Natural Remedies for Chronic Sinusitis Relief

I would like to state that up until a short while ago I have suffered from severe chronic sinusitis for 14 years. I am 34 years old and I am in my final stages of completing a medical degree and had chronic sinus pain and congestion for every second, literally every second since my highschool graduation. While I studied biology as an undergraduate I had brain fog and pain through all of the laboratories and had to give up sports and social life just to study and finish. I had two operations in the US and two in Italy, and no! I never asked for surgery, the ent's said that was the only thing to do. After a very delicate operation on my sphenoid sinuses at the skull base last year I thought I had finally resolved my problem because it was never operated on and the surgeon is a good one.

Unfortunately like the other operations all the symptoms came back and last winter I had a horrible headache, no concentration, brain fog, gas, athletes foot, starch cravings, internal itching inside my nose and head and intestines, and nobody supported me at all. It was at this point that I decided to research this problem, I couldn't study medicine properly anyways because of the anguish of the symptoms. I started treating my symptoms as if they were related to fungal overgrowth based on the research I found and the testimonials from sites like this one. I often find this topic to be considered "alternative medicine" but there are many formerly trained scientists and physicians who have referenced this ailment and it seems to me it is only alternative because it does not receive enough attention from the mainstream medical community. I started with baking soda and apple cider vinegar with some honey and wow IMMEDIATE RESULTS. I felt the ups and downs from more energy to flu like symptoms (Herxheimer). I felt I was on to something and I was surely desperate so I started studying again basic medical sciences such as pathology and also mycology (the study of fungi) and in the end I was able to improve my symptoms so dramatically and I will tell you what I did.

1) Baking soda - I spoke with a kidney specialist I know and about the safety because they work extensively with acids and bases and in small regular doses it is not dangerous, but it is always best to careful. I take 4-5 teaspoons a day, when I have time I also mix it with apple cider vinegar and some honey and I usually do not take it from friday through the weekend. I generally mix 1/2 teaspoon with one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and then add a tablespoon of honey and top it off with hot green tea, which I make at the same time. I also add another half teaspoon of baking soda alone to a half liter water bottle and drink it throughout the day, one third of a bottle every 4-5 hours. Be careful if you have any kidney problems and DO NOT CONFUSE TEASPOONS FOR TABLESPOONS because 4-5 tablespoons can make you very sick.

2. Colloidal Silver - I have taken this product for many years and I always took it sparingly because I didn't want to turn blue. In reality my research has found only a few cases in the world of Argyria and the EPA sets limits for its safety and I do not exceed that limit and I now take 5 ml of 40 ppm colloidal silver that I make from a high concentration of 240 ppm and it really works. I usually add 1 ml of 240 ppm colloidal silver to 5 ml saline.

3. MSM - I mix 1/4 teaspoon in an ounce of saline (30ml) and put it in my nose a few hours before I put the colloidal silver solution in my nose. It seems to help the inflammation.

4. Vitamin C powder - I take 10 grams of vitamin c powder daily and it really helps boost my immune system and I am sure it suppresses the inflammation. I take 5 grams twice daily. It can cause some diarrhea so some people might want to divide the dose a little. See Linus Paulings research on this for further information

5. Candida Clear - I take as directed to clear the yeast / fungi from my system.

6. Probiotics (acidophilus etc.) - I always take probiotics at least 6 hours from taking the candida clear.

7. Liquid Oxygen - as directed in order to improve oxygenation.

8. Healthy anti-candida diet - I avoid starch and limit my intake of meat to 6-7 times a month.

9. Avoid antibiotics if possible.

10. Ground flax seeds or omega 3 fish oil - for inflammation

I don't have any intention to tell people what to do and I respect everyone's right to research and find what works for them. The main reason for writing this post is because I am a traditional medical student with a degree in biology and have always thought that through drugs and surgery I could beat this, but it was only by the treatments above that I now feel better than I have in the last 14 years. As a medical student I really shouldn't acknowledge any of the above but this cocktail worked for me and surgery, antibiotics and cortisone made things a lot worse. The only thing I would like to say regarding this the products mentioned above is that you have to stick with it for many months and I hope I am providing useful information for those who live with the nightmare of chronic sinusitis.

Hello: My chronic sinusitis began in 2000 after having a flu and a cough that would not go away. Over years, it became worse, progressing into routine bouts of major bleeding, and, having me always clean bleeding scabs from my nose. It wasn't unusual for me to be unable to stop the flow of blood from my nose on my worst days--I would literally be bent over a sink, blood dripping profusely.

One day, I realized that since I use a CPAP machine for sleep apnea (the machine forces air into your throat to keep your breathing unimpeded), I would use it alternately with food-grade hydrogen peroxide (make sure you read the cautions associated with using this product, NEVER drink it or allow it to touch your skin directly from the bottle--you must carefully make it safe by mixing it with water in a 1 part HP to 11 parts water ratio)--and--I also used eucalyptus oil on separate nights. I would use the oil both on the nose pillow and in the chamber's water.

After about 2 weeks use, I woke-up having difficulty breathing. I felt movement in my nasal passages, much like feeling rice krispies pop in milk. Then, starting that morning, my nose profusely drained. I could not keep up with it. Water was just pouring water out all day long. I must have used 3 boxes of tissues tht day. The experience was mildly uncomfortable, constantly feeling a sensation of wanting to sneeze, but, you don't. For the next 2 days, I was dealing with extensive drainage and feelings of movement in my nose, a sensation of sudsing, much like you see when pouring HP on a wound? There was absolutely no pain involved, just the frustration of dealing with the experience.

When the worst was over, after 12 years of suffering, I realized that I no longer had any blood in my nose at all. I could not believe it. And, I finally felt normal. I no longer had to clean my nose several times daily. My nose today remains clean. My sinuses are no longer an issue. Total relief. Done.

I'd like to offer a remedy for chronic and/or repeated sinusitis sufferers - Rosemary Oil, Green Tea, and Himalayan Sea Salt nasal rinse. I'm going to go into a fair amount of detail regarding the history of my condition and treatments I've tried over the years in case some of you find similarities. My chronic sinus problems date back to 1994 when I was underprescribed antibiotics for a bacterial sinus infection that then became antibiotic resistant. Since that time,I've always had a chronic level on inflammation in my R sinuses, usually getting infected and requiring antibiotics at least once a year. By 2007, my ENT specialist recommended surgery due to recurrent infections over a period of a year - repeated antibiotics along with standard daily nasal rinsing was not preventing new infections.

A point of interest here - I had a CT scan done when I was not currently infected, and it came back showing my sinuses were clear - no obvious physical malformations. I tried acupuncture and chinese herbal medicine as opposed to surgery, which did work well to stop infections from taking hold once they started, but was very expensive and never stopped infections from beginning in the first place.

I then did my own web research and tried a host of nasal rinse with essential oil combinations. Grapefruit seed extract, Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Oregano, Lavender, and/or Hydrogen Peroxide - just throwing the kitchen sink at it. A nasal rinse with a few drops of GSE and/or a capful of Hydrogen Peroxide did stop infections, but never seemed to address the underlying nasal inflammation (in fact, you can see an old write-up of mine under the "Grapefruit Seed Extract" portion of this site). I've been antibiotic-free going on a year and a half, but still not symptom free by any means.

In my case, there are two distinct processes going on: 1. ) Chronic Inflammation; 2. ) Infection. While it seems I can stop an infection early, I haven't found a remedy to reduce the inflammation and prevent infections from beginning. In my case, I believe my problems start with my sinuses becoming inflamed with some environmental allergen, and as the inflammation progresses, bacteria gets trapped and then starts a new infection. I got the following remedy from a Health Food store in Sedona, Arizona - a gentleman there who was apparently very familiar with aromatherapy treatments was recommended to me by a friend. He is a fellow sinus-sufferer, though not quite to my level. He recommended aromatherapy Rosemary oil specifically for it's anti-inflammatory properties, weak Green Tea (anti-microbial), and himalayan sea salt in a neti pot for a sinus rinse.

Brew up a quart of green tea and let it fully steep with one green tea bag. The himalayan sea salt is prepared as follows: whether in rock or crushed form, place a large amount (maybe a quarter-cup) of salt in a mason jar and fill it with water (tap, in my case), and let it sit for several hours. The idea (and research this on the web if you like) is that the water will dissolve the salt up to a maximum saturation of 26% salt in a liquid solution. Basically, it becomes a salt-water brine. Add 1 drop of rosemary oil (2 if particularly congested), 2 tablespoons of the salt brine to a neti pot and then fill it with the weak green tea. Adjust the amount of salt brine in the rinse get it to a concentration that is comfortable for your sinuses - I find that a bit on the salty side is more comfortable. Rinse as you would normally, but at least twice a day. I've been on this regimen for a week after getting my tell-tale sign of a new infection - blood-tinged yellow mucus. The bleeding stopped within a day, the mucus is now clear, and the inflammation I'm typically used to is well below what is typical. My sense is that if I can find a method to get the inflammation under control, I'll be on my way to fully healing my sinuses. I'll report back in the coming weeks with my observations.

I have a chronic sinusitis for more than 20 yrs. Jst 1 month ago i discovered your site. And i found out a good remedy for. I jst drink wild oregano oil capsule once a day. Then i drink 2 tbspn Apple cider vinegar on a glass of water 2xday. Then i do nasal irrigation by using 1 tbspn ACV, 1 tspn salt, 1 tspn baking soda 1xday by 3xweek. It did wonders to me my sinus foul odor were gone, no post nasal drip. I have my life back. Hope you try this.

For several years I've been dealing with chronic ear and nasal congestion which my ENT chalks up to allergies, which I do have but two months ago I had a nasty URI which has left me with chronic sinus congestion and loss of smell and taste. Two courses of antibiotics haven't cleared anything up but now, after reading about fungus being responsible for chronic sinusitis, I'm going to start using organic ACV, herbal teas (oregano, rosemary & thyme) and fresh garlic. Already using a probiotic with the DDS-1 strain, developed at the University of Nebraska. This bacteria is more stable and has many more beneficial properties than other strains of L-acidophillus.

Regarding the observation of one author who says she won't use ACV because it's antibacterial, garlic is also a potent antibacterial agent, as is oregano oil but garlic is one of the mainstays in the arsenal to not only destroy pathogenic agents in the body, but also to maintain good health.

Neti pots and other traditional methods of irrigating the sinuses are reliable and effective ways to manage sinusitis. A recent approach to dealing with these symptoms is to use a nasal spray which works similarly to traditional salt water sprays but with improved salts and other ingredients, which makes it more efficient. Keeping the sinuses clear of mucus help immensely with comfort for chronic sinusitis sufferers.

I've had the worst sinus infection for about 2 months along with ear infections and I couldn't hear. I live in Alabama, and since I moved here my sinuses have been horrid. But it got worse two days ago, my right eye was so swollen, a huge pocket of fluid on eyelid, and below where dark circles are, even just above eye lashes.

I just happened upon this site, and decided to do the oil pull, and I had some cold-pressed coconut, good stuff! I've been into natural healing for years, and tried a neti pot with sea salt, and couldn't even get that to go through! Also I take herbs everyday which have helped through the years.

So I also have had eczema since moving here, on my ear lobes, on forehead next to hair line. I know that's a sign of lowered immune system function. So after cleaning my teeth, I did the coconut oil pull. It tasted so good! I was surprised. So I did it for 15 minutes, swishing it around, and went to bed. I woke up this morning with the whole right side of nose all red! Also with eczema bumps on it! Wow! This stuff works fast! The poison is coming out of my system! I did another oil pull this morning, and then neti pot, and finally got it unstopped.

I still have that lump of sinus crud in the back of my throat, it feels thick, but I know I'm going to beat this thing. I also put coconut oil on eczema on nose, it's good for that, it has many anti-bacterial properties!

So just day one, I will update as I go! I'm very disabled, arthritis, many back and joint surgeries, so looking forward to seeing if I get good results as other have on those aches & pains oil pulling. I'm so glad I found this site!

I always had Sinus issues as far as 12 years now. Allergies manifested as really quickly. Oil pulling is a god send for people with any of these issues. It became a routine for me before brushing and makes my day a whole lot better. It loosens up the phlegm in the sinuses that accumulates overnight and make it easy to sneeze it out. It seems to also take care of the stubborn plaque and teeth cleaning. Sometimes, if the brushing in the evening does not make me feel clean on teeth, i get to another round of oil pulling to clean up.

However, do not oil pull without at least 3-4 hours after eating and 30mins after drinking anything. This is also mentioned elsewhere. Please follow the instructions meticulously. One thing i noticed is that the amount of time you swish it in mouth depends on how stuffed you are. If you are good, oil takes a while to liquify and if you are stuffed, it liquifies quickly and you can feel it thinning.

This also helps me manage my allergies and I stopped using the sprays and now i am on accupucture treatment to completely get rid of these problems.

If you have that feeling of phlegm stuck in your lower sinuses even with oil pulling, you may want to use netipot. Use kosher salt and warm water. That should give you relief for atleast 24 hours, free of any stuffing what so ever. There are advanced techniques with neti pot (drug stores call it sinus rinse) which can effectively clean every part of sinus over time. Good luck!

EC: More about Oil Pulling here: https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/oil_pulling.html

Oil Pulling with Coconut Oil for Sinuses

I've had sinusitis for years now and am not crazy about using sinus sprays all the time. A friend told me about oil pulling not only for sinus but for healthy teeth and actual help with cavities. I don't usually try 'fad' things, but I bought some virgin coconut oil and gave it a try.

At first, ten to twenty minutes of swishing oil about in the mouth bothered me, but I got accustomed to it and over the past six months, both my oral health and sinus condition have improved. I haven't had a sinus infection in months and when I 'chew' the oil I can feel the sinuses loosening when they're blocked. I recommend you try it if you have sinus issues or tooth/gum problems as well.

Onion Poultice –

I have used this remedy many times to resolve sinus issues and migraines. I first heard of it thru Romanian and Appalachian Folk Remedies. It can also be used for fever, headaches, sinus infections (especially the frontal sinus cavities located just behind your eyes in the brow region).

Onions are anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, relieves congestion in the body, help immune system function, detoxify the body, People use onion juice in their ear for earache and rubbed onion juice on their forehead for fever. Onions contains active phytochemical that can reduce the effect of fever, relieve pain and prevent cold. Onion poultice can be used to draw out congestion from the lungs, lymph nodes or anywhere on the body and facilitate healing instead of running to the doctor for meds.

source: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303803436_Medicinal_properties_of_onion_and_garlic

For those persons who suffer a lot from the common cold or chest congestion, they would do well to drink a cup of hot onion/garlic tea several times each day. The tea assists in loosening up stopped sinuses and unplugging the bronchial system. This same dosage of tea will clean out any bladder/liver/kidneys problems too. When applied externally, fresh onion juice prevents bacterial and fungal infections.

How to Make an Onion Poultice:

Supplies:

• Paper towel
• 1 onion (red, white, yellow your choice)
• 1 tablespoon ginger powder sprinkled over it, (optional)
• Roller pin or coffee mug to crush onion

Directions:

• Slice off 2 slices off the onion about ¼ inch thick. Chop the onion slices into little bits. The onion bits should be as small is you can get them.
• Place the chopped onions in the middle of the paper towel, (sprinkle ginger powder over it optional) and wrap it “burrito style”, that is, fold the longer sides over the onions first and then fold the ends.
• Now used a rolling pin or similar device (I use the flat edge of the knife and press), roll over the onions to crush them releasing their juices so it is absorbed into the paper towel cloth.

The onion poultice is now ready to place on the forehead of the person suffering from head pain. You can secure it in place with saran wrap and ace bandage.

Leave the onion poultice in place for 20 minutes (I leave it on for 2 hours with no problems). It can be gently reheated in the microwave and reused as necessary throughout the day. It is best to make a fresh onion poultice every 24 hours or so.

I also suggest drinking onion/garlic/ginger/honey tea 2 – 3 times daily til sinus/head pain issue is resolved.

I was completely unable to breathe normally through my nose for the first 40 years of my life. Many people are mouth breathers like I was, and it causes problems because our lungs do not get the filtered and humidified air that comes from nasal breathing. The docs told me it was allergies or maybe polyps, but, no. The good news is, I found an easy trick to open the nasal passages.

Everyone can flare their nostrils, and they can close the nasal passages when in the water. So we have some control of muscles in that area. The good news is that the muscles continue up into the sinuses, but we haven't learned to use them yet.

So here's the trick: Flare your nostrils, then visualize flaring them up a bit higher. Do this several times a day and you will begin to have control over those unused muscles. Every day you will be able to open the passages a bit higher up. It only took about a week before I was breathing freely through my nose. Try it.

For the last 15 years I've had chronic sinusitis, post nasal drip, clogged nose, etc. I was constantly clearing my throat, and sometimes coughing. I snored a lot, which my wife didn't appreciate, and the snoring actually would wake me up in the middle of the night, leaving me tired in the morning. I seemed to catch colds more easily than before, but I attributed this to my very frequent plane travel.

Doctors prescribed antibiotics, but I they did not fully cure the problem and when I stopped the treatment, every symptom returned. (And I just don't like unnatural treatments.) Others said it was allergies.

I wondered: Could my sinusitis be a fungal problem? More exploring on the internet found the answer:

In 1999 Mayo Clinic researchers found the cause of most chronic sinus infections to be an immune system response to fungus, and that this may kick off a secondary bacteriological infection. It is not an allergic reaction, but an immune reaction.
Again, I felt betrayed by the medical profession. Why hadn't anyone told me this?

I went to the health and vitamin store to look for an anti-fungal nasal spray, and nothing met my requirements or budget ($10-15 for a one ounce bottle of ingredients seemed way out of line.) Here's the formula I "invented:"

1. Rinse out a 1 ounce nasal spray bottle
2. Add one eye-dropper (approximately 1 ML) of Oregano Juice (NOT Oregano Oil -it's too strong and will not dissolve in water)
3. Add a pinch of salt (approximately ½ ML) (Iodized salt is OK - iodine is a good anti-fungal)
4. Fill the rest of the sprayer with distilled water, and shake well until the salt is dissolved.

Spray as frequently as once an hour until symptoms subside. For me, this solution began working within an hour; most symptoms were gone in three days. And the price of the ingredients per bottle is just a few pennies.

If the oregano/saline solution is too strong for you, dilute in half with water. If you want, you can add a drop of eucalyptus oil with ½ ML of glycerin, (which will bond the oil to water). I now spray once or twice a day, just to prevent any recurrence.

A very dear friend, who is 75, has had awful sinusitis for years. He heavily cleared his throat every minute or two. I told him of this simple formula, and two days later he called me to say it was working. He then said with amazement: "I don't believe it, we've been talking for over 15 minutes and I haven't had to clear my throat once!"

There are articles and books that claim that some cancers are caused by fungus. If this is true, taking action on fungus early may be very beneficial in the long run. It's time we gave fungus a deeper analysis.

For Chronic Sinusitis, go down to 'methods' on this article: http://www.omicsonline.org/2155-6121/2155-6121-2-109.php

It gives techniques for draining the sinuses and nasal passages. I had to look up the anatomical terms on wikipedia, but I tried it once on myself (looking at the ceiling) and there was definitely increased drainage and some noticeable clearing up. Some of the steps might be a little difficult to do on yourself, but still possible - though your thumbs might have to point the other way.

A cold head starts off sinus problems!

I was having all sorts of trouble with sinusitis and found that benadryl works better than any prescription I was given by doctors for sinusitis! And it is over the counter medication and inexpensive. Two tablets can make you drowsy! Don't drive or operate machinery while taking them. And most important DON'T ALLOW YOUR HEAD TO GET COLD!

I wear a double cap at night because if my head gets cold I will get a sinus attack and this leaves me very weak the next day!

Sinusitis attacks can weaken you. Use a blow dryer to warm your head and neck area if you are cold. This routine has me nearly well from Sinusitis!

I believe my sinus problems started by me foolishly placing drinks (of any kind) in the freezer and drinking freezing drinks down. Just my take. This coldness seemed to start my sinus problems off.

The paradigm of modern culture is summed up as "sterilize" is equal to healthy. This paradigm comes from the discovery of germs and their coincidental relationship to diseases. It can be likened to a field that is plowed and left barren. This field is then populated with all kinds of weeds and plants some may be good and many are bad or useless. But the normal or healthy field is never barren. It is a culture of balanced plants in a proper relationship. Modern allopathic medicine seeks to sterilize your mouth with highly toxic to bacteria AND YOU, ... Chemicals, and seeks to maintain that state. But in nature (dare I say God's plan?) a human being has 5-10 times more bacterial cells in the body than actual body cells, amounting to approximately 3 pounds of them, and without them you WILL die! They are much smaller than body cells so the disparity in weight.. plus you are mostly water weight.

Current research in probiotics is only now understanding the critical importance to your guts immune system response ( 80% of the immune system is in the gut). And this is due in a large part to the probiotics in your entire intestinal tract from front to back.

I had chronic ear infections starting when I was just a child and had a radical mastoidectomy by age 14 . The removal of my entire left inner ear mechanism left me in danger of becoming deaf if the right ear also went that way. I fought the sinusitus and the ear, nose and throat infections for 45 years with EVERY possible medical and natural treatment I could find and NOTHING cured it. At best I got relief for a few days. I plowed the field diligently and stopped anything that I thought might of contributed to it like dairy. In the end I found my ear infection was worsening, my nose was so swollen, (nasal passages deviated septum they called it) and my eustacean tubes closed so tight (with inflamation) that I knew that like the creator of the muppets; I was doomed to die. Antibiotics, sinus flushes and rinses and anything else I tried (and I tried them ALL) were of NO effect. I was in dispair! I was suffering from sleep apnea and snoring and my mouth breathing had cause sever gingivitis on the front gums due to the unaturaly dry mouth. It was so bad my cats would jump purposefully ON ME to get me to breath or stop snoring, I am not sure which, but [probably both. Lol but thats the only reason they did it, I am sure. I was getting poor rest from all that. Things were bleak to say the least.

Last year I read about a bacteria cultured from human breast milk and intestinal flora that is the pre eminant colonizer of the baby from birth. It's a home maker for healthy probiotics and has a natural antibiotic that selectively kills bad bacteria and is harmless to the good bacteria, called "reuterin". This bacteria named "L. Reuteri" My years of research had show that the "plowed field" of my sinuses and the rest of my body were in danger of being overwhelmed by the weeds. It occurred to me that I needed to plant my field with what God intended to have there.

I took some of the powder of L Reuteri and placed it in my ears (both were helped) against the right ear drum and was excited to discover that within three days the ear infection had stopped and the pain was lessened and drainage had all but ceased. I snorted some of the powder up my nose (straight live bacteria) and within a week my nose was opened and I breathed easier for the first time in 45 years. My eustacean tubes opened up the next week after I continues to apply the bacteria to my ears nose and throat, and they started to function normaly, again after 45 years of them NEVER working right! I applied the Reuteri to my gums repeatedly after a gum cleaning and within a week my gingivitis had all but disappeared!

I have now been nearly perfectly symptom free for nearly a year! And after a few booster doses my nose is wide open and my eustacean tubes work perfectly my eardrum has not shown any sign of infection. To breathe freely through my nose again, to sing, to smell, what a joy! I am not snoring, I am sleeping better, and wake more rested, and so are my cats. Lol If you wish to discuss this with me or see the list of things I tried and the surgery and stuff in the past 45 years I had done or tried write me at lifesharer(at)yahoo. com .

Sincerely, John