Anyone who suffers from this condition knows how miserable the effects can be. It can be painful to tolerate the pressure from glasses on the nasal bridge or to bend over to do the washing up. It is tiring and causes poor sleep with persistent mouth breathing both day and night.

The evidence base of medical research consistently shows that antibiotics and steroids are not effective for persistent symptoms, even if oral steroids are used.

The only benefit from pharmaceutical treatment is the use of nasal steroid spray for patients who have Postnasal Drip (PND). This may be used in conjunction with herbs for severe problems to relieve symptoms in the short term. The problem is that it does nothing to address the underlying state of abnormal physiology (how the cells of the affected tissue work). So when you stop the spray the symptoms return.

Action Plan

Food

Stop Wheat (see leaflet on wheat free diet)

Stop Dairy ( “ )

These restrictions are for 6 weeks, so don’t start tomorrow. Organise your cupboard and think through breakfast, lunch and dinner. Have a food box in your car or bag with emergency rations so you are not caught out.

Use as much garlic, onions, spring onions (scallions), leeks and chives as you can pack into your cooking.

Eat lots of green vegetables.

Eat foods containing Essential Fatty Acids on a regular basis.

Nasal treatment regime

For any recurrent collection of infected material in any part of the body, one of the fundamentals is to clear the debris and aerate the tissue.

This is especially important for the sinuses which are air pockets in the skull bone.

As such it has a mucous membrane with a poor blood supply. As if this wasn’t bad enough the drainage hole for the sinuses is just under the eyes, allowing the air pocket to fill up with mucous without draining properly. This occurs especially with thick purulent mucous. This is why many people get a Postnasal Discharge at night after they lie down, the mucous can escape when you lie down.

This gravity issue is the reason why there are a lot less problems with the sinus cavities above the eyes, compared with the sinuses alongside the nose.

Friction Rubs

Using your fingers, pout your lips as though truing to whistle and briskly massage over the cheek bones. This should be firm with long strokes up and down over the whole area.

This warms the sinuses and improves nasal congestion instantly. Yes really!!

This last only a few minutes but the effect can be prolonged by using the Sinus Rub, follow the directions carefully especially WASH YOUR HANDS afterwards (or you may rub into your eye a while later without meaning to).

Nasal Irrigation

Having opened up the nasal passages, follow up with a washout of the sinuses using SinuMed irrigation system. This is basically a bottle with a spout and uses non-irritating saline solution to safely irrigate the nasal passages. They are available locally in most Pharmacies (we can post if you have difficulty finding them).

Olbas Oil steam inhalations

Old fashioned but they work. A bowl of steaming water with up to 20 drops of Olbas Oil (use the strongest you can tolerate without stinging eyes etc.). Be careful particularly if there are small children around that accidents don’t happen. Put a towel over your head and put your head over the basin, making a tent over your head and basin with the towel so that you get a good steaming of the nasal passages.

Postural Drainage

Finally, having opened up the nasal passages, moistened and liquefied the mucous the obvious thing to do is to empty the infected mucous from the sinus space. Any way of turning the head upside down works. Since not many of my patients can do headstands I suggest lying across the bed face down. Put your head over the edge of the bed and hang it upside down, so that the sinuses can drain effectively. Usually up to 10 minutes will do the job. Bear in mind most of the job will be done in the first 5 minutes, so do what you can.

How often do you need to do this?

As often as possible, twice a day initially for chronic problems until you are more comfortable, then maintain with a daily regime until the problem resolves

Herbs for Sinuses

Pay attention to Essential Fatty Acids (see Leaflets section of website) in your diet.

Regular exercise is important.

Stop smoking (there, that was easy).

7 fruit and vegetables a day. (5 barely keeps body and soul together, you need optimal nourishment to heal well).

For recurrent sinus problem but no active problem.

I have blended a herb tea to nourish, disinfect, and enhance the blood supply to the sinuses. It will help liquefy the mucous so that it drains more easily.

Thyme.

Elderflower.

Peppermint.

Ribwort.

Yarrow.

Any of these herbs help individually and there are other herbs that are useful. Feel free to make up your own blend. They are blended to have complementary and wide ranging actions. Other useful herbs I would commonly use are Chamomile, especially if recurrences are triggered by stress and Echinacea if the immune system in general is poor. So you can use the herbs in sinus tea as a general tea and add other herbs as you wish.

If you have had recurrent sinusitis for years be prepared to use the sinus tea for at least six months.

If you have infections only in the winter which is triggered by a cold take the sinus tea for the winter months. Start taking it one month before you usually get an infection. At the onset of a ‘Cold’ take the Chest and Sinus Mix. Immediately!

Acute Sinus infection

Start taking acute sinus herbs (Chest and Sinus Blend) from the first indication you are beginning to get any nasal symptoms of a cough or cold or laryngitis or sore throat. These commonly precede an acute attack.

Chest and Sinus Blend.

Astragalus

Echinacea

Elderflower

Garlic

Marshmallow Leaf

Sage

Thyme

If a bout of sinusitis is triggered by stress take the Valerian Relax Blend (tincture) or Relax Tea blend on a regular basis and take regular exercise.

Do the Sinus Rub, Sinumed irrigation, Olbas inhalation and Sinus postural drainage at least twice a day until the acute phase is over, then at least once daily as usual.

Continue the Sinus Tea throughout.

Take Vitamin C, up to 5 gms per day.

Take a Garlic Tablet daily.

I never claimed it was easy!

Dr Dilis Clare