Sinus Home Remedy

Archive for January, 2010

What are the symptoms of a sinus headache?

These are the typical symptoms which you might experience –

1. Persistent pain over cheek or forehead
2. The pain gets worse when you move your head
3. Having a deep and dull aching pain
4. Having nasal blockage, congestion and discharge
5. Having ear pressure
6. Swelling of the face
7. Fever

The best and most effective way to know whether your headache is caused by your sinus is to consult your doctor to properly diagnose it.

There can be many treatments to relieve a sinus headache as you can either choose to use the conventional or the complementary treatment but it is recommended that you consider using both treatments as research has shown that when used hand-in-hand, they can aid your recovery faster.

Conventional treatment

The following measures can help to relieve your headache -

1. Take analgesics such as aspirin
2. Take painkiller such as ibuprofen or paracetamol and drink plenty of water
3. Use decongestants to reduce the swelling the inside of the nose
4. Take papaya and bromelain buccal tablets to reduce the inflammation
5. Take magnesium supplements as there has been evidence which shows that headache can develop due to a deficiency in magnesium.

Complementary treatment

There are many options and some are listed below –

1. Take fish oil supplements – teenagers who took fish-oil supplements for 2 months had an 83% decrease in their headache attacks and even when they have the attack, they recover faster.
2. Change in diet – the foods which would commonly trigger a sinus headache is alcoholic drinks, chocolate, cow’s milk, dairy products, wheat, shellfish and nuts. You should add more healing foods into your diet such as all type of berries, cauliflower, kale, broccoli, apricots and papaya.
3. Herbal home remedies – there are many such remedies which you can try but this concoction is my favorite. Chop 1 cup of fresh peppermint. Pour 2 cups boiling water over it and steep for 5 minutes. Strain and sweeten and add some lemon slice. Peppermint is known to relieve nasal, sinus and chest congestion. It can also aid cough by increasing saliva and at the same time freshens the breath.
4. Aromatic inhalations using essential oils – add 3 drops of tea tree and 2 drops of eucalyptus into a bowl of hot water. Cover your head with a towel and breathe in the steam. This combination is great to decongest blocked nasal passages, kill off the germs and soothe the cold as these might have triggered a sinus headache.
5. Acupuncture – this can be a very effective method of pain relief and has been used in dentistry, surgery and childbirth. Having acupuncture can lead to an increase in energy, an improved appetite and better sleep.
6. The potent  3-plant extract – when cinnamon, thyme and oil of cloves are combined together, they become very potent in relieving a sinus headache. Cinnamon is reputably known to prevent colds and is high in antioxidant. Thyme acts as an expectorant, loosening phlegm in the respiratory tract so that it can be coughed up and oil of cloves is popularly used as a home remedy for sinus, bronchitis, the common cold, a cough, fever, sore throat and tending to infections. However you must be careful in the proportion used, so it is advisable for you to find out more on what are the optimal proportions to use for maximum benefit , click here to find out.

A sinus headache can be dramatically alleviated or even permanently reversed by the many conventional or complementary treatments available but the most essential first step to take is to find out whether your headache is really caused by sinus.

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It is easy to spot a sinus infection, typical symptoms are having a cold, nasal congestion, headache, cough and in some cases fever.

There can be many factors which can trigger a sinus attack -

1. Allergies
2. Environmental irritants such as indoor and outdoor pollution
3. Emotional stress

Environmental irritants

There can be 2 types of pollution, indoor and outdoor.

Indoor pollution can be caused by -

• house dust mites which love to lurk in carpets, curtains, soft toys and upholstered furnishings
• household pets are a potent allergen
• fumes from gas cookers, cigarettes
• chemicals from perfume and cleaning fluids
• molds especially in older houses and in poorly ventilated homes

Outdoor pollution can be caused by -

• smog, smoke from factories, power stations
• ozone
• spores from grass, tree

It is impossible for us to clean the outdoor pollution but we can do something about the air you breathe in your house and work environment. Generally, there are many ways on how to treat a sinus infection and you can do so by taking certain precautions to control or even rid of such trigger factors such as molds, pollen, house dust mites, spores.

Dust mites

There are many types of dust mites and around two million can survive in one mattress and about 10% of the weight of an average pillow is made up of shed skin and house dust mites and one gram of dust may contain as many as 250,000 dust mite feces. They like to live in carpets, soft furnishings, soft toys and wool clothes. Most of us thought that the mites are the culprits in triggering a sinus infection but it is actually their droppings which are light and floating in the air and when they are inhaled, your allergic reactions will be triggered.

Killing dust mites is one way on how to treat a sinus infection and dust mites can be destroyed by freezing, temperatures over 131 degrees Fahrenheit and strong sunlight and the following are precautions which you can take to reduce these dust mites -

• encase your mattress in a special allergen-impermeable casing that allows water through but prevent mites from entering.
• wash your pillows in hot water every 2 weeks to rid the buildup of dust mites and avoid feather pillows.
• replace your carpets with tiles or vinyl flooring and if it is not economical, invest in quality vacuum cleaners which have tougher bags to prevent the droppings of dust mites and better exhaust filters.
• ensure good ventilation, by keeping the windows open or use air-conditioning which can filter the air to prevent heat and humidity that promotes growth of dust mites and mold.
• wash your soft toys with hot water regularly or even freeze them overnight in a plastic bag.

House pets

The best solution on how to treat a sinus infection is not to keep pets, but if you cannot part with your pets, then make sure they do not enter your bedroom and have them staying outdoors, regularly wash your pets and do not snuggle up to them. 

Fumes from gas cookers and cigarettes

If you are a smoker, the best advice is to stop smoking and if you cannot, have a smoking area in your house. Replace gas heating to electric and purchase an electric gas stove but if it is not possible, then ensure that you have ceiling fans installed in your kitchen for better air circulation. 

Chemicals from perfume and cleaning fluids

Make sure you have a well-ventilated home, avoid cosmetics which have added perfume or scents, aerosol sprays, lipsticks, perfumes, talcum powder and household products such as cleaning agents, pesticides and paints which can be hazardous in triggering a sinus infection. 

Molds

Molds can be found almost everywhere indoors – in the bathrooms, bedrooms, refrigerators, carpets, wallpaper and garages. They thrive in damp houses and the best solution to reduce them is to have less dampness. Damp proof your house by using air conditioners and dehumidifiers, install an ultraviolet light to kill mold spores, throw away moldy food and wash shower curtains and wall regularly and keep your bathroom surfaces dry. Click here to read more effective and simple tips on how to get rid of molds.

We have described the many ways on how to treat a sinus infection by changing your lifestyle and the air environment in your house and workplace but we know it is impossible to get rid of such allergens completely but these small changes can help you to reduce or even prevent incidences of a sinus infection.

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