Ice Cream and Sinus Infections: The Link to Artificial Flavorings

I do not suffer from sinus infections but my 11 yr son does. He was doing okay until today. His head hurts so bad he can't even bend over. I was looking for a homeopathic remedy because the OTC and prescribed meds seem to be ineffective at best and sometimes seem to make things worse. When I read the ice cream thing a light bulb went on. Grandma took him for burgers on Saturday and yesterday he started complaining of headache and congestion. I'm thinking your idea is not so far fetched.

I ate Baskin Robbins mint ice cream cake on Friday. On Saturday night I had major sinus pain and pressure behind my right eye and upper teeth area. I suffered through the night even though I took a nasal decongestant which did nothing for it. The next morning I drank 2 TBL ACV in 1/2 glass of water. It didn't seem to help much. Then I tried boiling 50/50 ACV/water mix and breathing in the steam vapors(keeping mouth and eyes closed) which helped take the sinus pain/pressure away within 1/2 hr.

I suffered from horrible sinus headaches over the past three months. After much researching, I finally found the culprit--ICE CREAM. I have craved Ice cream every day for the past 3 1/2 months. I always use Oragnic ACV so I knew that was not helping. I tried grapefruit seed extract in water and was very pleased with the results. No more sinus headaches since I've been on it. I used about 5 drops in an 8oz glass of water.

I was surfing around looking for a remedy for my sinus infection and came across your article "Ice-cream related to sinus infection" and I can totally see the connection because I've also suffered the exact same symptoms! I had always thought it was sort of a "brain-freeze" situation, that I literally got a cold from the cold food consumed (I'm extremely sensitive to cold in my head, the least cold breeze will send me to my bed for the day). Well I must be sensitive to the chemicals as well, because what you described happened in exactly the same order. I woke up the next morning with a raging sinus infection, fever and all. I didn't make the connection the first time, so about 10 days later, I repeated the offense (i.e. consumed the ice-cream) and Viola! next morning super intense sinus infection!! I think that somehow it is intensified by eating ice cream at night and then sleeping on that mucous in the system. Just my 2 cents worth. Sumiyeh in rockville, MD

I just found this website and read about the ice cream cold...I must say I am wondering if that is why I have this cold, mainly a sore throat and mucas. I ate it and got a cold then I was fine for 4 days and last night I ate it my husband ate it and we both have a sore throat again this morning. Could it be the ice cream??? Seems like.

I would have never thought Ice Cream could cause a Sinus Infection. Yet, I came down with a nasty Sinus Infection last Monday. I spent all day Saturday at Austin City Limits Music Festival, had sort of exausted myself, and on the way back, we stopped by a local burger joint and ordered ice cream cones, the dairy queen kind, messy, sugary and wonderful. On Sunday I felt exausted, but the day before I had drank beer and danced for hours. Monday morning I overslepts, was late to work and could barely keep my eyes open. By end of the day Monday, I had a full blown Sinus Infection. I should note that its a bad allergy season right now. Yet, I already had my cold of the season, and did get a lot of sleep that weekend, and took vitamins. And, I never usually eat ice cream, even when I do, its normally a fancy pure kind. Now, its been 7 days and I'm finally just starting to breathe out of my nose. YUCK!

So glad I found these posts, and to know that I'm not the only one who has "Ice Cream Hangovers." I'll go for months without touching ice cream, then experience temporary insanity. I find that Sonic milkshakes produce the hardest blows to my sinuses. I then think that I've learned my lesson, take a benadryl, and drink lots of water. Normally, if I do that right away, I won't have to go for the antibiotics. I keep saying that I'll break down & get an ice cream maker & make our own ice cream with goat milk. Someday .

Thanks for assembling this info -- I am totally intrigued. I have been dreaming of a Good Times Raspberry Torte Spoonbender (it's ice cream) for months and finally on Friday allowed myself to get one. Over the weekend I was annoyed that my Nasonex which I take for hay fever and (which is working great) seemed to stop working and full on sinus issues!!! I have allergies and can get sinus infections 2-3 x a year... I am soo going to elminate these artificially-flavored ice creams (OK, I'll ban all ice creams!) :) I'm also going to try the ACV. Thanks guys.

This past Sat eve the family went to Bruster's Ice Cream and I chowed down a yummy mint chocolate chip scoop. My husband felt ill the rest of the day, but I was fine. Then Sunday morning I awoke feeling the worst sinus pressure in my head ever. My equilibrium was so off I literally weaved to the bathroom like a drunk where I promptly threw up from nausea. It was the worst feeling ever! I went downstairs afterwards and made a tall mug of hot water and added at least 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar to it and spent the next half hour sipping it slowly. It definitely helped but what finally kicked the sinus reaction later in the day was 5 low dosage chewable baby aspirins. Once those got in my system I was fine. My husband did not have a reaction to the ice cream on Sunday, only Saturday.

so true... i went to baskin robbins on a tues wed & thurs i had a headache that i couldnt get rid of... saturday i had the sinus infection, i will def try the acv and the oil flushing but i hope i feel better im going to disney land this weekend! i didnt even know about the ice cream but i searched the web for a home cure and i found the cause as well..

I've had this horrible sinus infection for weeks now. I have a long history of them but have been able to keep it under control for the past few years... though I still have difficulty with my sinuses, I am generally able to keep them draining enough that an infection doesn't fester. Anyway, for the past month or so, I've felt awful and haven't understood the flare up. So, here I come, looking for some kind of hope and find the info about apple cider vinegar. Now, I know that ACV is great stuff, but hadn't realized that it helped sinuses. So, as soon as I read about it, I went to the kitchen and gulped down 2T of it with 8oz of water. I am sooo pleased to say that my sinuses immediately began to drain - yucky thick mucous down my throat - but, hey, that is a relief with what I've been feeling! The pressure is somewhat relieved already!!! I'm so excited! What's more, I then read on and found the ice cream theory... And, without much surprise, I am sure enough able to link my recent sinus troubles to two rounds of ice cream! I had not eaten ice cream with "flavors" such as these in a long time prior to this, so it really fits for me! My troubles all started with a trip to COLDSTONE Creamery and shortly thereafter worsened upon consumption of some CARVEL brand ice cream cake!!!

Thanks for helping me make the connection! The bad news is that my "sinus infection"/ cold didn't come from ice cream, it came from a Starbucks Green Tea latte made with two big squirts of melon-flavored syrup. You can bet that there was no real melon in that sugary syrup so the offending artificial flavors are now permeating all kinds of food besides ice cream. It made me feel AWFUL and I haven't had a "cold" for years (I also usually abstain from all kinds of refined sugar, etc.). ACV helped get me back on my feet after experiencing 1.5 days of fluey, eye-watering (one side only) sinus pressure with sneezing. And then it was gone. Not a typical cold. Thanks for the heads up. Artificial flavorings are off my list forever!

I came across your site and was totally skeptical, but after reading the info on ice cream, I realized I had eaten ice cream the night before I woke up with a terrible sore throat, congestion, migraine and nausea/vomiting. After reading your article, I just can't convince myself it's a coincidence. I have no idea what brand of ice cream I had, as it was just served as part of a blueberry cobbler dessert, but I'm going to try cutting out all ice cream for a while to see if there's a difference. And as I sit here typing this, I'm drinking a tall hot mug of ACV (1/4 cup) in 8 oz. hot water. We'll see if this does the trick...at any rate, I'm hopeful that it will so I don't have to keep taking OTC meds and/or antibiotics. I suffer from chronic sinusitis, so the potential for something natural like ACV to help me is a serious godsend...thanks!"

Funny as i sit here reading this piece about ice cream and sinus infections, I had soft serve "ice cream" from Sonic 2 days ago and i have been very sick today, way worse than how dairy alone affects me-ever. My lymph-nodes are hugely swollen. No symptoms yesterday. Looking at your list McDonalds, etc. Isn't it true that many of those that serve the soft-serve type of ic actually have little if any dairy in them? Mostly chemicals. So i should know not to eat them (rarely do). Never again after reading this. We (I) have got to get back to whole foods with simpler ingredients, not a list of long chemical names. If you eat at McD ask for the ingredient list and look up their "ice cream"

After eating ice cream for several days for dessert, my head felt like it would explode with pain. I soaked a cloth with apple cider vinegar & applied it to my forehead & across the bridge of my nose. Also took pain medication. It helped immensely. I also get sinus headaches from most shampoos. Your article helped confirm how valuable vinegar is & that the ice cream thing is not my imagination. Thanks!