Apr 22 • Support & Coping Strategies
Some methods and tips for resolving chronic sinusitis
We all know how awful chronic rhinosinusitis is and how significantly it reduces quality of life. Fixing our chronic rhinosinusitis issues should be one of the top priorities, if not the most. I am adding the summary of some of the things that I have tried and have found helpful. Please add to this list with your methods and experiences to make it more information-rich and helpful to us all.
Before I begin, I want to briefly explain what I believe is the cause of the chronic sinus inflammation/infection vicious cycle for many, including me. This small bit of theory will explain the core idea behind each method and why they are helpful.
A lot of us have conditions that make us prone to nasal congestion. These conditions can be deviated nasal septum (DNS), mild allergies, food intolerances, some more serious conditions like Cystic Fibrosis, or perhaps simply narrow nasal passages, or anything else that slightly affects breathing. These conditions may not be enough to cause you significant symptoms alone and you feel fine for some/most of the time. There is slight nasal congestion every now and then, but nothing that causes you trouble for the most part. However, anything that further exacerbates nasal congestion can lead you down the road of thechronic sinus inflammation/infection and that makes things significantly worse. You no longer feel good. All of your usual sinus inflammation/infection symptoms are back -- facial pain, excessive fatigue, headache, brain fog and more. It is not difficult for the nasal congestion to go from slightly bad to bad enough to cause trouble. Anything from a simple viral infection (common cold), more stress than usual, or allergies can exacerbate nasal congestion. For most people, the exacerbated nasal congestion is still not bad enough to cause sinus inflammation. However, for people with already poor breathing / nasal congestion, this extra push is all what is necessary for making things for okayish to horrible. But why does this extra nasal congestion cause sinus inflammation/infection?
When nasal congestion gets worse due to any reason, then already poor mucus drainage in your paranasal system gets worse. The mucus starts collecting in your sinuses, and if the worsen nasal congestion continues for a longer duration, then enough mucus gets collected in the sinus to make your sinuses a nice, warm, humid and cosy place for bacterial infections. By this time, the initial virus infection might have been resolved, but you now have a bacterial sinus infection. And we all know how so much worse is a bacterial infection as compared to a nice little common cold (viral infection).
There is more to the story. Chronic worsen nasal congestion leads to sinus inflammation. Chronic sinus inflammation leads to the formation of nasal polyps, which further obstruct breathing and increase nasal congestion, and it gets more and more difficult to get out of this vicious loop.
How can we get out of this loop and get rid of sinusitis for good? We need to be disciplined with our sinus health practices/methods and knowing our body better -- what works for me? What habits/things worsen my nasal congestion? Mindfulness meditation can be very beneficial here to understand your body better.
The core idea behind the method is that if we can prevent our already poor nasal congestion to worsen then we will not fall into the vicious loop of sinus inflammation/infection.
Let's get started.
Doing these practices daily will ensure that not enough mucus gets collected in the sinuses, thereby eliminating one of the roots of the problem.
**1) Physical practices**
**1.1) Jal Neti**
Jal Neti, also known as nasal irrigation, helps to properly clean and remove irritants from nasal passages.
It is important to do Jal Neti carefully. In particular, we must always use cooled-down purified water that is boiled for at least 7-8 minutes for Jal Neti. Jal Neti must always be followed by intense forceful exhalations (if you know in Hindi and some Yoga terminology, then Kapalbhati is what I mean here) to remove any remaining water in the nasal cavity/sinus. This forceful exhalation should be done in bending poses, such that we can use gravity to our advantage. This step is crucial because any water remnants left in the sinuses can cause a sinus infection -- the very thing we are trying to prevent.
**1.2) Yoga**
Yoga helps to temporarily alleviate nasal congestion, improve breathing habits, help your immune system get better, and is great for general health.
To get proper benefit from yoga, we should first do Yoga asanas (Yoga postures such as downward facing dog) for ~20 minutes and then do Pranayama (breath yoga). If you know Hindi and some yoga terminology, then here are the names of some common and beneficial breathe yoga that you might know: anom vilom, kapalbhati, and bhastrika.
**1.3) Intense workout (running is great!)**
An intense workout helps to temporarily alleviate nasal congestion and significantly helps with mucus drainage from the sinuses.
**Important: Do not do any physical workout if you are already having a sinus infection / high inflammation. You will significantly worsen the symptoms and make the recovery more difficult.**
**1.4) Proper sleep and rest**
If you are already having a sinus infection, then you need a lot of rest for the body to recover from the infection and for the inflammation to go down.
In general, aim for proper sleep every day. Poor sleep on any given day can push you back into the vicious loop.
If you wake up tired and you do not have any active infection, then it might be due to mouth breathing during the night. You may be able to breathe well when awake, but still might be mouth breathing during the sleep. In such cases, a sleep tape is very beneficial.
**2) Diet and Supplements**
**2.1) Know yourself and your diet.**
If some food is causing you frequent trouble in the form of nasal congestion, bloating or some stomach issues (indicating food intolerance) then it is beneficial to reduce the consumption of such foods.
We should focus on an anti-inflammatory diet and good gut health.
**2.2) Vitamin D**
Lack of Vitamin D has been shown to increase the severity of chronic sinusitis symptoms. Vitamin D checks and supplements might be helpful.
**2.3) Bromelain supplement**
Bromelain supplement is extremely beneficial. It has anti-inflammatory properties, reduces mucus production, improves sinus drainage and most importantly, is a biofilm destructor. Biofilm-coated bacteria are difficult to get rid of due to the protection provided by the biofilm.
**2.4) Turmeric-ginger-black-pepper Tea**
If you are already having a sinus infection, then turmeric-ginger-black-pepper tea is incredibly helpful for fighting off the infection. Use turmeric roots instead of turmeric powder. It is much more potent. Black pepper is necessary for the proper absorption of turmeric's key component curcumin.
Please let me know your thoughts and comments on these advices and share your own experiences and methods!
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Some methods and tips for resolving chronic sinusitis
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