Sinusitis : Need Relief

[brahmburgers]

I've had hay fever since childhood. Have tried various things with some effect. Juice fasts helped.

This year, my sinuses were worse than previous years. I find there are two hay fever seasons in Thailand: October and February.

I realize clean diet is a big step in the right direction. fresh veges, fruits and so on.

I also plan to create a dust-free bedroom. Questions:

1. Can anyone recommend an air cleaning unit? I don't have air.con as I don't care about the air temperature, but maybe an air.com unit with just a fan running air through a filter would be useful. Better would be a dedicated air filtration device. Are there any such devices sold in Thailand?

2. I just heard eucalyptus oil is helpful. a few drops in a pan of heated water - used externally - sounds good. I have a little humidifier that sits in a bowl of water - which seems to help a bit.

3. herbal tea. Am open to recommendations of what might work best to clear sinuses. I used to have a small library of books on herbs, but they were N.Amer herbs and not sure whether they're available here in Thailand. I thought to go to a local herbal place, but they're all Chinese, and I don't have much faith in Chinese medicine. A lot of their stuff looks like ancient moldy mushrooms.

4. I sometimes take Actifed antihistamine, but its effect lessens if taken several days in a row. I avoid pills generally, but sometimes it's like a choice for a political candidate, in the sense of: 'what's the lesser evil"

thanks in advance for any tips/suggestions

[mark5335]

"1. Can anyone recommend an air cleaning unit? I don't have air.con as I don't care about the air temperature, but maybe an air.com unit with just a fan running air through a filter would be useful. Better would be a dedicated air filtration device. Are there any such devices sold in Thailand?"

Air cleaner applicances are widely available in department stores in Bangkok. The store staff will be able to advise you on the various brands.

"4. I sometimes take Actifed antihistamine, but its effect lessens if taken several days in a row. I avoid pills generally, but sometimes it's like a choice for a political candidate, in the sense of: 'what's the lesser evil" "

You might also consider trying nasal sprays. Sprays such as beconase, available over the counter at most pharmacies, provide me with relief from sneezing frenzies brought on by hay fever.

[Beacher]

Check out "nasal irrigation" on Google or your favourite search engine. The equipment to do it (bulb syringe and sea salt) can be found very easily and cheaply here in Thailand. You may find that it is quite effective for relieving sinus pain and when done therapeutically can actually reduce the frequency of attacks.

[jackoneilone]

surgery

[brahmburgers]

thanks for the helpful suggestions, though am not sure what sort of 'surgery' Jackoneilone recommends.

[Chris Lawrence]

Below are two products that I have used. The sinus wash works best for me, but the spray was OK but more expensive.

"The deeply penetrating continuous spray contains an alkaline buffered, hypertonic saline solution which is ‘saltier’ than regular saline. The increased saltiness draws liquid out of the sinuses to reduce swelling and help restore the mucociliary flow and consequently, normal nasal health. From Fess

FESS® SINU-CLEANSE® Nasal & Sinus Wash with Xylitol is a deeply penetrating non-medicated nasal and sinus wash that helps relieve severe nasal congestion due to sinusitis, rhinitis and allergies." Taken off their web site.

I have had two operations on my nose without long lasting affect. Some of the non-drowsy ant-histamines are pretty good. I have suffered with this problem all my life. Just be careful about having an operation on the nose as to why and what it will achieve. Mine was to widen a deviated septrin bone and to therefore improve breathing. I have had two of these operations. First results were good but over time the benefits have been lost.

Now, I can't go past the nasal wash, which gives the best result in clearing the nasal passages, which opens my breathing. With the hay fever or allergies, I use non-drowsy anti-histamines. Heart goes out as I can get very frustrated when an attack occurs, I use the wash as a maintenance during this period. Good luck, Chris

[mommysboy]

I've had hay fever since childhood. Have tried various things with some effect. Juice fasts helped.

This year, my sinuses were worse than previous years. I find there are two hay fever seasons in Thailand: October and February.

I realize clean diet is a big step in the right direction. fresh veges, fruits and so on.

I also plan to create a dust-free bedroom. Questions:

1. Can anyone recommend an air cleaning unit? I don't have air.con as I don't care about the air temperature, but maybe an air.com unit with just a fan running air through a filter would be useful. Better would be a dedicated air filtration device. Are there any such devices sold in Thailand?

2. I just heard eucalyptus oil is helpful. a few drops in a pan of heated water - used externally - sounds good. I have a little humidifier that sits in a bowl of water - which seems to help a bit.

3. herbal tea. Am open to recommendations of what might work best to clear sinuses. I used to have a small library of books on herbs, but they were N.Amer herbs and not sure whether they're available here in Thailand. I thought to go to a local herbal place, but they're all Chinese, and I don't have much faith in Chinese medicine. A lot of their stuff looks like ancient moldy mushrooms.

4. I sometimes take Actifed antihistamine, but its effect lessens if taken several days in a row. I avoid pills generally, but sometimes it's like a choice for a political candidate, in the sense of: 'what's the lesser evil"

thanks in advance for any tips/suggestions

[ericg1953]

I would go to see a qualified Dr. and see what he can recommend for you. I can give you a great guy to see. His name is Dr. Prayuth Tunsuriyawong...he is at Bumrungrad Hospital in BKK. He has 2 fellowships from top universities in the USA including Harvard. He is also a professor at the university here. His specialty is in sinus problems and is an ear,nose, throat specialist.His number is 02-667-1555

[mommysboy]

How about an allergy check as a first stop? cheap and easy in thailand. just bgo to any reasonable hospital.

If your symptoms have worsened in Thailand then pollutants may also be a problem- comes up time and time again.

Re sinusitis- do you think this is blocked sinus ?, ie, build up of fluids due to swollen nasal membranes- perhaps you need to check.

1. Nasal rinsing- just a squeezy bottle of saline solution from any chemist.

2. There are a number of anti histamines available for hay fever, eg, Zyrtec and Claritin, also a doctor may advise NSAIDs.

3. Steamy showers or steam tents.

4. A clean room, and closed windows, hence good AC.

5. A good non steroid nasal spray - you only need it for 2 months a year.

6. AVOIDANCE.

7. Lots of indoor exercise and swimming.

8. Lots of rest during attacks- avoid outside for 12 hour10. stretches min.

9. For sinus pain use a small bag of ice cubes around eye sockets, temples and the whole of the nose.

10. A decent mask.

A comment. Lightweight measures are only ok for mild symptoms. are you avoiding mainstream medicine. It looks that way.

[brahmburgers]

wow, lots of interesting info. I'm writing stuff down. Have never yet tried nasal sprays or saline solutions, but will try it. As expected, saline but non medicated types sound best.

I've tried fasts, and they help somewhat. I work outdoors often. I'm also in C.Rai which has one of the worst haze problems in Thailand. This year has been the toughest year in a lifetime of tough years. Not as bad as a day once in California where I was pitching hay on a farm, and my breathing got so screwed that I almost kicked the bucket.

I'm semi-fasting now (one meal today was a baked squash with nothing added) but still stopped up tight.

But then I think of people who have real grave problems (Darfur, Gaza, NW Pakistan, etc) and realize I got it pretty good - in the big picture of things.

[mommysboy]

wow, lots of interesting info. I'm writing stuff down. Have never yet tried nasal sprays or saline solutions, but will try it. As expected, saline but non medicated types sound best.

I've tried fasts, and they help somewhat. I work outdoors often. I'm also in C.Rai which has one of the worst haze problems in Thailand. This year has been the toughest year in a lifetime of tough years. Not as bad as a day once in California where I was pitching hay on a farm, and my breathing got so screwed that I almost kicked the bucket.

I'm semi-fasting now (one meal today was a baked squash with nothing added) but still stopped up tight.

But then I think of people who have real grave problems (Darfur, Gaza, NW Pakistan, etc) and realize I got it pretty good - in the big picture of things.

A MAJOR STRAND OF YOUR PROBLEM IS RELATED TO THIS FACT IMHO. Non allergic rhinitis will not be cured by juice fasting - why should it?. At the very minimum you need to use a mask and not to venture outside too long.

You may well think of others with worse problems, but isn't yours bad enough? all that sinus pain, headaches, wheezing, hot body, and bouts of raised bacterial levels causing fever and possible infection.

You need to be in a well fortified house in the centre of a clean, small town, or by the seaside as far as I can tell. This is the best compromise between hay fever and urban pollution.

There is nothing wrong with medicinal solutions, they are tried and tested.

[Tolley]

I have a problem with sinusitus and let me suggest what works for me.

First off I take a herbal concoction if I get a bad sinus with infection which contains Golden Seal, Echinacea, Black Walnut, Fenugreek and Dandelion. It works quicker than antibiotics from my experience.

Also you should avoid dairy, red meat and sugar as they all exacerbate the condition. Taking garlic capsules should also assist.

Surgery only assists in some cases.

[mommysboy]

I have a problem with sinusitus and let me suggest what works for me.

First off I take a herbal concoction if I get a bad sinus with infection which contains Golden Seal, Echinacea, Black Walnut, Fenugreek and Dandelion. It works quicker than antibiotics from my experience.

Also you should avoid dairy, red meat and sugar as they all exacerbate the condition. Taking garlic capsules should also assist.

Surgery only assists in some cases.

None of this would help cure the hayfever and (possible) non allergic rhinitis that OP suffers from IMHO. And it is probable that the allergies cause the sinus problems. I honestly think postings like this are not useful at all.

[fullwhenempty]

I have a problem with sinusitus and let me suggest what works for me.

First off I take a herbal concoction if I get a bad sinus with infection which contains Golden Seal, Echinacea, Black Walnut, Fenugreek and Dandelion. It works quicker than antibiotics from my experience.

Also you should avoid dairy, red meat and sugar as they all exacerbate the condition. Taking garlic capsules should also assist.

Surgery only assists in some cases.

None of this would help cure the hayfever and (possible) non allergic rhinitis that OP suffers from IMHO. And it is probable that the allergies cause the sinus problems. I honestly think postings like this are not useful at all.

He says it works for him so why belittle his post? How do you know whether these herbs will not help? Are you a herbalist? Thankfully, you are only speaking for yourself.

There is nothing wrong with medicinal solutions, they are tried and tested.

So was Vioxx.

If you are prone to getting allergies, over-the-counter and prescription medications such as Ibuprofen, Acetaminophen and allergy medications can stress the liver unduly, creating more mucus in the body as the liver fights to detox from the medications. Instead of helping with sinus conditions, these sinus prescriptions actually exacerbate them.

I'm also not aware of any orthodox CURE for allergies. Perhaps you can enlighten us? Maybe you know of an orthodox test that can detect food intolerances, as opposed to full blown food allergy, which can also create mucus and trigger sinus problems?

If he has hayfever then its likely there are some foods in the same family as the pollen that could trigger the response. Avoiding certain likely culprits is common sense. Dairy is well known to be mucus-forming. Why exacerbate the problem? Meat forms inflammatory chemicals in the body.

You also said...

A MAJOR STRAND OF YOUR PROBLEM IS RELATED TO THIS FACT IMHO. Non allergic rhinitis will not be cured by juice fasting - why should it?

If he's tossing hay and nearly croaks, one might assume a cause and effect between the hay and him croaking. So where does the 'non-allergy' come in? As to fasting, animals do it automatically when they are ill. Humans have been doing it in every country for thousands of years. It's a legitimate strategy. When the body's vital power is not being used in digestion, it can be directed towards cleansing and healing.

Apple Cider Vinegar is easy to find and according to devotees CURES allergies. Get the organic brand with 'The Mother'. Up to 2 tbsp 3x daily.

Eat Papaya daily in the morning on an empty stomach.

'Tolley's' choice of herbs is good if you can be sure of the quality. Most OTC herbal products are suspect IMO.

If you don't like the orthodox treatments, then some local Thai herbs you can research are:.

1. 'Fa Thalai Chon' (Andrographis Paniculata). Taken as a tea.

2. Ginseng.

3. Mangosteen 'Mangkhut'. Decoction from powder.

4. 'Phak Chi Lom'. Often used in Saunas.

5. 'Rang Chuet' (Thunbergia Laurifolia)

6. 'Khamin' (Turmeric) is anti-inflammatory.

Disclaimer: This is for educational purposes only. Always consult your doctor (who may not have a clue).

Edited March 7, 2009 by fullwhenempty

[Tolley]

I have a problem with sinusitus and let me suggest what works for me.

First off I take a herbal concoction if I get a bad sinus with infection which contains Golden Seal, Echinacea, Black Walnut, Fenugreek and Dandelion. It works quicker than antibiotics from my experience.

Also you should avoid dairy, red meat and sugar as they all exacerbate the condition. Taking garlic capsules should also assist.

Surgery only assists in some cases.

None of this would help cure the hayfever and (possible) non allergic rhinitis that OP suffers from IMHO. And it is probable that the allergies cause the sinus problems. I honestly think postings like this are not useful at all.

Exactly what sort of qualifications or experience do you have in such matters to even make a judgement?

The herbal concoction that I take is based on years of treating people with similar condtions.

Poo hoo all you like but alternative and herbal treatments are billion dollar industries and the reason they are is because many people get positive results from alternative treatments where conventional medicine doesn't and cannot offer symptom free treatment.

[mommysboy]

I have a problem with sinusitus and let me suggest what works for me.

First off I take a herbal concoction if I get a bad sinus with infection which contains Golden Seal, Echinacea, Black Walnut, Fenugreek and Dandelion. It works quicker than antibiotics from my experience.

Also you should avoid dairy, red meat and sugar as they all exacerbate the condition. Taking garlic capsules should also assist.

Surgery only assists in some cases.

None of this would help cure the hayfever and (possible) non allergic rhinitis that OP suffers from IMHO. And it is probable that the allergies cause the sinus problems. I honestly think postings like this are not useful at all.

Exactly what sort of qualifications or experience do you have in such matters to even make a judgement?

The herbal concoction that I take is based on years of treating people with similar condtions.

Poo hoo all you like but alternative and herbal treatments are billion dollar industries and the reason they are is because many people get positive results from alternative treatments where conventional medicine doesn't and cannot offer symptom free treatment.

This and a previous posting illustrate what happens when simple cause and effect, and common sense go out the window. and knee jerk reactions take over.

The 2 salient facts are: that OP suffers from hayfever there are good conventional cures for this which OP has not tried it seems, and I'm suggesting that living in hazy Chiang Rai is causing non allergic rhinitis (for which there is no cure). The cures suggested for sinusitis/blocked sinus even if they did work would only be attacking the symptom and not the cause.

As illustrated in the story, OP had a very nasty attack of hay fever once, so any posting really ought to be bringing the severity of the matter to OP's attention, and concentrate on using conventional proven medical intervention first, which would logically start with testing. I'd be particularly concerned about the effects of pollution because OP clearly stated a worsening of the condition, which has coincided with the smog in Chiang Rai. It can literally be a killer, you know!

I honestly think this - my original posting stated this - it's my honest opinion.

[Sheryl]

Let's keep it civil, folks

For what it's worth, my two cents: I do think that Chiang Rai is a terrible place for someone with a tendency to this type of problem to live, and that if it is at all possible the OP should consider moving to where the air is clean (spending some time in prospective places ftrst so as to be sure he'll do well there).

In my experience people who are prone to allergic rhinitis/hay fever etc, or for that matter just prone to respiratory infections, will always have trouble trying to live in places with poor air quality, and if they remain in such places they will have to spend a lot of money on treatments, deal witgh treatment side effects (which all drugs -- including herbs etc -- do have) etc and still have periodic flare ups.

That's not to say that he will have no problems at all ever if he moves to a better locale, given that he has had hay fever since childhood he may still have occasional problems, but for sure he'd do a whole lot better.

There are any number of things one can take/do to clear clogged sinuses but all of them are temporary in effect and problem will recur unless cause is eliminated.

[mommysboy]

Let's keep it civil, folks

For what it's worth, my two cents: I do think that Chiang Rai is a terrible place for someone with a tendency to this type of problem to live, and that if it is at all possible the OP should consider moving to where the air is clean (spending some time in prospective places ftrst so as to be sure he'll do well there).

In my experience people who are prone to allergic rhinitis/hay fever etc, or for that matter just prone to respiratory infections, will always have trouble trying to live in places with poor air quality, and if they remain in such places they will have to spend a lot of money on treatments, deal witgh treatment side effects (which all drugs -- including herbs etc -- do have) etc and still have periodic flare ups.

That's not to say that he will have no problems at all ever if he moves to a better locale, given that he has had hay fever since childhood he may still have occasional problems, but for sure he'd do a whole lot better.

There are any number of things one can take/do to clear clogged sinuses but all of them are temporary in effect and problem will recur unless cause is eliminated.

To be constructive then to those who know about alternative medicine: as I suffer from mild/moderate non allergic rhinitis caused by smog , what herbal/alternative medicines might be available to keep my sinuses free and reduce swelling of my nasal membranes?