Showing posts with label home remedies for sinusitis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home remedies for sinusitis. Show all posts

Monday, August 29, 2011

Home Remedies For Sinusitis - Take Enough Rest To Speed Up The Recovery

Sinuses are hollow spaces or cavities filled with air and lined with mucus membranes. There are four sinuses, which are located behind the forehead, cheekbones, nose and eyes. The inflammation of these cavities is medically referred to as sinusitis. This condition can be acute, subacute or chronic and is mainly caused by bacteria, virus, or fungi. Certain medication condition can also contribute to the development of sinusitis, including nasal polyps, nasal tumors, hay fever, tooth infection, gastroesophageal reflux disease, enlarged adenoids, deviated septum and cystic fibrosis. The causes of chronic sinusitis may also include respiratory tract infections, trauma to the facial bone and immune cells known as eosinophils.

The main symptoms of sinusitis are greenish or yellow nasal drainage, postnasal drip, decreased smell and taste sensations and pain, swelling and tenderness in the areas around the eyes and nose. People with a sinus infection may also feel sore throat, pain in the ears, bad breath, tooth pain, upper jaw pain, nausea, fatigue, headache, fever and cough. Most of these symptoms can be relived with home remedies for sinusitis. Try to drink lots of fluids to dilute the mucus. Elevating your head while you sleep can reduce congestion by allowing the sinuses to drain. Make sure to take enough rest to speed up the recovery process.

Applying a warm compress can help alleviate nasal congestion and pain. Warm a washcloth and place it over your eyes and cheeks. Apple cider vinegar is one of the most effective home remedies for sinusitis. It can be used in various ways to cure this condition. Apple cider vinegar has the potential to thin the mucus and reduce the sinus infection. Add one or two teaspoons of apple cider vinegar to a glass of warm water and drink it three times daily. Mix a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar in a bowl of hot water. Cover your head with a towel, lean over the bowl and breathe in the steam.

Add one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and one teaspoon of honey to a cup of hot water and drink it. You can also use this concoction to gargle. Nasal wash is recommended as one of the home remedies for sinusitis. Add one teaspoon of table salt and a bit of baking soda to two cups of warm water. Lean your head back and close one nostril with a finger. Then, inhale the solution through the open nostril. Blow your nose and do the same process with the other nostril. Sinus congestion and pain can also be relieved by massaging the sinus pressure points with your fingers.

Teas made from fenugreek, ginger and licorice are good home remedies for sinusitis. Olive leaf extract can be used to treat chronic sinusitis. Eucalyptus oil, with is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, is an effective remedy for bacterial sinusitis. Inhaling peppermint essential oil can also help reduce the symptoms of sinus inflammation. Eating crushed garlic or taking a good garlic supplement everyday is also an efficient way to deal with sinusitis.

Read more Home Remedies for Sinus Infection. Also know useful Home Remedies for Strep Throat.

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Sinusitis - Causes And Home Remedies

Sinusitis occurs when our sinuses get inflamed. Sinuses are cavities or air-filled spaces that occur in a pair of four. They are situated within the bones of head and open in to the nasal cavity. The inner lining of sinuses is composed of cells that produce mucus. The mucus traps unwanted materials, forbidding them from reaching the lungs and also keeps the nose hydrated during breathing. The sinuses or paranasal sinuses are of four types: frontal sinuses (situated in the eyebrow area), maxillary sinuses (situated within each cheekbone), ethmoid sinuses (situated just behind the bridge of nose and between the eyes) and sphenoid sinuses (situated in the upper region of nose and behind the eyes).

During sinusitis the sinuses become red and swollen and secrete huge amounts of mucus that lead to aches and a feeling of congestion and heaviness. Pain may occur in the forehead, ear, neck, both sides of nose, between eyes, cheeks, teeth, upper jaw etc depending upon the location of the affected sinuses. The other symptoms of sinusitis include thick whitish, greenish or yellowish secretions from nose, post nasal drip, stuffy or runny nose, feeling of fullness over face, decreased sense of smell, fever, tiredness, sore throat, swollen eyelids, nausea, irritability and cough that worsens at night. Sinusitis may be acute (lasting for 4 weeks), sub-acute (lasting for 4-12 weeks), chronic (lasting for more than 12 weeks) and recurrent (occurring several times within a year). The causes of sinusitis may be listed as follows:

1. Bacterial infection of the upper respiratory tract
2. Common cold or any other such viral infection
3. Fungus attacking abnormal sinuses
4. Weak immune system
5. Allergies
6. Nasal polyps/tumors
7. Cystic fibrosis
8. Teeth infection
9. Acid reflux
10. Deviated nasal septum

Home Remedies

1. Tie 1 teaspoon cumin seeds in a cloth to make a tiny pouch. Take it to your nose and sniff from time to time. This will de-congest your nose.

2. Eat lot of mangoes to keep sinusitis at bay.

3. Liberally use onion and garlic in cooking. This is a good way to deal with sinusitis.

4. Boil 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds in 2 cups water until the water is reduced to half. Strain and let it cool. Drink the tea twice daily to get cured of sinusitis.

5. Drink warm carrot juice in combination with beet juice or spinach juice or cucumber juice. This is a useful sinusitis remedy.

6. Eating horseradish or using horseradish sauce as a topping for food items helps to get rid of sinusitis.

7. Drinking of oregano tea produces rewarding results in case of sinusitis.

8. Add 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder to a cup of hot water and drink the solution thrice daily. This cures sinusitis.

9. Put few drops of eucalyptus oil in a bowl of boiling water and inhale the steam for 10-15 minutes. This will facilitate mucus drainage. Also you can apply eucalyptus oil on your handkerchief and sniff from time to time.

10. Sipping hot fennel, sage or anise tea also keeps sinusitis away.

11. Mix one-fourth teaspoon salt, one-fourth teaspoon baking soda in a cup of warm water and use the solution as a nasal flush. This alleviates the discomfort associated with sinusitis.

Read about effective Home Remedies for Sinusitis. Also know about Home Remedies for Scars.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Simple and Best Home Remedies for Sinusitis

Sinus is a pocket or cavity. We all have four pairs of such cavities. They are present in the facial area. These spaces or cavities are connected to our nasal passage for the flow of air and mucous.

The sinuses are layered with a mucous lining which have very tiny hair like structure called cilia. The function of cilia is to trap the germs and dust we breathe in through our nose. Therefore the sinus cavity protects our body by capturing the foreign particles entering our nose and throwing it out of the body through discharge. It also helps in moistening the air we inhale. These pockets lighten the weight of our skull and therefore ease the movement of the skull.

The four sinuses present are

1. Frontal: This is located above the eye, behind the forehead.

2. Maxillary: This is below the eyes, besides the nostrils on either side.

3. Ethmoid: This lie between the eyes near the starting of the bridge of the nose.

4. Sphenoid: This is located behind the ethmoid and eyes.

Sinusitis is a condition when either or more than one cavity mentioned above become inflamed and infected. In such a case, a person experiences pain and pressure in the facial area specially near the eyes and forehead. There is nasal discharge, tiredness and headache. If this condition carries on for a prolonged duration of time, it is called chronic sinusitis.

Usually the swelling or tenderness is at its worst in the mornings due to our sleeping position at night. As position becomes upright during day, the situation improves. Since this is directly connected to the nose, the symptoms of an irritant cavity show through a stuffy or flowing nose. There are antibiotics available in the market for the treatment of sinusitis. But some home remedies may be considered to provide some relief.

Some of the home remedies are as follows

1. Garlic: Including garlic in diet helps in this condition as garlic aids in mobilization of sticky mucous.

2. Onion: Onions help in opening up of the blocked cavity.

3. Fenugreek: Boil the fenugreek leaves in water and consume that water.

4. Cumin seeds: Roast the cumin seeds and then grind them into powder. Mix with little honey and take this. Alternatively you can tie the cumin seeds in a small cloth and inhale the smell.

5. Vitamin A: Vitamin A contributes in the maintenance of the mucous lining. Therefore eat food which is rich in vitamin A.

6. Vitamin C: Usually a common cold gives way to sinusitis. The germs enter the cavity and infect it. Vitamin C generally helps prevent cold.

7. Juices: Carrot juice, spinach and beet juice are known to be beneficial.

8. Steam inhalation: Steam inhalation is very useful. One should do it regularly. Adding a few drops of some oil like tea tree oil while inhaling steam is good.

Avoid strong smells that irritate the nose. Do not blow the nose too hard and clear out one nostril at a time. Application of a warm wash cloth on the affected areas on face might give some relief.

Read more Home Remedies for Sinusitis. Also know Home Remedies for Menopause.