First Things First: What Is Sinusitis?
Sinusitis is the technical term for a sinus infection; you can read more about it here. An infection is when microorganisms start to compound in a wound, stressing the body’s immune system. It can take a long time to fight off an infection. If you cut yourself and don’t clean the wound, microorganisms can get inside and begin multiplying.
If this gets bad enough, your limb may become gangrenous, and if you don’t cut it off, you could lose the limb. Well, sinus infections aren’t quite as bad as gangrene, but they do tend to stick around a while, they make you very uncomfortable, and if left unchecked too long, they can become pneumonia. Pneumonia may become lethal.
So what can give you a sinus infection? And how do you treat it? Well, here we’ll explore these questions.
First: What Gives You A Sinus Infection?
Generally, sinus infections develop as a complication stemming from a cold that lasts too long. Any cold or flu can produce a sinus infection. Sometimes injuries can snowball into sinus infections as well. However, just because you’re not feeling so hot, you’ve got lots of sinus pressure in your head, and you’re sneezing green, doesn’t mean you’ve got a sinus infection.
If you’re going to get the right treatment, and you suspect you’re contending with this sort of condition, it’s worthwhile to set up an appointment with medical options like CTSinusCenter.com. Professionals can examine you to determine if you’re simply sick, or you’ve got an infection; then they can prescribe the proper treatment.
Professionals are most likely to take a sample of phlegm from your nose, and you might have to have the back of your throat swabbed depending on the situation. Once the issue you’re dealing with has been determined, proper treatment action can be proscribed.
Second: How Do You Treat Sinus Issues?
Once you’ve found the right doctor for sinus infection issues in your area, and they’ve looked at your condition, they’ll likely advise you on a number of corrective solutions including rest, fluids, and antibiotics. An ENT might also perform what’s known as a sinuplasty. Basically they blow a little balloon inside your head which helps your sinuses drain.
The reason sinus infections hurt so much is that an excess of phlegm is produced within your sinuses, and this stresses your sinus pockets. That stress translates to pressure that can be so bad you get a headache, and your teeth might even hurt. So beyond the sinuplasty angle, or the antibiotic angle, you might start taking either expectorants or antihistamines.
Antihistamines basically “dry up” your phlegm, whereas expectorants increase its production, helping you to drain your sinuses. Another good tip is taking long, hot showers with lots of steam. These help drain you out. Beyond physical methods of rectifying the situation, you want to be sure you take vitamin supplements like vitamin C, vitamin D, and zinc.
Elderberry extract can help, if you’re not allergic, as can quinine—you can get quinine in tonic water. Raw garlic is a natural antibiotic, and eating it raw helps overcome illnesses like these—but be sure you do this on a full stomach.
Treating Sinus Infections
Sinus issues can be very painful, and left unchecked can lead to things like pneumonia. Pneumonia can be fatal. Sinus infections are almost always a collateral consequence of some other illness. They can be treated with rest, vitamin supplementation, high fluid intake, and antibiotics. The regimen of options that works best will depend on what your doctor says.
