more common natural sinus approaches that are routinely used.

Nasal Rinses

Nasal rinses are inexpensive home remedies for sinus infections that work incredibly well.  All that is required is a “delivery device” such as a Neti Pot, and a saline (salt water) solution.  Through the correct positioning of the head and plain old gravity, you use the device to slowly flush your sinuses with saline solution.  This is completely pain free and it works incredibly well at not only ridding the sinus cavity of excess mucus, but soothing the irritation and reducing the inflammation as well.

The concept of the neti pot is not new. It’s been around for centuries and emerged from Ayurveda, an East Indian holistic medicine system. The pot looks like a little teapot with a spout designed to fit into your nostrils and provide healing nasal irrigation.

Use warm water with a little sea salt in it. About a teaspoon of salt in a cup of water works. You should always boil the water or use sterile (filtered) water. You don’t want bacteria flowing through your sinuses along with the cleansing saltwater or saline solution.

Lean over the sink and tip your head to one side. Insert the spout into your nostril and let it flow out the other nostril. Then, tip your head to the other side and pour the rest of the water into the other nostril.

A lot of people think it will be painful or uncomfortable. Maybe these people had a bad experience with water going up their nose  because the reality is that the neti pot experience is completely comfortable.

The first time you try it, you might have a slight pre-sneeze feeling. The neti pot rinses out the mucus that clogs your sinuses and puts pressure on the delicate structure behind your nose and eyes.

Air Humidifiers

Regardless of the causation of your chronic sinus issues, dry, harsh air is going to cause them to be further irritated or inflamed.  If you suffer from chronic sinus problems, one of the first natural “remedies” you should try is to invest in a air humidifier.  These are relatively inexpensive and can do wonders to help those who suffer from sinus infections as a result of prolonged exposure to dry air, and will help to soothe those who suffer from chronic sinus infections for other reasons.

Lifestyle Changes

Many people fail to realize the impact of the food they eat on their health. Sure, some people have violent allergies to certain foods and these allergies are viewed as specific and relatively uncommon.

Violent allergies are accepted but the small dangers of certain foods are overlooked. Some foods are highly mucus-forming. If you cut back or eliminate these foods, your sinus problems might just disappear on their own.

Some of the biggest mucus creators include dairy products, citrus, spicy foods, and wheat. Cut these out for a few days and see if that makes a positive difference. There are elements in the makeup of dairy products that, for some, cause the body to produce an excessive amount of mucus when these products are consumed. If it does, add them back one food at a time and wait three or four days to see if the mucus returns. If it does not, add another food and see how that works.

Some people find that ice cream is a big player in the world of flu symptoms and sinus problems. While dairy products do sometimes have this capability, some ice creams cause sinus for a very different reason – artificial flavors. Take note of the ice cream you eat and how soon after your nose is stuffed up completely.

Herbal Steam Treatments

Herbal steam treatments such as the use of steeped eucalyptus leaves or eucalyptus essential oils placed in a pot of steaming water are excellent ways to quickly clear out and soothe your sinuses.  The eucalyptus has a way of helping to thin down and break up the mucus and allow it to move through your system.

The steam also soothes the nasal and sinus passages as well.  This is a simple and inexpensive treatment as well.  Once you have a steaming – but not too hot – pot of eucalyptus water, place your head over the pot, and a towel over your head to help trap in the steam, and breathe deeply.

Apple Cider Vinegar

If  you drink apple cider vinegar before sinusitis sets in, you might even be able to prevent it from even happening. So how do you know when sinusitis might happen? If you have ever had a sinus infection, you know the triggers. It could be the time of the year or it could be a feeling you get a few days before such as an increased need to sneeze or a pressure above your teeth.

Or you can just take preventative measures just in case it might happen.

Don’t make a classic mistake and drink apple cider vinegar straight from the bottle – it is not a tasty drink on its own. It’s just too harsh. Dilute it with water. A good ratio is a tablespoon of the vinegar in an eight-ounce glass of water.

You can either sip it in little doses all day long or gulp it down. The point is to get it into your body so it can combat the histamines that fill up your nasal and sinus passages. You can drink several glasses of it, if you wish. Just dilute it to make it palatable.

Like the neti pot, apple cider vinegar thins the mucus in your sinuses and being thinner, the mucus can more easily flow out of your system. Any infection in the mucus is easier for anti-infection treatments to cure when the mucus is thin.

Anti-Infection Treatments

There are natural healthy remedies such as wild oregano oil and grapefruit seed extract that deliver a powerful punch when used in combination with apple cider vinegar. Oregano oil fights off bacteria, viruses and fungus. You buy it and add a couple of drops (check the instructions) to a fruit juice and drink it daily.

Don’t put the drops up your nose thinking that this direct approach will work faster. Oregano oil is potent and can aggravate your nasal passages. Grapefruit seed extract works the same way. However, avoid taking the grapefruit seed extract on an empty stomach.

Use one or the other of these treatments along with the apple cider vinegar. And as always, drink lots of water. That is a wise and healthy thing to do in any case.

Oil Pulling

Oil pulling is another East Indian Ayurveda-inspired remedy that some say knocks out sinusitis in a matter of minutes. How it works is that you gargle a tablespoon of oil first thing in the morning before you even take a drink of water.

Do not swallow the oil but swish it around in your mouth thoroughly. Don’t tip your head back like you would with a mouthwash gargle. Make this a long gargle – up to 20 minutes. Maybe you can read your email or watch the news while swishing it around your mouth and through your teeth.

The oil pulls the infection out of your sinuses while you swish. As it pulls out the infected mucus, the oil will get thick. You can spit it out and take another tablespoon during the process if that helps. If you like, you can rinse out your mouth after the oil pulling with salt water.

What kind of oil should you use? There is a long list of recommended oils including avocado. black cumin seed, canola, castor, coconut, cod liver, flaxseed, grape seed, hemp, oregano, olive, peanut, safflower, sesame, sunflower, and walnut.

All Natural Approaches

Being mindful of your sinus problems, you will know the time, season, and foods that precede painful, impacted sinuses. You likely have natural remedies for sinus infection in your kitchen cupboard right now.

These are just some of the natural sinus relief methods we have uncovered. If you now check out the website contents in the sidebar we have a wealth of information explaining how sinusitis develops, traditional solutions to sinus relief as well as some of the more well known natural methods.