4 Helpful Tips for Minimizing Sinusitis Discomfort
Sinus pressure and pain is a fact of life for 31 million Americans. If you suffer from sinusitis, you need to be very aggressive in your treatment of it. You also must be smart about the methods you use to treat it. Simply reaching for a panacea like antibiotics is all too common. Instead of reaching for a cure-all, you need to learn to understand the complexities of sinus infections that lead to sinus pressure. When you understand how to treat sinusitis, you will be able to keep it from lingering in your life. Follow these four tips for minimizing sinus discomfort.
1. Moisture Is the Key
The very last thing you want to do when you are fighting sinus problems is to let your sinuses dry out. St. Louis Sinus Center said, “Winter is a particularly brutal time of year to have a sinus infection because the air is so dry.” This is especially true when you live in the Midwest or Northeast during the winter months. Central heating may keep you warm, but it will dry the air out immensely. You can instantly improve your sinus health by adding a humidifier to your home. Don’t forget to add one to your office as well to reduce your chances of developing a sinus infection over the winter.
2. The Neti Pot Is an Amazing Invention
By far, the greatest tool you can utilize in the fight against sinus infections is the incredible neti pot. The neti pot has a track record of success that dates back thousands of years in the ayurvedic medical tradition. Like acupuncture, yoga and tai chi, the neti pot has survived the test of time because it absolutely works wonders in the healing process. Whether you have a chronic or acute sinus infection, using saline irrigation in your nasal passages will always feel wonderful. You can remove the most stubborn mucus plugs in your sinuses if you have patience and faith in the strength of the neti pot.
3. Get Antibiotics When You Need Them
Although you should be wary of using antibiotics when your sinus infections don’t call for them, you need to turn to them when you actually have a bacterial infection blocking your sinus passages. Antibiotics make a world of difference when you need to clear out a bacterial infection fast. The magical effects of antibiotics may soon disappear if people are not careful to overuse antibiotics. Make sure to do your part to reduce the rate of bacterial adaptation to antibiotics by only using them to fight sinusitis when the doctor has confirmed your bacterial infection with a laboratory test.
4. The Spice of Life
When their nasal passages are blocked up like LA traffic at rush hour, that is when smart people who love good food decide to add a lot of spice to their lives. Spicy food is an incredible tool for flushing out the nasal passages. Next time your sinusitis acts up, head to your favorite local Indian, Mexican or Thai restaurant to get a meal that doubles as a delicious, natural sinus treatment. Tumeric spice is used in both Indian and Thai cuisine, and it is a highly effective anti-inflammatory that will work wonders on your sinus infection. Other good foods to fight inflammation and sinusitis are berries, avocado, tart cherries, broccoli and nuts.
Getting your breathing back to normal by drying out your nasal passages is easier than you think. There are lots of effective ways to fight the discomfort of sinus infections. Take an anti-inflammatory like aspirin or acetaminophen alongside the above four sinus-fighting tips, and you will see your sinus discomfort vanish like magic. The best approach is to hit your sinusitis with several forms of treatment at once. The shotgun approach to treatment will give you the best chance of banishing your sinus infection as quickly as possible. With humidity, nasal irrigation and a healthy diet, you can eliminate sinus infection rapidly while experiencing a minimum of discomfort.
