9 Aug 2023

What is Sinusitis

Chronic allergy or infection of the nose and throat obstruct the normal nasal discharge which leads to nasal congestion. This congestion becomes a breeding ground for more and more infections which then cause the lining in the sinuses to become inflamed and swollen.

Sinusitis is an infection and inflammation of the sinuses. 

The air-filled pockets in the bones of the face are known as sinuses.

Sinuses are also known as paranasal sinuses since they surround the nasal cavity.

There are 4 pairs of sinuses: frontal, maxillary, ethmoid and sphenoid.

I have seen in my clinical practice that most common sinusitis is maxillary sinusitis. 

Each sinus drains into the nose.

There are many important functions of sinuses like:

  1. Sinuses help warm, moisten, and filter the air we breathe.
  2. As sinuses are filled with air so this helps to lighten the heavy skull.
  3. Sinuses play a role in vocalizing certain sounds.

Causes of Sinusitis

  1. Most common cause is the upper respiratory tract infection like common cold, flu. Infection can be bacterial, viral, and fungal.
  2. Allergic rhinitis, hay fever which can be due to dust, smoke, and other pollutants.
  3. Preexisting nasal polyps: Nasal polyps cause sinusitis and sinusitis can cause nasal polyps. This is a vicious cycle which is not easy to break.
  4. Deviated nasal septum, tumors.
  5. Sinusitis is more common in people with chronic tonsillitis and adenoids problem.
  6. Diabetes and HIV infection can also lead to sinusitis.

Symptoms of Sinusitis

  1. Headache, pain in the face.
  2. Postnasal drip due to which there is irritation in the throat and hoarseness of voice.
  3. Nasal congestion or obstruction, causing difficulty in breathing.
  4. Yellowish or greenish thick nasal discharge.
  5. Feverishness
  6. Tiredness
  7. Offensive smell in the nose.

Diagnosis of Sinusitis

To diagnose sinusitis your doctor will advise X-ray PNS water view or CT scan.

According to me signs and symptoms are enough to diagnose sinusitis.

Complications of Sinusitis

  1. Chronic sinusitis causes growth in the sinuses which leads to nasal polyps and due to which it becomes difficult to cure sinusitis.
  2. If sinus infection spreads to eye socket it can cause vision problems.
  3. Sinusitis can also lead to meningitis and infection of the bones.

Allopathic Treatment

When a sinusitis patient consults an ENT specialist; he advises antibiotics, steroids, antihistamines, and pain killers.

These medicines give definite relief until their concentration exist in the blood. As soon as the effect of medicines start decreasing, patient’s sufferings start again.

Apart from this these medicines have plenty of side effects and are habit forming. In fact, in the long run these medicines lead to more nasal congestion and swelling!

When the patient does not respond to this treatment, surgery is advised by the ENT surgeon.

Surgery does not deal with the basic underlying cause of sinusitis, due to which the patient gets sinusitis again.

There are many complications of surgery such as post operative pain, infection, bleeding, double vision, blindness, and meningitis. 

I have seen in my clinical practice, which I have been doing since 1997, that many patients also undergo DNS (Deviated Nasal Septum) surgery.

According to me, this surgery is unnecessary because it does not provide any kind of relief.

 Homeopathy Treatment

Homeopathy treatment enhances the immunity of the patient and corrects his allergic tendency.

Patient’s symptoms like headache, face pain, postnasal drip, nasal congestion, nasal discharge, feverishness, tiredness get better gradually.

As homeopathy treats the root cause of the problem so the chances of recurrence of sinusitis become less.

According to my experience it takes around 10 to 12 months to completely treat sinusitis.

In my practice, I consult sinusitis patients regularly. According to me only classical constitutional homeopathic treatment works in sinusitis.

Readymade patent medicines do not work in sinusitis. In fact, over the counter homeopathy medicines can cause side effects.

Number of Medicines

There are around 138 medicines in homeopathy for sinusitis which are amazingly effective.

Now which of these medicines are to be given, in how much potency, how many times in a day – this is a complicated process which only a highly qualified and experienced doctor can do.

A sensible doctor never prescribes on the name of the disease sinusitis. He takes complete history of the patient, then studies his symptoms properly.

After this, he selects the medicines keeping in mind the susceptibility of the patient and decides upon the potency and repetition of medicines.

While treating sinusitis I prescribe for one month and then review the patient after that. Every month the case is studied again thereby finetuning the medicines and their potencies.

Nothing is fixed in homeopathic treatment; remedies change according to the condition of the patient.

Name of Medicines?

Friends, in this blog I have not named any medicines, nor I have promoted medicines of any company; because by doing so I will be playing with your health and may harm you. A sane doctor will never do this.

Top 11 Home Remedies & Diet Tips for Sinusitis

  1. You can use saline nasal spray such as Solspre.
  2. Do steam inhalation at least twice a day.
  3. To open up the sinuses you can do warm compresses around the nose area.
  4. Avoid dusty & polluted areas and wear mask when going to such a place.
  5. Try to keep your home clean and well ventilated.
  6. Take rest for speedy recovery.
  7. Warm saline water gargles help to soothe the throat.
  8. Avoid eating & drinking cold food and drinks.
  9. You can drink warm drinks like ginger tea.
  10. Keep the diet healthy and nutritious; try to eat more of vegetables and fruits.
  11. Stop smoking.