Ice Cream and Sinus Infections: The Link to Artificial Flavorings

True, true... I am sitting here trying to get well from yet another sinus attack.. 2 days of work missed... And still trying to get better... But I have to read about 20 of your stories here on this site to finally remember that I did have a cone of chapman the nite before I got sick with the flu-like symptoms! I have a very bad memory but I remember now putting the cones away. I am the kind of person who stuffs her face without thinking and go right back to my creative work or thinking. But now I am convinced that this is true! In fact after feeling better from packing heated facmasks on my face, I found the enrgy to cook up a meal and then an apple crisp, U see I think I had a craving for more icecream! And becuz I felt better I slapped on a spoonful of icecream on top of the dessert and felt great from satisfying my craving. Yet a few hrs later I was packiing on those heat pads on my face again, and another day of missed work. I will keep away from those artificial icecreams from now on and see what happens.

Is this an allergy to artificial flavoring, artificial vanilla, or corn syrup? I read this information a couple of weeks ago and the ACV has been very helpful. I thought that perhaps my sinus flare up, which coincided with my period (sorry men), were somehow related but, could just be that I eat worse during this time. Anyway, I have put the ice cream to the test... One scoop of DQ cone with vanilla softserve ice cream caused my normal sinuses to violently react about 6 hours later. I had a completely stuffy nose but lots of mucous when I blow my nose, sinus pressure, and asthma. The same thing happened when I ate a Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich, and also when I have had a McDonald's Sundae. All symptoms came raging back 6 hours to 12 hours later. It would be nice to know the specific ingredient to avoid.

For the last couple of years, I have taken ACV religiously, after reading here on EC how well it worked at preventing and even curing sinus infections. I had been sinus infection free after taking ACV regularly. I was thinking my sinus problems were over ... then this week, to my surprise, I got a horrible, painful sinus infection. Then I recalled eating some ice cream a few days earlier ... now, I've eaten ice cream occasionally off and on over the last couple of years too, but have only had the major brands that don't contain corn syrup (usually the sucralose sweetened variety) with no major effects. This time however, I mistakenly had one with corn syrup. It burned my throat, but I didn't think much of it ... only when I was finishing off the box did I read the ingredients and saw corn syrup was listed. I took extra ACV, but to no avail ... after 4 horrid near sleepless nights, painful, bleeding sinuses, etc, (felt like I was dinner, and my body didn't care ... immune system on strike?) and loath to seek antibiotics, I went looking for information. I knew about ACV, but what else was I missing? After reading Ted's remedies, I thought that perhaps my pH had dropped, since I had not been eating as well as of late due to just moving (the day I started eating the ice cream) ... so, I took about 1 tsp of baking soda sweetened with 2 tsp xylitol in a cup of water. WOW! With in 1/2 hour, my sinus pain was going away! Then my mucus color lightened ... after getting a few more hours of much needed sleep, I am feeling almost normal. I still cough and have some stuffiness, pressure, and drainage, but the pain and bleeding are gone. THANK YOU EC and TED! (I like the fizzy ACV and baking soda: 1/2 C water, 1 tbsp ACV 1/4 tsp baking soda 4 drops of liquid stevia extract.)

Now, I read about the artificial flavors added to some ice creams, and I don't eat any that have these listed ... there may have been something not listed in the one I ate. However, as mentioned on EC about the history of this sinus problem and ice cream, it started in the late 1990s or so. This is when I stopped eating ANY corn, as it started to make me ill. At the time, I chalked it up to food sensitivities ... well, guess what? Something changed in corn during the 1990s. GMO. Today, about 60% of all corn is genetically modified with Bt protein, a naturally occurring pesticide. I don't know how much is in the seed, or how much makes it into the resulting corn syrup, but it could be that there is enough that some people are affected. So, the causative ingredient may very well be listed ... we just don't see if for what it is. (Or, I'm just sensitive to corn.)

Bottom line, keep the body's pH up and stay away from things we find cause harm. Then the body can do its job and be well.

Regards,
Seth Taylor

sinus infection/ice cream connection

I found this site looking for natural sinus infection cures. Something definitely rings true with the ice cream connection. My family went to Baskin-Robbins for their .31 cent scoop night. We never go there, for lots of reasons but, decided it would be a rare treat. This was April 28th. I of course didn't make the connection when I got really sick after. Sinus infection and bronchitis (likely caused by sinusitis)that was treated with antibiotics. The bronchitis seems to have gone, but sinuses not even touched by the drugs. I just tried the ACV treatment and an hour later...WOW! I want to cry. It's been bad these past few years...if this works as good as it seems to, I feel hope! I am breathing through my nose. It's almost shocking how much oxygen I feel like I'm finally getting. It's interesting that the rest of the family didn't get sick like me, but they were super tired for days after. Interesting stuff!

There is definitely something to this! I haven't had a sinus infection in years, since I started eating nothing but organic foods. I ordered a small milkshake from the golden arches for my daughter. When she was done, I had the last 1/8th of it. She didn't get sick, but less than 24 hours later, I had a massive sinus infection. No more milkshakes!!

P.S. I love you guys at Earth Clinic! The ACV with water has almost kicked it.
Thank you so much

This is feedback for the page regarding Ice Cream and flu.

I found this website when looking for a natural cure for sinus infections. I'm going to try to ACV and will post results.

However, we noticed that IMMEDIATELY after I had eaten a heavily flavoured ice cream from the store, I became suddenly ragingly ill. I developed an overnight sinus infection and seem to have the flu as well. I have eaten this brand of ice cream before, as they advertise 1/2 the fat and 1/2 the sugar in this type and it seemed safe in the past to have a little every once in a while. I can be lactose intolerant to a small degree, so ice cream is a rare treat. This time, it was on a giveaway type of sale that seemed odd to us, they were giving away 2 large containers if you bought one. I tried a mint chocolate chip where they make the ice cream green, I've never eaten that kind before, I bought it for someone else to enjoy and just sampled it for fun. I felt bad within 2 hours of eating it. I already have a serious illness to deal with, and now I am so sick I can hardly move, I'm wheezing, fever, sinuses are so infected, and my ears are totally blocked. I already had pain in my skull previously so not sure if that is a symptom also. Just wanted to add to this page, I'm a little concerned that children are eating this stuff and getting so sick, that's very alarming, where's Michael Moore on this one :).

I have been a fan of this site for a while and last night was the first time I have seen this info on the connection between certain ice cream and sinus infections. Yesterday (Sunday) my 15 year old son started getting a sinus headache. He has been having some allergy issues for the last week or so because of all the heavy pollen. By evening time last night he was in a lot of pain with severe sinus pressure in his head and chest and throat pain from a frequent dry nonproductive cough. He was also having chills and running fever by late last night. I came here to look first (as I always do) for a home remedy for sinus infections. After reading this I immediately went to ask him if he had eaten any type of ice cream or milk shakes in the past few days. He said that Friday after school he had a milk shake from Wendy's. Hmmm. Interesting (48 hours later he has a sinus infection). Thanks for the info. Great Job again Earth Clinic.

I have been a fan of this site for a long time, but this is the first time I have looked up "sinus infection". I will have to concur on the ice cream connection. I got a cold 6 days ago and it was beginning to subside UNTIL I had a Dairy Queen Mocha Moolata on day 5. I now have took a turn for the worse and have a sinus infection.

I am so happy to have reached this site. I am a longtime sinus sufferer and because I suffer so often and it has caused me to be so sleepy that its disrupting my life. I sleep too much. So I decided to check the web for anykind of relief. I stumbled upon this site and immediately realized one of the culprits. The other day, I had an icecream cone from Baskin Robbins. No sinus trouble that day before the icecream cone. Literally the next day my nose was so stopped up I couldnt breathe out of no where I had sinus trouble stopped up nose and acheness. I drank apple cider vinegar and used steam, almost immediately or within hours everything subsided. So while I was surfing the web today I was eating a bowl of icecream when I came upon this site. I am definately going to see if my symptons come back tomorrow night. and will be glad to tell you. - but thank you for this information. If I find the icecream is linked to my symptoms I am going to cut it completely from my diet. unless it is organic if such a thing. thanks again. your information is valuable for those of us suffering constantly.

i had a cold for about a week and felt like i was beating it up until about two days ago my sinuses felt all swollen. i thought it was maybe because of the super windy day we just had. until i stumbled across this theory...i bought dreyers icecream 3 days ago and have been eating it everday. i started to feel run down again, and the sinuses bugging me again (pressure, itchy, tingling) flushed my nose with salt water this morn and noticed it was almost neon yellow! sorry..kinda gross i know...but that struck me as odd so on-line i go to do some research and well how bizzare! i'm chucking that dreyers and never buying it again! if we buy icecream its usually haggen daas or ben jerry's and never had a problem. guess ill keep flushing with salt water and drinking apple cider vinegar. ok...strong reminder of all the chemis and crap in convience food and why i should avoid at all costs.

ICE CREAM and Flu and Sinus Symptoms

I cannot believe this. My 5 yr old daughter had a LARGE pink ice cream treat during a long car ride home. Well, a few hours later, at about 3:00am, she was throwing up all pink from the ice cream. She was fevered and ended up throwing up once more that night. Her fever remained for more than a day. Now, she has been fighting this lingering bullcrap sinus/upper respiratory thing that just doesn't want to go away. She is now on antibiotics (of course-what else is new?) and she still has the sinus problems. I came onto the web to search for natural remedies for her and I stumbled upon this UNBELIEVABLE info on your site regarding ice cream and flu symptoms. I would NEVER, EVER have thought it would cause flu symptoms- I always knew it causes mucous- but had no clue about the fever, etc. Unbelievable to me. This site is amazing and I thank you soooo much for bringing this ice cream problem to my attention. Unreal.

I also noticed the last two years I started getting sick right after eating ice cream. I never used to get them before when I ate ice cream, so what in this ice cream is causing this? Why isn't the ice cream companies doing anything about it? They are going to loose a lot of customers if something isn't done. Anyone have any remedies, or ice cream that does not cause this?

My husband and I were craving ice cream and decided to go to the Dairy Queen. I had already read about this sinus infection connection with ice cream. As we were going through the drive -thru I decided to test this theory. It had been a really long time since having ice cream so I thought I'd see if it was a contributor to my chronic sinus troubles.

I had a Mocha Moolatte. About 2 hours later I began having pain in my frontal sinuses and the back of my neck. I started to feel a sensation of fatigue.

About 6 hours later my sinus passages felt swollen and the mucus had turned into thick sludge.

About an hour after the congestion started, body aches and pains began. In my arms, legs, feet, etc. Then came chills. I was certain I had a fever going, so I took my temp and it was 98.1 degrees, normal. I began having sensations of feeling cold, then warm, and back to cold again, while the aches in my body continued to worsen.

I no longer have my doubts about this theory now, as I can sincerely vouch for the fact that I'm ill and cold as I type this.

Here's what I've done to try and counter my trouble: 1/4 cup diluted in 8oz of water. 1 (concentrated) cranberry tablet to offset any possible UTI from the sugary dairy. 3 Advil for the pain. 1 Maximum strength Mucinex to thin down this congestion. 1 drop tea tree oil in pure water in a spray bottle, 1 spray up each nostril to open the nasal passages quickly.

It took about an hour for the Mucinex and Tea Tree nasal spray to make a difference. My head hurts less, but the chills and flu feelings are hanging on.

I had discovered in my adult years that food allergies can trigger sinus infections. for me at one point it was citrus, but in my later years was still plagued with sinus infections 3 to 5 times a year. A year ago, I read a similar article on ice cream and sinus infections, and decided to stop eating ice cream. I have only had 1 sinus infection this past year. I do believe this theory is true.

Amazing article re ice-cream & sinus infection - I love ice cream, and have just had a bad cold followed by bad sinus infection!! No more ice cream!!! Many Thanks, Keith McCormick