The Healthy Rotarian - "Ugh! It's Sinus Season"
Sinusitis means congestion, excess mucus, and uncomfortable pressure caused by swelling of the sinus cavities. You are also familiar with stuffiness and throbbing pain in the cheeks, forehead, and around the eyes; exhaustion, and headaches. Dental problems in the teeth or jaw can also be an issue. Sinusitis affects more than 37 million Americans!
What to do?
1. Hydrate & Humidify - drink lots of water to thin sticky mucous secretions. Humidify air in your home & work spaces as dry air irritates already inflamed sinuses.
2. Rinse & Repeat - the Neti pot used for thousands of years is still a good idea. This procedure
washes the irritants out of the sinuses. Go to YouTube for a demonstration and additional
information.
3. Spiraling, a blue-green alga is an effective treatment for allergic rhinitis. Seek out the alga in
powders, tablets, or capsules, but be sure to choose high quality varieties that have been
tested to be free of heavy metals.
4. If you are plagued by sinus problems, try reducing dairy intake for a few weeks to see if
symptoms improve. Certain breeds of cows produce milk that contains a protein (CM-7) that
can stimulate mucus glands in the sinuses, respiratory tract, and digestive tract in susceptible
people.
5. Clean House - Besides mold, other sources of indoor air pollution are often to blame for sinus
woes. Keep indoor air clean: get ride of chemical based cleaning products. Consider an air
purifier or a ozone generator. Ask yourself, is my house making me sick?
6.Tame the Flame - Quercetin, an antioxidant found in apples, onions, citrus fruits, red wine,
parsley, and tea acts as an antihistamine. This can help reduce inflammation and modulate
allergic reactions that lead to sinus issues. Serrapeptase, is an enzyme that has been shown to
break down mucus and promote normal inflammatory response in the body.
7. Avoid Mycotoxins - a chemical compound produced by fungi that exacerbates sinus
problems. These are common in foods such as peanuts, corn, wheat, barley, sugar, alcohol,
cottonseed oil, aged cheese, and mushrooms.
8. Take Butterbur - this plant used for hundreds of years to treat headaches, fever, and allergies
has shown that it can alleviate some respiratory problems producing sinus issues. Choose a
tinctures or capsules with standardized formula for petasin & isopetasin the active
components. The plant contains PAs (pyrrolizidine alkaloids) that can damage the liver, choose a product certified & labeled "PA-free".
9. Get Some Safe Sun - The best way to get vitamin D which may alleviate sinus problems by
enhancing immune function. D suppresses the inflammatory response helping the body
prevent viruses and infections in the sinuses. About 10-15 minutes of direct sun 3-4 times a
week is enough to help the body produce sufficient vitamin D.
10. Spray Away - use a nasal spray containing xylitol which stops bacteria and yeast. A
substitute sugar the bacteria/yeast eat the xylitol thinking its sugar therefore starving. Xylitol sold under the brand name Xlear may be found in product names such as Serretia, Petadolex Pro-Action, SinoOrega, SinusClear, and NetiXleR Sinus Clear Rinse.
Don't suffer with sinusitis....take charge with appropriate ACTION.
Nurse Sipple
