Sinus Infection

There may be times when you wake up and you have a headache or the part around your eyes is swollen. This is the sign of a sinus infection. This sinus infection is known as sinusitis. This illness is not very severe, but it can be a burden. A sinus infection can be treated but is quite inconvenient at times. The proper medical term for a sinus infection, which means the swelling or the irritation of your sinuses, is sinusitis.

The main case of a sinus infection is viruses. Bacteria can also cause a sinus infection, and bacteria and viruses can together cause a sinus infection as well. Usually, when you suffer from a cold, your sinuses are inflamed. This is called a viral sinus infections. There are also times when allergies can cause a sinus infection. When the congestion of your nose does not allow your sinuses to drain, then you could develop a bacterial sinus infection. Because of this congestion, bacteria may be trapped inside and thus causing a sinus infection. In most sinus infection cases, it has been proven that the bacterial form of sinus infection makes the patient feel worse than when he/ she is suffering from a sinus infection caused by a virus. If you have a sinus infection cause by bacteria, then it is more likely that you will suffer from more pain in your face. Swelling will also be more obvious if you case a sinus infection cause by bacteria. Furthermore, unlike in the viral sinus infection case, you might also develop a fever if you have a sinus infection cause by bacteria.

If you have a sinus infection cause by a bacteria you should be able to see that by the symptoms that this particular sinus infection has. Some of the sinus infection cause be a bacteria symptoms are:

- a runny nose and cough; this sinus infection symptom can even last up to two weeks without any improvement;

- mucus; this can be a symptom for viral sinus infection as well as for the bacterial sinus infection type;

- headache, pressure in the head or swelling around the eye area are also some of the bacterial sinus infection symptoms;

- a stinky breath, pain in the upper part of your teeth can also indicate that you are suffering from a sinus infection;

- fever that is grater than 39 degrees is also an indicator of a sinus infection

By: Groshan Fabiola

Labels: nasal congestion, sinus, sinus headache, sinus infection, sinus infections, sinus pain, sinus pressure, sinus surgery, sinus symptoms, sinuses, sinusitis

Sinus is the dilated channel in the skull bone connecting to the nostril containing venous blood chiefly and air. The term sinus is derived from a Latin word meaning curve or hollow space in the body. In human being the sinus is the mucus lined hollow spaces in the facial bones, connected to the nose through passageways that assist in moistening and warming the inhaled air.

In plants sinus is the indentation or notch between the lobes in the corolla of the flower or leaves. Whereas in non-chordates it is the hole between viscera and muscles through which blood flows back to the heart. The term sinus is used to signify different structure in different organisms including dilated portion of the blood vein in braincase, alternate name of the hemocoel, nostril etc. whereas sinus is different from fistula that is the connecting link between two epithelial facades.

The pathological troubles arise in the sinus when its passageways are blocked due to certain factors like allergy or cold, and the condition is termed as sinusitis. There mucus got accumulated due to the blockage of its passage leading to the general discomforts like headache, pain, pressure etc. and this accumulated mucus becomes the breeding ground of bacteria.

Sinusitis is the constant devastating sinus infection for which proper care must be taken. Nostril is an important organ for respiration and breathing in the body which get trouble due to sinus infections including the inflammation of adjoining facial cavities of the nose especially frontal, sphenoid, ethmoid, maxillary etc. The signs and symptoms of sinus infection accompanies with facial pain, headache, fever, nasal congestion, yellow or green nasal discharges, heavy feeling on the face etc. and this may also be due to certain structural problems like diverged nasal polyps, septum.

There are different ways of treating sinus infection including preventive measures, treatment on diagnosis. Nasal irrigation, steam inhalation, drinking hot fluids like hot tea, water, coffee, chicken soup are common treating ways that can be done along with daily activities. Medication like paracetamol, aspirin like decongestants are also generally recommended for treating sinus infections. But when the symptoms are serious and last for longer than 48 hours then consulting ENT specialist is must and generally doctors prescribed for nasal steroids or antibiotics.

People must get the sinus infections treated immediately as untreated sinusitis may lead to pneumonia, bronchitis like respiratory problems in near future. Preventive measures are the best ways of treating sinus infections than curing and must restrict smoking as it is main stimulant for sinusitis. Test for allergy must be done for preventing sinus infections from different allergic agents and maintenance of immunological consistency is a must. Surgery is another effective and common treatment of sinus infections that mainly preferred for chronic infections. Thus sinus is such a health trouble comprising of irritating and agonizing persistence and immediate diagnosis and treatment is of much importance.

By Nandeshori Devi Konthoujam

Labels: nasal congestion, sinus, sinus headache, sinus infection, sinus infections, sinus pain, sinus pressure, sinus surgery, sinus symptoms, sinuses, sinusitis

There are natural methods for treating sinus infections. It includes steps and benefits you can get from certain natural cures.

Sinus difficulties are one of the most common illnesses we can get. Every one of us is experiencing and being bothered by this illness every so often. Throughout the years, many treatments and cures have been developed in order to cure this viral problem. Doctors offer medications that alleviate the discomforts brought about by this sickness. However, these remedies are oftentimes costly.

There are also effective herbal and natural remedies you can try. It is only up to you what kind of treatment you prefer. Natural treatments are generally anything that has not had any chemical or artificial alterations. Natural medicines come from pants and herbs. It is proven effective and is preferred mostly by advocates of the environment. They believe in the healing strength of plants around.

Natural treatment is cheaper because it does not need any machine or equipment. Some natural methods are described below.

First of all, you can try nasal irrigation. It is a preventive measure that you may consider in order to eliminate your sinus difficulties. Nasal irrigation with a saline solution is one method that will help you control sinus symptoms and may possibly lead to curing some mild infections. This includes procedures and steps that can be done at home.

It is not a new discovery but many professionals recommend it to their patients who are suffering from chronic sinuses and other respiratory disease. It is a very natural, and most of all, an effective method. It can be done any time, especially when you are feeling congested. In doing so, it will provide you with immediate relief.

Another natural treatment is drinking plenty of liquids especially water. Being hydrated can prevent the mucous membranes from thickening. Liquids can help thin the mucous. You need to drink water or tea and other clear drinks for fast relief. Some would make calamansi, orange or lemon juice. These are citric drinks that also help cure sinus.

Stay away from dairy products when you have a sinus. Dairy products have substances that trigger the formation of more mucous and make breathing more difficult. This is according to some doctors. Dairy food like cheese, milk and even ice cream may worsen the sinus. These products should be avoided especially when you have sinus problems.

You must also take in foods that contain high levels of antioxidants, like spinach, berries, tomatoes, broccoli, grapes and garlic. They help in boosting one’s immune system. They also help in preventing sinus problems and infections. These foods are proven to be helpful in treating sinus problems as well as other health problems.

You can also opt for the steam treatment. Steam helps keep the mucous loose so that it can keep it moving in the sinuses. Sinus infections occur, once the mucus thickens and is not properly drained. You can apply moist heat directly to your face in order to keep your sinuses open.

Hot compress will work as decongestant. There are many heat packs available in the market. They can be warmed up in a microwave easily. You can also boil hot water and dip a face towel on it as an alternative to heat packs. Or you can put hot water in a bottle. Wrap the bottle with a towel before applying to your forehead.

A cold compress on the other hand relieves sinus headaches when you put it in your forehead. The cooling effect helps shrink the membranes and will bring relief from your sinus pain and headache. You can also add some apple cider vinegar on the solution for the steam. You can also dilute it in water and drink it for relief, especially when you feel that a sinus infection is about to start. Apple cider vinegar is also helpful in other illnesses.

By David H. Urmann

Labels: chronic sinusitis, sinus, sinus infection, sinus infection symptoms, sinus problems, sinus relief, sinus treatment, sinusitis, sinusitis chronic, sinusitis treatment, symptoms sinus infections

Can an infection of the sinus be signaled by a toothache? The short answer to this question is yes. I personally had an experience with this phenomenon several years ago and was completely fooled by what was happening. Hopefully others might find clarification if they have a similar experience.

Several years ago on a trip to France, I started having minor toothaches in the upper right portion of my mouth. I took Tylenol at first, and that dulled the pain for a while. The toothaches gradually became more severe, and even though I doubled the dosage of painkiller, it got so bad that I could not sleep at night.

I finally asked our hotel to contact a local French dentist and schedule an appointment with him. The dentist took X-rays and examined my teeth, and he tried to identify which tooth was the culprit in order to diagnose the problem. He tapped on several of my teeth, and each time asked if the pain became worse. As much as I wanted to cooperate and pinpoint the source of the pain, I could not help him identify the exact tooth that was the source of my discomfort. The X-rays did not signal any problem either, so the dentist told me he could not do anything more with my teeth. He prescribed large ibuprofen tablets for pain. I called them “horse pills”, and he told me to take those until I returned home and could see my normal dentist. Unfortunately the “horse pills” made me violently sick to my stomach, and I’m not sure which was worse, the disease or the cure. It should also be pointed out as a matter of side interest that I had to pay in cash for the visit, and the price was 20 euros, or about $25 U.S. at the time, which included the X-rays. That amount was less than the co-payment required by my medical insurance coverage at home in the U.S.

The tooth pain did eventually subside, however, as did the upset stomach, and by the time I saw my dentist at home in the U.S., I was feeling well. He made an examination of my teeth, and also took more X-rays. He showed these to me, and I was quite surprised to see that the roots of several of my upper teeth were clearly visible inside my sinus cavity, which he pointed out was rather large. He eventually concluded that the problem had been an infection of the sinus, and not a tooth problem.

I’ve had many sinus infections over the years and have suffered through two painful sinus operations. This was the only time that an infection of the sinus affected me in this way. I did not have the normal deep headaches, runny nose and eyes, and nasal congestion, as was always the case in the past. This time, and this time only, the only symptom was the toothache. So it is apparent that an infection of the sinus can manifest itself in several ways, and sinus sufferers should be aware of this.

By Walter Ballenberger

Labels: chronic sinusitis, sinus, sinus infection, sinus infection symptoms, sinus problems, sinus relief, sinus symptoms, sinus treatment, sinuses, sinusitis, sinusitis chronic, symptoms sinus infections

Most of us at some time or another have experienced the pressure and pain in our face and head that often gets worse before it gets better. In this article you'll learn causes sinus infections, thee general symptoms of sinus infection, where sinus infections occur, and discuss some remedies to treat the symptoms of your sinus infection.

What is the cause of sinus infection symptoms?

It's first necessary to know what sinuses are. Sinuses are hollow packets of air on both side of the nose, in-between and behind the eyes, and in the forehead. Sinuses produce mucus that moistens and cleans the membranes of the throat and nose. Each sinus has a passage that opens into the nose that allows for the exchange of air mucus. When you have a blockage of the openings with inflammation you probably have a sinus infection. The pressure and mucus build in the sinuses and create a breading ground for bacteria. Sinus infection symptoms often follow other respiratory illness or a cold. Sometimes these symptoms are caused by an allergic reaction in a person who suffers from allergies. You may also experience the symptoms of sinus infection by not completely treating the first sinus infection you may have had, frequent swimming or blowing your nose too hard.

Common sinus infection symptoms:

- around the eyes and swelling
-Jaw and tooth ache
-Headache
-Fever
-Nasal congestion, runny nose and cough
-Tenderness in the nose, forehead and cheeks
-Pain
-Loud snoring
-Ear ache and ear infection
-Fatigue and weakness
-Bad breath

Some other symptoms also may include:

-Total loss of smell or decreased ability to smell
-The plugging of the nasal passages and only being able to breathe through the mouth,
-Speech that is nasal sounding
-The feeling of mucus draining down the back of your throat. Also known as post nasal drip
-Foul smelling nasal discharge

What areas are most often affected by sinus infection symptoms?

You most often feel the pressure and pain from a sinus infection in four areas. If you have an infection in the front sinuses, you may experience a headache in your forehead. If your maxillary sinuses are infected, you may experience pain in the area of your cheek bones. If your pain goes to the top of the head, your sphenoid sinuses may be infected. Your sphenoid sinuses are located directly above your throat and deep behind the eyes. Lastly, if your ethmoidal sinuses are infected, you may experience an very bad pain behind the eyes.

Are there any remedies for sinus infection symptoms?

Sinus infections are most often treated with nasal sprays, antibiotics, or sometimes other medicine. Prevention is often times better than a cure, as sinus infections are common and often chronic for many people. Here are a few methods you may wish to try, such as regularly cleansing nasal passages and using a humidifier. These simple steps can greatly decrease the chance of going through sinus infection symptoms.

In this article we covered some general sinus infection symptoms you may experience, where the sinus infections take place and some simple remedies you may use to cur your sinus infection. I hope this information has been helpful. Sinus infections are no fun, that's for sure.

Learn as much about the sinuses as you can. The knowledge you gain will help you to be better prepared to deal with your sinus problems.

By Brad Bahr

Labels: nasal congestion, sinus, sinus congestion, sinus headache, sinus infection, sinus infections, sinus pain, sinus pressure, sinus problems, sinus rinse, sinus surgery, sinus symptoms, sinuses, sinusitis

What are cilia and what is their function?

Cilia are tiny hairs that line certain membranes in the body including sinus cavities. They move in a wavelike motion and carry anything on their surface out of the respiratory tract. Dr Grossan has determined that cilia move back and forth at about 16 to 18 times per second. This just happens to be the frequency at which a Water Pik device sends out its pulsating beads of water. It should also be noted that the pressure of the streamlets is quite low, and this is beneficial.

Allergies

Allergies and their causes are also discussed in the book’s first section. These often go hand in hand with sinusitis. When I first started seeing an ENT specialist I was tested for allergies and subsequently took weekly shots for several years as part of my treatment. I did test positive for allergies to dust and dust mites, although these allergies were low-level. I do believe these shots helped somewhat. One needs a multi-pronged attack against sinusitis, and each person’s problem is unique, so one type of cure does not work for everyone.

The 7 Steps

Part two of the book discusses the 7 steps people should consider to cure their sinusitis. These are:

1. Make the Diagnosis: Tests You May Need
2. Use Nasal Irrigation to Keep Your Nasal Passages Clean
3. Consider Complementary Treatments
4. Clean Up the Air around You
5. Boost the Levels of Healing Nutrients in Your Body
6. Distress to Stay Well
7. Choose the Most Effective Medical Therapies

In my opinion the most important aspect of the treatment program is the pulsating irrigation system. I continue to do this twice a day, even when on travel, as I purchased a small travel model of my Water Pik device. Other important aspects of the program include cleaning the air in one’ environment and maintaining proper room temperature and humidity levels ( 40- 50% relative humidity).

Medications and herbal remedies

There is significant discussion about medications and possible herbal remedies that some people find helpful. The only criticism I can offer is that these days one reads results of recent studies that point out harmful effects of taking overdoses of certain nutrients, and so I suggest people be careful and discuss any supplements they plan to take with a family physician or ENT specialist. A recent study about taking too much beta-carotene, for example, circulated in the news media not long ago.

Sinus Surgery

The last section of the book discusses sinus surgery, including different types of surgery, and why they are needed.

Having endured two very painful sinus operations, my personal recommendation is that sinus surgery should be a last resort, unless one has polyps, for example. I still came down with a sinus infection about six months after each operation, so the results were not good. I strongly suggest that sinus sufferers read Dr. Grossan’s book and follow some of his suggestions, especially the sinus irrigation system, before opting for sinus surgery.

By Walter Ballenberger

Labels: nasal congestion, sinus, sinus headache, sinus infection, sinus infections, sinus pain, sinus pressure, sinus surgery, sinus symptoms, sinuses, sinusitis

In his book “The Sinus Cure- 7 Simple Steps to Relieve Sinusitis and other Ear, Nose and Throat Conditions”, Dr. Murray Grossan, M.D., defines a “sinus cure” as follows: “ A cure is defined as partial or complete relief of symptoms”. With the inclusion of the word “partial” in this definition, this means I have been cured. Do I still experience stuffiness at night? Yes, indeed. On some nights I wake up and need to elevate my head on one hand or the other to have a clogged nostril drain. However, I have not had a sinus infection for quite some time, and I give the credit to Dr. Grossan. Hopefully this book review can help others who need help from the horrific pain and terrible inconvenience of a sinus infection.

For years I had numerous sinus infections and was often on antibiotics. I had two painful sinus operations and was still coming down with infections. I tried a number of different methods and procedures which were ineffective. It was only when I happened upon Dr. Grossan’s book and started using his suggestions, in particular the pulsating nasal irrigation system, did I start getting control of my sinusitis problem. If you wish to learn how to use the irrigation system, please read my article describing it.

“The Sinus Cure” is not a technical book written for medical professionals. It is clear and understandable and is written for the layman. It includes numerous quotations from sinusitis sufferers, and if you are among that group of unfortunates, you will recognize the pain and aggravation these people describe.

What is sinusitis?

The book starts out by explaining the details of sinusitis, what causes it, and how our respiratory system should function. Sinusitis is defined as “inflammation of the facial cavities around your nose- those above the eyes (frontal), behind the nose (sphenoids), on either side of the top of the nose (ethmoid), and beneath the eyes in the cheek area (maxillary) Explanations are given for the reasons we have sinuses, and how the mucous-cilia system works in healthy people to properly drain mucus out of our sinuses.

When the openings that connect our sinuses become clogged (they are only about the size of pencil lead) mucus gets blocked and becomes thick and dry, and the cilia, or tiny hairs that oscillate and move mucus and cause it to drain properly, cannot function. As one of my ENT specialists put it succinctly, “the issue is simply drainage”.

Pulsating nasal irrigation

The first part of the book jumps right into a discussion of pulsating nasal irrigation. One uses a Water Pik dental cleaning device with a special adaptor, along with a saline solution in about 16 oz. of water. Half the solution goes into one nostril and drains out the other, and then the procedure is repeated in the other nostril. This has two effects. First, any dry or thick mucus is cleaned away. This dry mucus can easily become infected, since it is just sitting in the nasal cavities. Secondly, the pulsating beads of water work to help the cilia function properly. Having cilia that function properly is the best way to prevent sinus infection.

By Walter Ballenberger

Labels: nasal congestion, sinus, sinus headache, sinus infection, sinus infections, sinus pain, sinus pressure, sinus surgery, sinus symptoms, sinuses, sinusitis

Have you ever laid in bed feeling like someone stuck an ice pick over or under your eye and you just couldn’t get rid of the pain for days?” Or maybe you're "sniffing" every minute? That is sinus. Is there anything much worse than your sinus pain?

Sinus infections affect millions of Americans every year. Stop the pain and suffering from sinusitis with Silver Sinus!

In 1999, The Mayo Clinic released its findings that fungus is likely the cause of nearly all cases of chronic sinusitis or chronic sinus infection. Sinusitis is inflammation of the sinuses. Most cases of sinusitis are caused by viruses. Other causes include:Allergies, exposure to smoke, dust or other irritants in the home, school or workplace and-bacterial infection

How can you treat sinus?

1) Antibiotics:These only help sinusitis when it is caused by a bacterial infection. Because sinusitis is usually caused by a virus, antibiotics won’t help most cases of sinusitis. Taking antibiotics won’t prevent a stuffy nose from turning into a bacterial sinus infection. In fact, taking unnecessary antibiotics puts your family at risk for developing resistant infections later.

So what can you do?

Cough and runny nose by themselves are unlikely to be caused by a bacterial sinus infection unless those symptoms have been present for more than 10 days. Antibiotics are rarely required unless the following symptoms are present:

1) Pain or pressure on one side of the face
2) Swelling around the eye area
3) Postnasal drip (may cause dry cough)
4) Toothache in the upper jaw in the absence of dental problems

If symptoms are mild or have lasted less than 10 days:

i) Get lots of rest
ii) Avoid cigarette smoke
iii)Help your sinuses drain by:

a) Drinking plenty of fluids (try to avoid caffeine and alcohol)
b) Breathing steam from a shower or bath
c) Using non-medicated saline nose drops or spray several times a day
d) Elevating the head of your bed
e) Using warm facial packs for three to four times a day for 5 -10 minutes

By M.Planet Lubowa

Labels: nasal congestion, sinus, sinus headache, sinus infection, sinus infections, sinus pain, sinus pressure, sinus surgery, sinus symptoms, sinuses, sinusitis