Helpful Sinus Trouble Remedies at Home
This article discusses about various sinus trouble remedies which seem quite helpful if adhered to. Understand that pressure builds up on your forehead, your nose runs and you don’t feel right. You think you have a sinus infection or sinusitis.
Whether you have a single sinus infection or recurring sinusitis, the pain and pressure in your face is enough to make you seek medication.
But researchers warn against taking antibiotics unnecessarily.
Most sinus problems are caused by viruses that antibiotics cannot treat.
Diseases caused by bacteria may not improve faster with antibiotics.
Fortunately, there are many natural sinus infection treatments and pain relievers that can provide effective pain relief.
Some of these methods are even recommended by doctors.
They suggest that clearing sinus mucus can help you feel better while your body successfully fights off the infection.
Most sinus infections clear up on their own within seven to ten days, just take care of yourself at home, and only adhere to these sinus trouble remedies here
Symptoms
One or more of the following symptoms: facial pain and tenderness on the cheekbones, forehead. Also earache, headache, dry cough, bad breath, fever dazed feeling in the head, loss of smell, and burning and tearing eyes. Sometimes it results in a swollen face, stuffy nose, and a thick mucous discharge.
Congestion and pressure in the interior passageways of the skull behind the nose, forehead, and cheeks. It may result in a throbbing pain or a sinus headache.
Causes
The nasal sinuses are located in the bones surrounding the eyes and nose. They help your voice sound fuller and richer. They also help store over-flow phlegm in time of illness. These five sinus cavities (frontal, maxillary, nasal, ethnoidal, and sphenoidal) humidify and warm the air you inhale.
Sinusitis is an inflammation of the nasal sinuses that generally occurs together with upper respiratory infection. Colds or bacterial and viral infections spread into the sinuses.
Sinus problems which have become chronic may be caused by injury of the nasal bones, smoking, small growths in the nose, or irritant fumes and odors.
Allergenic sinusitis may result from plant pollens (hay fever) and allergies to milk or dairy products; but this is less likely from wheat.
An overacid condition in the stomach can cause sinus troubles. Poor digestion of starch, sugar, and dairy products can produce a runny nose. When force is used in blowing the nose, phlegm is pushed up into the sinuses.
Swimming or diving can force phlegm up into the sinuses.
Allergic rhinitis is a common cause of sinusitis. Avoid substances which might be giving you allergies.
Decayed teeth, enlarged and infected adenoids, cigarette smoke, perfume, household cleansers, and dusty air can cause irritation to the sinuses.
It can also be caused by infection, if drainage is clear after a week, you probably do not have an infection.
But, if mucus is greenish or yellowish, you do. If drainage is clear and there are no accompanying symptoms of a common cold, you probably have an allergy.
Few people with sinus trouble have actual sinus infection (sinusitis).
Beware of swelling around the eyes! If left untreated, this can lead to bronchitis, asthma, throat infection, or pneumonia.
If you are interested in figuring out which sinuses may be bothering you, here is some helpful data:
Frontal sinuses produce frontal headaches which are most severe between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Maxillary sinuses make pain in the upper teeth and cheek, and sometimes eye pain as well. It generally lasts from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Ethmoid sinuses induce a dull pain behind the eyes, pain in eye movements, tearing, light sensitivity, and occasionally sore throat and night-time cough.
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Natural Remedies Or Sinus Trouble Remedies
- Do not ignore a cold, flu, sore throat, infected tonsils, other acute disease, or try to suppress it with drugs. Go to bed, take juices and light meals, rest, and get well. When suppressed, the phlegm does flow out, but hardens in the sinuses and trouble begins.
- Take a short fast on citrus juices, vegetable juices, and herb teas.
- Drink lots of water and juices. This keeps the fluids in your nose loose and flowing instead of hardening.
- As soon as you are able, begin eating nourishing food-especially vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, and beans. Drink fresh carrot juice everyday. Eat only fresh foods (not canned) for the rest of the week to cleanse the system. Slowly add back whole grains and vegetable protein (beans, etc.).
- Take 500 mg of vitamin C every 2 hours of the day until the sinus problem disappears.
- NAC (N-acetylcysteine) is a form of the amino acid cysteine. Taking 500 mg, twice a day, helps liquefy mucus so that it can drain.
- Do not eat meat, dairy products, white-flour foods, sugar, coffee, alcohol, spices, or tobacco. Avoid cigarette smoke. Milk products clog the sinuses and make the situation worse.
- Drinking hot liquids help the sinuses flow out their contents.
HERBS for Sinus Trouble Remedies
- Helpful herbs to reduce sinus congestion include comfrey, slippery elm, fenugreek, mullein, aloe vera, yerba santa, red clover, and white oak bark.
- Garlic contains a chemical which makes mucus less sticky. Horseradish has it also. Cayenne acts in a somewhat similar manner. Peppermint tea also helps open up the sinus passageways.
- Add crushed garlic cloves to 4 cups water and remove from the heat after coming to a boil. Cool and gradually drink. This will help clean out the sinuses and relieve stuffiness. Raw garlic is the most powerful remedy for sinusitis.
- Eat a healing vegetable soup, in which you add garlic, onions, horseradish, cayenne, and ginger to the vegetables.
- Take echinacea tea for a week and switch to goldenseal for the next week. Both are powerful antibiotics.
- Mix eucalyptus oil or peppermint oil with a few drops of vegetable oil and rub it on the forehead and temples to relieve sinusitis, but do not drink this.
- Place peppermint leaves over the painful area or apply a compress containing strong peppermint tea.
- Inhale eucalyptus, peppermint, and sodium bicarbonate for 20 minutes to remove the sinus secretions.
- Oregano, ginkgo, and bromelain also help clear the sinuses.
- Jethro Kloss suggests putting a tsp. of bayberry bark into a cup of boiling water, simmer 30 minutes, strain; and, when warm or cool, sniff it up the nose, one nostril at a time. It will cleanse and heal.
- An alternative is add 2 tsp. Sea salt per cup of distilled water, taste it to see if it is half as salty as the ocean, then sniff it up your nose. Another alternative:
- Sniff up each nostril a tsp. of goldenseal or mullein
Here are another 10 best home remedies for sinus pain and inflammation to get rid of sinus infections faster.
Flush
Use a Neti pot, a therapy that uses a salt and water solution to rinse your nose.
Nasal irrigation with a Neti pot is a proven sinus treatment method for centuries.
I have patients who swear by Neti pots and use them daily or weekly to maintain good circulation to their sinuses.
Remember to only use distilled water.
Spray as one of the sinus trouble remedies
Use an over-the-counter decongestant spray that contains saline to help keep your nasal passages moist, clear congestion, and treat inflammation.
Some sprays, like Afrin®, can only be used for up to three days.
If you leave it for more than three days, you will have a “recurrent” stuffy nose or even worse.
Other nasal sprays, like fluticasone, are more effective the longer you use them.
Hydration
Drink plenty of fluids (water and/or juice) to help thin mucus.
Avoid drinks containing caffeine or alcohol, which can cause dehydration.
Rest
Get enough rest to help your body fight infection and speed recovery.
While sleeping, prop yourself up with a few pillows.
Being high up can help you breathe more comfortably.
Steam
Inhale steam from a pot or bowl of warm (not too hot) water or take a hot bath.
You can also apply a warm, damp towel to your face, followed by a cool towel.
to help relieve sinus pain and open nasal passages.
Spice up.
Eat spicy foods to help clear your nose. Add hot peppers, hot sauce, horseradish or wasabi to your meals.
Add moisture
Use a humidifier or steam generator in your bedroom while you sleep to add moisture to the air and help relieve nasal congestion.
Dry air, cigarette smoke, and chlorinated water can irritate the mucous membranes in the nose and create an environment favorable to sinus infections.
Non-prescription drugs as one of the sinus trouble remedies
Take decongestants, over-the-counter antihistamines (if the cause is allergies), and pain relievers to relieve pain and sinus pressure.
Remember to consult your doctor first if you have any health problems or are taking other medications.
Never give over-the-counter decongestants or cold medicines to children under 4 years old.
Nasal suction is the best form of “clearing the nose” for young children.
This also reduces post-nasal drip and general lung irritation.
Vitamin C
Increase your vitamin C intake.
This may help fight sinus infections more quickly, reduce sinus inflammation, and reduce the duration of sinus infections or cold symptoms.
Know your triggers
Know what can cause a cold or sinus infection and be prepared.
Start taking antihistamines before allergy season or use a Neti pot as soon as a cold appears.
OTHER HELPS
- Do not use nose drops. They aggravate the situation by stopping the drainage and hardening the mucus. Decongestants also increase blood pressure
- Placing heat on the sinuses helps relieve pain.
- This can be compresses which are hot and wet, a heat lamp, a 60-watt light bulb, or a heating pad
- A variation of this is: Twice a day, lean over a pan of hot water with a towel draped over your head (or stand in a hot shower). Inhale the vapors as they waft toward your nose. If you are at work, order a cup of something hot. And, leaning over, sniff up the moisture.
- An alternative: After the water has come to a boil, turn it off and add 15 drops of eucalyptus or peppermint, the cover your head and inhale.
- Some prefer cold applications to the sinuses instead of hot ones. Put crushed ice in a plastic Sack
- Wrap in a moist towel, and place over the sinus which hurts. At the same time, have the feet in hot water
- This will help draw blood from the sinus area. However the hot method is better for draining the sinuses.
- Mix 1 teaspoon of salt with 2 cups warm water.
- Pour it into a small glass. And, holding back your head, sniff it up into one nostril (as you pinch the other one closed). Repeat for the other side.
- Rubbing your sore sinuses brings a fresh supply of blood to the area. Press your thumbs firmly on either side of your nose and hold for 15-30 seconds.
- Pain relief was reported by 75% of a test group, after a mechanical vibrator was placed on the midline of the forehead or over the most tender area (45 minutes a day for as many days as needed).
- Sit with your head down, between your knees.
- Cough gently as though you were clearing your throat. Then hold your breath for a minute or so, as the mucus slowly drains. Then gently inhale. Be sure you are drinking enough fluids when you do this.
- Twice a day, apply a heating pad to your chest. Then lie with the top half of the body off the bed, using the forearms as support. This will help drainage of the lungs. Remain in this position 5-15 minutes, and cough and expectorate (spit) into a basin on the floor.
- Walking helps clear your sinuses.
- Each day, between meals, take six charcoal tablets with water. This will help remove toxins. Only y do this during the crisis, or it can cause temporary constipation.
- It is better to sniffle than to blow your nose. If you must blow, only blow lightly and through one nostril at a time. Wiping the nose is better than blowing
- A humidifier will help keep sinuses moist indoors during the winter months. A humidity of 40%-50% increases sinus comfort.
- Avoid cold, damp living, working, and sleeping quarters.
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A graduate of Computer Science and Information Management Technology. Diploma – Caregiving, Certificates – Dementia and Diabetes Awareness and Management. A researcher, blogger, songwriter, singer and acoustic guitarist. Born in an environment where natural talents such as healing are imparted at our natural birth. This natural talents of healing is the result of our genetic inheritance and the training from family environment.