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Sinus Congestion

After many years of battling sinus congestion I found the cure I was looking for. You see this was one of the sinus problems I had to face from early in childhood. As I grew up I thought this was "normal," so I learned to accept it. Then came the time when I decided enough was enough and I began to study my sinus problems, and sinus congestion was on the agenda. I learned that it often precedes a sinus infection and sinus pressure as well as excessive sinus drainage and sinus pain. If you do not have the time to read this article and yet would like to know how I cured my sinus problems and maybe try this new approach yourself, then click here.

Causes of sinus congestion

• Sinus infection
• Viruses
• Colds
• Allergies - environmental and food
• Flu
• Fungi
• Smog
• Dust
• Foods
• Cold air
• Smoke

Although there has been some debate as to whether food can be a cause of sinus problems, the evidence I experienced was quite conclusive to me and to others that it, in fact, does. From a very real standpoint I can attest to that because time after time, for decades, I would get serious congestion every time I ate certain foods, like clockwork. It became so evident that I totally stopped eating and drinking them. After doing this my sinus problems, as a whole, began to get better within days; especially sinus congestion and headache.

Whenever I allowed a sinus congestion to persist and the excess mucus to stay in the sinus cavities and nasal passages I would eventually end up with a sinus infection and pressure. It is important, as you can see, to have the sinuses clear at all times, except for the normal amount of mucus necessary to carry out vital functions such as: air filtering, removal of debris, etc.

Natural remedies for sinus congestion
These are the healing elements that worked good for me:

• Acupressure (sinus pressure points)
• Room temperature steam inhalations
• Home made saline solution irrigation
• Drinking as much room temperature, pure water as possible
• Certain foods

OTC medications for sinus congestion
When used judiciously OTC remedies helped me cope better with stress of sinus congestion:

• Acetaminophen (Tylenol - for Sinus, Congestion, Pain)
• Vicks Vaporub
• Prescription nasal sprays
• Saline solution nasal sprays

Nasal sprays should not harm the membrane found in the nasal and sinus cavities, nor the cilia. These hair like tiny organisms act like oars; moving mucus laden with germs, dust and other foreign particles and contaminants, toward the right places in the respiratory system. Steam above a certain temperature paralyzes the cilia. Some medical authorities go as far as saying that most sinus problems are caused by the cilia not being able to perform their jobs properly for whatever reason. One should also be aware that all these medications treat the symptoms of the problem only. To go to the cause of the problem one would have to go to one's environmental situation, what one eats and other related elements.

Foods which tend to exacerbate sinus congestion

• White bread
• White rice
• Most pastries, cakes, cookies, etc.
• Most cold breakfast cereals
• Pastas

My experience has been that much can be done to prevent the onset of sinus congestion, especially in the area of food. Especially with respect to, let's call them food category S and D. To a lesser, but still significant degree, are refined grains and cereals---especially cold breakfast cereals which contain a high quantity of refined flour or starches.

Questions we can ask ourselves regarding our environment

• Could allergies be causing this bad spell?
• Close to what object, plant, etc., am I or have been that could be triggering it?
• Where I spend significant time, is there anything different now than before?
• Was I in contact with household chemicals before my last bout with sinus congestion?
• Was I exposed to heavy house dust?
• Am I in a heavy smog area?
• What plants, trees are blooming now?
• Are there molds around?

If your answer is, yes, to any of these questions relating to the environment it does not follow automatically that there is a correlation with sinus congestion necessarily, but that it would be interesting to follow up on that possibility. In my particular case I was very allergic to house dust mite droppings, and I didn't know it, an allergy tests revealed it. Once this allergen was identified and treated I began to feel a lot better. In some respects it is a matter of common sense and interest from one's part. Doctors do not always have complete knowledge about the causes of our particular sinus problems, nor do they know the details of our lives as well as we do. We can help ourselves by suggesting to the doctor the findings from our own observations as explained, above.

Mucus producing foods
There is little question as to whether some foods are mucus producing or not. Especially food category D has been proven empirically (in actual practice) to cause mucus and in some cases even phlegm. The latter can occur in connection with a sinus infection resulting from stagnant mucus which has infected and overloaded the immune system. Often sinus congestion precedes other sinus problems, especially when it is allowed to persist indefinitely and harmful bacteria develop. They can find safe heaven in a warm, moist environment. Thus it is important to treat sinus congestion if it persists. As a person learns to detect the causes of his (her) congestion one can better avoid those causes. And if one comes occasionally anyway, a person is better prepared to deal with it--if. you are well informed. This article pursues this end.

For the details on the general information outlined, above, we have a limited quantity of: