Grow Youthful: How to Slow Your Aging and Enjoy Extraordinary Health
Grow Youthful: How to Slow Your Aging and Enjoy Extraordinary Health

Sinusitis

What is sinusitis?

Symptoms of sinusitis

Causes of sinusitis

Sinusitis triggers

Remedies / treatment for sinusitis

References

What is sinusitis?

Sinusitis is an inflammation of the mucous membranes lining the sinuses. These membranes are air-filled tubes and pockets behind the nose, cheeks, and forehead. It can be very painful.

The inflammation causes swelling, which obstructs the drainage of the sinuses, which can lead to bacterial infection. Such infections can spread around the head and respiratory passages.

Sinusitis is a common complaint, with 5-10% of the American population suffering from at least one episode each year, and 90% of adults having had an episode at some time in their life. (1)

Symptoms of sinusitis

Causes of sinusitis

Sinusitis triggers

Remedies / treatment for sinusitis

Doctors may prescribe antibiotics, corticosteroids, or surgery. These options have severe consequences and should not be taken without careful consideration of the inevitable harmful side-effects. Before undertaking any of these options cultures should be taken to identify the microorganisms involved in the infection. Anti-fungals have been used with mixed success in the treatment of some infections.

Warning: if you are considering taking an over-the-counter or prescription medication such as pain relievers like Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen and allergy medications for sinus allergy. These medications are hard on the liver, often creating more mucus as it tries to excrete them from your body. Often these medications actually make the sinus condition worse, especially in the long-term. If you are going to take one, note the colour, amount and thickness of your mucus before you start the medication. Within twelve hours after you start, if there is more mucus or it gets thicker or yellow, then you know that it is harmful.

References

1. Pearlman AN, Conley DB. Review of current guidelines related to the diagnosis and treatment of rhinosinusitis. Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008 Jun;16(3):226-30.

2. Leung RS, Katial R. The diagnosis and management of acute and chronic sinusitis. Prim Care. 2008 Mar;35(1):11-24, v-vi.

3. Jack M. Gwaltney Jr, J. Owen Hendley, C. Douglas Phillips, Cameron R. Bass, Niels Mygind, Birgit Winther. Nose Blowing Propels Nasal Fluid into the Paranasal Sinuses. Oxford Journals, Volume 30, Issue 2 Pp. 387-391.

4. Schreiber CP, Hutchinson S, Webster CJ, Ames M, Richardson MS, Powers C. Prevalence of migraine in patients with a history of self-reported or physician-diagnosed "sinus" headache. Arch Intern Med. 2004 Sep 13;164(16):1769-72.

5. Mehle ME, Schreiber CP. Sinus headache, migraine, and the otolaryngologist. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2005 Oct;133(4):489-96.

6. Sanclement JA, Webster P, Thomas J, Ramadan HH. Bacterial biofilms in surgical specimens of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. Laryngoscope. 2005 Apr;115(4):578-82.

7. Harvey R, Hannan SA, Badia L, Scadding G. Nasal saline irrigations for the symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007 Jul 18;(3):CD006394.

8. Ordonez AA, Bullen CK, Villabona-Rueda AF, et al. Sulforaphane exhibits antiviral activity against pandemic SARS-CoV-2 and seasonal HCoV-OC43 coronaviruses in vitro and in mice. Commun Biol 5, 242 (2022).

9. Nikolay Goncharov, Alexander N. Orekhov, Natalia Voitenko, Anton Ukolov, Richard Jenkins, Pavel Avdonin. Organosulfur Compounds as Nutraceuticals. Nutraceuticals, Academic Press, 2016, Pages 555-568, ISBN 9780128021477, doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-802147-7.00041-3.