Well, let's see...now 3 out of the past 5 school days have been snow/cold days without school. This is crazy. The wierd part about this week is that I will only be at my school tomorrow because on Thursday and Friday I am going to the Music Education Conference in Columbus. What an off week!
On the other hand, today I am hoping to use this cold day to get to the doctor because I think I have yet another sinus infection. Yuck! Do you get these all the time too or am I the only one? I did some research on this and here is some useful information.
Sinus Secrets
Chronic sinusitis -- already the most common chronic disease in the US, and still on the rise -- is fast becoming resistant to the antibiotics often used to treat it. Nevertheless, if you visit your doctor complaining that you're headachy, feverish, have clogged sinuses and can't breathe, guess what he/she is most likely to prescribe? Antibiotics.
Conventional medical treatment of sinusitis with course after course of antibiotics has created a very difficult situation, observes Robert S. Ivker, DO, author of Sinus Survival: The Holistic Medical Treatment for Allergies, Colds and Sinusitis (Tarcher/Putnam). Instead of curing the disease, this overly simplistic response has made an already stubborn illness even more difficult to manage. What are better options as many suffer through sinus misery?
MISMANAGEMENT CAUSES MORE RESISTANT INFECTION
Unfortunately, people keep asking for -- and doctors keep providing -- antibiotics both prophylactically and for viral infections such as colds and flu. The overprescription and overuse of antibiotics is creating an explosion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, the so-called super-germs or super-bugs. Inside the body, bacteria respond to repeated antibiotic attacks by developing into ever stronger and more drug-resistant strains.
Repeated courses of antibiotics also open the door to yeast overgrowth and fungal infection, warns Dr. Ivker. He told me research at Mayo Clinic confirms that when sinus problems become chronic, there is nearly always a fungal component... a fact that conventional medical doctors still fail to recognize. The problem is that antibiotics destroy the friendly, beneficial bacteria that normally populate the digestive tract, which then opens the door for opportunistic and destructive fungi to flourish in assorted membranes of the body -- including the sinuses.
The good news is that more and more doctors are coming to understand that it is both the presence of disease-causing organisms and an immune system weakened by the presence of the fungi overgrowth that makes a person more susceptible to chronic sinusitis.
Read on below for more on sinus infection survival...
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The Germinator!
The germs that give us colds and flu are bad enough. But today there are more bacteria and viruses than ever to worry about -- E. coli, bird flu, flesh-eating bacteria! And they say worse are coming!
That's why a prominent doctor who has studied the immune system for 20 years was so glad to rediscover an herb the Chinese have used for thousands of years to fight germs and keep people healthy. Unlike antibiotics, which can actually make you more vulnerable to illness, the "germinator" herb obliterates the germs without harm to the rest of your body.
Herbs instead of antibiotics. Vitamins and natural supplements instead of statin drugs. How many other falsehoods are we sold by the medical establishment -- the same establishment that profits from our continued sickness?
Read on...
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SINUS SECRETS (PART 2)
PREVENTION IS THE KEY
Dr. Ivker stresses that the answer lies in prevention. You must heal and restore the inflamed and damaged mucous membranes in the nose and sinuses, and strengthen the immune system. Here's what you can do to survive -- or better yet prevent -- a sinus infection...
Take vitamin C. If you are a chronic sinusitis sufferer, Dr. Ivker recommends that you take 1,000 mg to 3,000 mg of this infection-fighting antioxidant three times daily. During an active infection, you need more -- 3,000 mg to 5,000 mg three times a day. While this may sound like a lot, Dr. Ivker points out that the body both requires more and can utilize more vitamin C when fighting an infection. Other supplements to consider: Fish oil, flaxseed oil, homeopathic Kali bichromicum and Kali sulphuricum, echinacea, goldenseal and Sinupret (a German herbal combination remedy available at www.bionorica.usa.com).
Note: Daily Health News contributing editor, Andrew L. Rubman, ND, adds that he has success with his patients in also using zinc, 50 mg two times a day... selenium, 400 to 800 micrograms a day... an omega-3 oil supplement twice daily... and n-acetyl cysteine, 500 mg, two times a day.
Drink six to eight glasses of water daily. (Note: Significant quantities of water should always be consumed at non-meal times so it does not interfere with digestion.) Water and other healthful fluids -- such as herbal teas, broth, diluted fruit juice and sparking water -- moisturize the mucous membranes and help keep nasal discharge thin. Dr. Ivker notes that warm fluids are especially soothing. In particular, he recommends medicinal teas made with the immune-enhancing herbs astragalus and echinacea.
Avoid inflammatory foods such as sugar, refined white flour, red meat, fried items, partially hydrogenated oils and additives. These weaken the immune system and provide an opening for infection of all kinds. Also go dairy-free, since cow's milk increases mucus secretion. (Read more about controlling inflammation in Daily Health News, June 10, 2004.)
Eat antioxidant-rich foods -- fresh fruits and vegetables (preferably organic), whole grains, beans, cold-water fish (such as salmon, mackerel and sardines) and lean cuts of hormone-free meat. Preparation counts too: Poaching, steaming and stewing are healthier choices than frying, barbecuing or smoking.
Get a lot of sleep. A lack of sleep weakens immunity and makes you more vulnerable to infection, cautions Dr. Ivker. If you do come down with a sinus infection, instead of pushing yourself and possibly becoming even more ill, take it easy. Climb into bed for a day or two. Turn off the phone, make a cup of tea and enjoy a few good books or movies. To keep stress levels low, make sure you snooze through the news (or better yet, turn off the television altogether).
Let go of anger. Yes, it's that old mind-body connection again. Repressed anger is stressful and can trigger infection, explains Dr Ivker. To safely release anger, he recommends the following exercise: Kneel next to a bed or sofa with a pillow on it. Bring your arms up in an L-shaped, perpendicular position, elbows bent and fists clenched. Inhale as you do this, and picture in your mind the person or situation that makes you angry. Next exhale as you rapidly bring your arms down, elbows and fists to the pillow as if punching it. If you practice this simple exercise on a daily basis (10 to 15 repetitions take only a minute), Dr. Ivker predicts that you will feel lighter overall, and experience feelings of great release and relief.
Steam sinus troubles away. Inhaling steam relieves discomfort and loosens secretions in the sinuses. Steam inhalers are readily available in pharmacies, or simply take a hot and steamy bath or shower or place a towel over your head as you bend over a sink of steaming water. Dr. Rubman often has his patients add aromatic sports rubs, such as mentholatum, to the water to better open up the nasal passages. Dr. Ivker advises that you follow steaming with nasal irrigation to cleanse nasal passages, improve drainage and make it easier to breathe. To accomplish this, he recommends the Hydro Pulse Nasal/Sinus Irrigation System (available at drugstores and at multiple sites on-line)... or as we have written about in Daily Health News, a bulb syringe and a good saline and aromatic mix can do the trick for many. In cold winter months, when sinusitis is most prevalent, daily nasal irrigation can help ward off infection.
Embrace aromatherapy. When you're congested, add a drop or two of eucalyptus or menthol oil to a bowl of hot water and inhale. Or try my favorite aromatherapy: Go out for sushi topped with plenty of spicy wasabi mustard. Some people prefer horseradish, and more traditional approaches to breathing easier include smearing a dab of Vick's VapoRub under the nose.
A BALANCED APPROACH IS BEST
By creating a strong healthy system you should be able to beat back the sinus infections. Keep your sinuses moist and draining. Should an infection crop up, do all you can to beat it without antibiotics to avoid creating another possible cycle of fungal infection. However, sometimes the critters just won't quit. In that case, you may need an antibiotic -- sinus infections left untreated for extended periods of time can cause significant damage. Hopefully with good preventive care, you won't need to take that step.
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