For such a tiny part of your body, your sinuses (the narrow channels located around your nose, eyes, cheeks and forehead are not much wider than the lead in a pencil) can sure pack a painful punch when they’re all bunged up. If the pressure is getting to you, here’s how to make yourself feel better.
Get steamy
Steam inhalation can relieve painful sinus pressure. Pour boiling water into a basin and add a few drops of eucalyptus or pine essential oil. Lean over the bowl with a towel over your head and inhale for 10 minutes. If you don’t have any oil, add a teaspoon of Vicks VapoRub to the water instead.
Another idea is to spray eucalyptus oil in your shower in the morning (Bosisto’s make an aerosol version) — combined with the warm, moist air, this will enhance the oil’s penetration into your breathing passages.
Sniff some salt
Put a pinch of salt in 200ml of warm water in a neti pot — this looks a bit like a small watering can and is used in Ayurveda, India’s traditional form of medicine. Stand over a sink, tilt your head to one side and pour the water into one nostril, allowing it to flow freely out the other nostril.
Repeat on the other side and then blow your nose gently. This washes away pollutants and debris that may be trapped in the nasal tissue. A saline nasal spray also helps maintain moist nasal passages. Tip: Don’t blow both nostrils at once. If you do, you could force mucus and bacteria further up into the sinus passages. Instead, blow one nostril, then the other.
Clear those cavities
Sinus problems respond well to several herbal treatments. One home remedy worth trying is to mix equal amounts of grated fresh horseradish (note: wear plastic gloves when you grate it, and keep it away from your eyes) and lemon juice and eat half a teaspoonful. It will make your eyes water, but it also helps to thin mucus and break up congestion.
Add chillies or cayenne pepper to food, as they both contain a substance called capsaicin which promotes the drainage of mucus. Elderflower tea reduces catarrhal secretions and inflammation in the sinuses; it also has some antiviral activity.
Tea made from lime flower is helpful, easing sore and irritated nasal passageways. In acute cases, herbs with established antimicrobial activity, such as echinacea, astragalus, and goldenseal, may be of benefit.
Try a mini massage
Gently rubbing your sinuses will boost blood circulation in the area and so help to reduce pain. Try the following pressure-relieving points: halfway up both sides of your nose; upwards and outwards over the bridge of your nose to the middle of your eyebrows; the slight indentations on the underside of each eyebrow; and the underside of your cheekbones in the middle of your cheeks.
Prevention is better than cure
Naturopaths often cite clinical experience where food sensitivity is a common factor in catarrh and sinusitis. Try temporarily cutting out dairy produce and white flour and see if this reduces mucus formation. Alcoholic beverages also cause swelling of nasal and sinus membranes.
Add some C
Some research suggests that taking vitamin C helps to reduce levels of histamine, a chemical which is associated with nasal congestion and sinusitis. People with chronic infections, including sinusitis, may also have inadequate levels of vitamin C.
Keep your world clean
Numerous studies link environmental factors to sinusitis. If you are allergic to dust mites or indoor mould, remove upholstered furniture and carpeting and wash bed linens at high temperatures.
Air pollution — especially ozone levels — can irritate mucous membranes, so limit time outdoors when pollution levels are high. Stay away from smoke-filled rooms and run a humidifier at night to keep mucus in your sinuses from drying out and causing blockages. Clean the machine regularly, so that fungi do not grow.
Avoid swimming in chlorinated pools as chlorine can irritate the lining of the nose and sinuses; swimming in salt water, on the other hand, may help.
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