Medically known as rhinosinusitis, a sinus or nasal infection occurs when the nasal cavities become infected, swollen or inflamed. Nasal infections can be the most uncomfortable and bothersome conditions one could ever experience.
Let’s just assume that you’ve caught a common cold, not that hard to fix, is it? Just some extra vitamin C, rest, and hydration; doctors orders, right? It ought not to be that hard to deal with the common cold. However, the common cold usually never arrives alone. Not only can you expect the usual viral infection, but your compromised immune system allows for cramps, aches, exacerbated sinus problems and all other sorts of infections. It’s usually what comes along with the common cold that makes life the most uncomfortable.
As far as we know there’s no outright sinus infection cure unless in extreme cases you’ve got to consider surgery – which we’ll talk about later on. But outside of surgery, there are some measures which you can consider to ease your condition and essentially put off the need for surgery and other extreme measures.
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How can I cope with sinusitis?
There are different types of Sinusitis which exist, they can be put into the two following categories: chronic and acute.1 If you’ve been found to be having an acute sinus problem then you’re not too bad off. Acute sinus issues usually subside quickly. In most cases, it’s accompanied by a cold or respiratory illness of some sort which dissipates simultaneously or around the same time as the underlying problem – which in most cases is the cold. On the other hand, chronic sinusitis can be a serious cause for concern. One may have to consider that other factors can also be involved in causing issues with sinus eg. allergies, tooth infections (as surprising as this may be), or nasal polyps – which are growths (benign or noncancerous) on the lining of one’s nose.
When it comes to chronic sinus problem one must be aware of the signs associated with the condition.
Sinusitis symptoms include:
- Pain in your sinus
- Nasal discharge
- Nasal congestion
- Sinus headaches
- Throat irritation
Chronic sinusitis: when to see the doctor?
If you’re having a fever, experiencing nasal discharge, nasal congestion or facial pain for a period of ten days or more, and this continues to return and proves to be a persistent problem, then visit your doctor.
Your doctor will be able to make a determination as to how severe your sinus issues are. In many cases, you may be experiencing some slight irritation due to allergies or other more minor complications.
In the case of a more serious infection, some doctors are likely to prescribe medications like Bactroban nasal ointment, something that’s proven to deal with the underlying cause of sinusitis. In the case of Bactroban nasal ointment, it’s meant to deal with restricting and destroying the growth of bacteria. Bactroban mainly consists of the antibiotic mupirocin. This antibiotic is used as part of a program that helps reduce the risk of further infection and temporarily reduces the risk of further infection by killing the bacteria which presently exists in your nose.
Solutions
Over the years, much research and experimentation have been undertaken to assess the viability of different techniques and methods for alleviating the irritant that is sinusitis. One of the most useful and proven techniques has been nasal irrigation. A quite simple procedure, your doctor would recommend a water solution of some sort, or you can create one at home (instructions in the herbal solutions section). Once you have a solution in had for flushing your nose, get your hands on a nasal sprayer. They’re quite inexpensive and multipurpose, so get your hands on one as soon as possible, it could even be used afterwards. Use the nasal sprayer to flush your nose thoroughly all the way through on a regular basis – no more than a couple times per day – although there hasn’t been found evidence which indicates harm by doing it too many times.
There are also numerous other alternatives used for dealing with sinus infections and/or the associated symptoms like nasal congestion. Ranging from the severe to the mild, there are solutions afforded to us by modern medicine and even more traditional and herbal options.
Surgery
Surgery is an alternative which in most cases is reserved for the more extreme cases. One of the major criteria for determining whether surgery is necessary is accessing the cause of one’s sinus problems. Usually, in the case that your medicine -whether it be drops, nasal rinses or other treatments don’t work, you’re most likely a candidate for surgery.
Furthermore, if your nasal issues could be caused by a structural problem, for example, a deviated septum in which even your breathing may be affected, or polyps – growths inside your nose (as mentioned earlier), then surgery would be a necessity.
The different types of surgeries include:
- Endoscopy – Once done with local anaesthetic, this procedure ought to be swift. A doctor would insert very think flexible instruments into the nasal passageway. One of these instruments will have a small camera attached, showing the doctor where the blockages are. The doctor then removes these obstacles in the nasal passageway with another of these instruments.
- Balloon Sinuplasty – A simpler procedure and newer, the doctor inserts a thin flexible instrument into your nasal passageway with a balloon attached to the end. The doctor then inflates the balloon when he/she deems necessary thus clearing the passageway for the necessary mucus etc. to run more smoothly.
Herbal solutions
Generally, it’s not advisable for you to create your own concoction at home. However, there are some natural based solutions which are widely used. The product GeloMytrol has proven to have beneficial results.
Creating your own solution for performing the nasal irrigation procedure:
- 1 cup of prepared warm water.
- 1/2 teaspoon of table salt.
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.
- Directions: spraying it into your nose using a nasal sprayer, or by pouring it in your nose with a Neti pot or sinus rinsing system.2
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