Natural Remedy for Sinus (general)Sinusitis

You're stuffed up, your face hurts, and the pressure is getting to you. If a bacterial infection is the cause of your sinusitis, your doctor can give you antibiotics that will help. otherwise, oral or nasal decongestants can give you temporary relife. (Don't use them for more than three days or the swelling in your sinuses could get worse.) Of course, you don't have to dash off to the drugstore every time your sinuses swell. There are plenty of other ways to reopen blocked passages and help yourself feel better. 

Do Some Steam Cleaning

• Steam can relieve the painful sinus pressure. Take a long, hot shower, inhale the steam, and let the water spray in your face. Then snort and swallow the hot water until your sinuses are clear. 
• Give your congested sinuses a mentholated steam treatment. Biol a pot of water to which you've added a few drops of eucalyptus oil, then remove the pot from the stove. Drape a towel over your head and shoulders, then lean forward so it forms a tent over the pan. Keep your face about 18 inches above the water as you breathe in deeply. As the vapor rises, it carries droplets of oil into your sinuses and loosens secretions.
• Don't have any eucalyptus oil on hand? No problem. Just ass a teaspoon of Vicks VaporRub to the water instead. 

Read about Vicks Vapor Rub on feet, to stop night time coughing… even for children and babies!

Sniff a Salt Solution

Another method of loosening mucus and reducing swelling is irrigating the sinuses with a saline solution. Make the salt solution by mixing one-third teaspoon of table salt and a pinch of baking soda in a cup of warm water. Then fill and ear bulb syringe with the solution. Closing one nostril with your thumb, tilt your head back and squirt the solution into one nostril while you sniff. Blow your nose gently, then repeat with the other nostril. 

You can also use a device called a neti pot, available at health food stores. (It looks like a small watering can with a narrow spout). To use the ntei pot, place half the liquid in the device. Standing over a sink, place the spout into one nostril, then tilt your head to the side and down, away from the spout. Pour the saline solution into the nostrils. The liquid will come out of the other nostril. Once it has drained out, blow your nose gently into a tissue. Repeat with the other nostril using the other half of the saline solution.

Heat Those Cavities

• Inhale freshly grated horseradish. The pungent root contains a fiery substance that helps to thin mucus. 
• Alternatively, mix equal amounts of grated horseradish and lemon juice and eat 1 teaspoonful an hour before breakfast. Take another teaspoonful and hour before dinner. 
• If you're a fan of spicy-foods, add chili peppers to your meals. The pepper contain capsaicin, a compound that breaks up congestion and promotes the drainage of mucus. And when you're all out of chilis, you can sprinkle on cayenne pepper instead; it, too, has all-powerful capsaicin.
• Many studies show that a substance in garlic called allicin is a potent antibacterial and natural antibiotic. Crush 1 clove of garlic, drop it into a quarter-cup of water, and swish it around. Then use an eyedropper to extract some of this garlic water and put 10 drops in each nostril. At the end of 3 days, your infection should be well on its way to healing. 

Enter the Land of Ahhhs

• A cup of hot tea can help thin nasal mucus. Chamomile tea was once considered a folk remedy for sinusitis. If you like it, try it. Another herbal tea to try is Red Zinger from Celestial Seasonings. We heard that one opera singer swears bu it for sinus problems. It contains rosehips and lemongrass. Drink several cups a day as soon as you feel an infection coming on. 
• Get plenty of rest. When you're lying down, however, be sure to keep a pillow under your head to help your sinuses drain. Lying on your back without a pillow can make your congestion worse. 
• Apply a warm washcloth over your eyes and cheekbones. Leave it in place until the cloth cools. Then warm it up again and repeat as often as needed until you get some relief. 

Become a Nose Masseur

• Giving your sinuses a mini-massage will increase blood circulation to the area and help to chase away the pain. Using your index fingers, press hard on the outer edge of your nostrils at the base of the nose.
• Another pressure-relieving move: Apply your thumbs to both sides of your nose, about halfway up, and press firmly on the cartilage. Hold for 30 seconds, then release. You can repeat this as often as you like.
• For sinus relief using acupressure, use your left thumb and index finger to press the areas next to the inner eyes on both sides of the bridge of your nose. At the same time, use your fingers and the heel of your other hand to grab muscles on both sides of the spine at the back of your neck. Put pressure on all four points for about one minute. 

Bring In the Herbal Bouncers

Echinacea and Astragalus are two herbs than can boost immunity and sometimes banish bacteria and viruses. For echinacea the recommended dosage is 200 milligrams standardized to 3.5% echinacosides, taken four times a day. Astragalus capsules should also be 200 milligrams, standardized to 0.5% glucosides and 70% polysaccharides. Take astragalus twice a day between meals. If you have the kind of sinusitis that comes on suddenly after a cold or flu, take the full dosage of both these herbs for a few weeks until the sinusitis gets better. For chronic sinusitis-the kind that drags on and on – alternate taking echinacea one week and astragalus the next. 

Try taking 250 to 500 milligrams of goldenseal three times a day. This herb is thought to fight infections and is sometimes combined with echinacea. Goldenseal tea can be either drunk or used as a nasal wash. To make it, boil one half to one gram of goldenseal in a cup of water. Don't use goldenseal for more than one or two weeks at a time, though.

The Power of Prevention

• Run a cold-mist-humidifier in your bedroom at night to keep your nasal and sinus passages from drying out. Just make sure you clean the humidifier once a week so mildew or fungi can't set up shop.
• Cut down on your consumptions of alcoholic beverages. Alcohol causes swelling of nasal and sinus membranes.
• Avoid swimming in a chlorinated pool – and never dive. Chlorine irritates the lining of the nose and sinuses. Diving forces water from nasal passages up into the sinuses.
• Stay away from smoke-filled rooms. Cigarette smoke dries out nasal passages, and bacteria get trapped in the sinuses.