Blocked Sinuses

Is there anything worse than constant blocked sinuses? Maybe the flu, but that’s debatable. What’s worse is that you never seem to see it coming. Maybe if you did you could stop the symptoms from setting up shop like in those Musinex commercials. We have all been there, it ruins your day, heck usually your week. I am sure you have come here for a reason, so is there a solution for stopping the drowsiness, the pain, the congestion so we can get on with our lives?

YES…sort of.

My family and I have been struggling with allergy and sinus relief problems for as long as I can remember. I have been trying to find a simple and reliable solution for years. There is literally nothing worse than the feeling of not being able to breath through your nose. At times clogged sinuses can even block the passages to your ear and it feels like you are walking around in a an echo chamber. You toss and turn at night hoping laying in this one particular position is better than the last., thinking, “maybe if I lay like this my nose will drain.” Of course the relief is only temporary.

Blocked Sinuses, often referred to as Sinusitis aflects nearly 37 million Americans every year. It’s caused by inflamation of the sinuses and typically the paranasal sinuses . The inflamation is almost always caused by a foreign substance embedding itself in your sinuses either an alergen or some sort of infection.

For most people blockled sinuses is an acute problem, meaning relatively temporary. However, there are circumstances where the sinusitus can become a chronic problem. Doctors usually classify chronic problems as 4 or more acute bouts within a short period of time. You should certainly go see a doctor if you are having recurring bouts with blocked sinuses or if your symptoms last more than 7-10 days.

Going to a doctor is a fine option, but before you do there are a few things you can try to help releive your symptoms. First of all, most over the countrer medications are only desinged to temporarily reduce symptoms. Sinus medications usually consist of a pain releiver such as acetaminophen combined with either a decongestant or a antihistamine.

Using medication in combination with a saline nasal spray is what most Otolaryngologists (ear, nose, and throat) recommend. The saline spray is nothing more than salt water in a nasal spray bottle. The purpose of the spray is to moisturize the area, reduce the swelling, delute the thickness of the mucus build up and flush out the agent causing the symptoms. You can buy a saline nasal spray, but it is just as easy to make it your self and use a Neti Pot or an old nasal spay bottle. I have even tried using a water bottle with a squirt cap (not enjoyable).

Click here to learn more about making your own nasal spray and other proven remidies for blocked sinuses.

Medicated sprays are also available, but usually are only effective in the first 3-5 days of symptoms. If the symptoms have established themselves the medicated sprays are often useless. Medicated sprays can also be addictive as well. If you catch your symptoms early try a medicated spray which are designed to block the release of histamine from the linings of you nasal passages.

Blocked sinuses are almost always painful. They cause headaches, stiff necks, and make your face feel like your skull is trying to escape. There are two things that I have found to help relieve the pressure. The first being an ice pack. Place the pack on the back of your neck and rotate on to your forehead or use two at the same time. This will help reduce any swelling and help relax the muscles in the area. Another thing I like to do is to massage a few acupuncture pressure points. See the video below for a better explanation. The pressure points are usually pretty easy to find, just feel around until you feel a bit of a reaction. When you hit the right place you should be able to feel it. Just work on the area massaging until you feel the passages open up.

But what if you have done everything, you have been to the doctor, you tried all the medication, and still are having problems. If that is the case, there are rare circumstance when surgery is an option. Obviously it should be the very last option you explore, but sometimes it is necessary. A doctor will normally want to do it endoscopicly. Advancements in fiber optic technology allows a doctor to anesthetize the area around your sinuses and insert an endoscope to look for the cause of the problems first hand.

They will be looking for a few different things. They will want to see if the blockage is caused by mucus build up and inflammation, if polyps have developed, or if there is broken membrane such as cartilage or bone causing the blockage. In all cases the surgery is minimally invasive and people are usually back to their daily lives within about 4 days. The procedure is almost always an out patient procedure or may require a one night stay.

As within any surgery there are complications that can arise. These complications are extremely rare, but not out of the question. Anytime you go prodding and poking around in someones nose there is a risk of brain injury. Again, I should restate that this is extremely rare, but the consequences of not fixing the problem can be almost as bad.

In most cases your chronic blocked sinuses will just result in unnecessary pain and suffering, but there are also times when more serious problems can arise. Meningitis and infection of the tissue or bone can come about.

The moral of the story is this. Pay attention to your symptoms. If you have seasonal allergies be prepared and start with medication at the first sign of symptoms. If you feel like you are catching a cold grandma’s remedies still aply. Lots of rest, lots of water, use the saline spray to flush you sinuses out and do everything you can to make it easy for your body to fight the infection or get grid of the allergin. Humidifiers and hot hot showers are also a great way to moisturize the area and lubricate your nasal passages and hot showers with a good scrubbing are also good for allergies to help remove the allergens from your skin that maybe causing the problem in the first place.