Natural Healing Tips
Vitamins & Supplements
Herbs
Acupuncture
Diet and Nutrition
When having an acute attack
Therapeutic Foods
Foods to Avoid
Condition Management
Body Movement
Mind Body Connection
Vitamins
& Supplements
¸ Multi-vitamin: Helps improve overall health and the immune
system.
¸ Vitamin C: A powerful and common anti-oxidant and anti-viral
that helps destroy free radicals and relieves swelling. Use it in
a buffered form.
¸ Quercetin: A natural anti-inflammatory that protects against
allergens and strengthens the immune system.
¸ Acidophilus: A "friendly" bacteria found in the
digestive tract that helps support the immune system. It helps keep
down overgrowth of Candida that has been shown to occur with sinusitis.
¸ Vitamin E: A powerful antioxidant that destroys free radicals
and protects the cells. It enhances the immune system and helps fight
bacteria and viruses.
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Herbs
Herbs have been used to address sinusitis in formulas that have stood
the test of time consistently improving the symptoms of the condition.
However, which combination of herbs is right for you depends on the
specific nature of your symptoms. Our licensed practitioners can help
determine which herbs and other approaches are appropriate for you.
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Acupuncture
Acupuncture is one of the most effective and least invasive treatments
for sinusitis. By treating the whole person, not just the symptoms,
acupuncture can help prevent the onset or shorten the duration of
sinusitis.
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Diet and Nutrition
Many factors can aggravate sinusitis. There are many foods that are
considered to be therapeutic, although none can cure sinusitis outright.
Diet is one of the most important aspects of staying healthy. Hippocrates,
the father of modern medicine said, "Food is medicine, medicine
is food." We must eat to live. Many of us act like we live to
eat. The following are some basic eating principles. These are basic
guidelines and should be followed up with a consultation with a physician
or nutritionist familiar with an optimal sinusitis diet.
¸ Eat complex carbohydrates, low fat, and moderate animal product
intake
¸ Eat a low-sugar diet
¸ Avoid coffee, caffeine, refined foods and processed foods
¸ Eat organically grown food whenever possible
¸ Drink 6-8 glasses of water per day
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When having an acute
attack:
¸ Reduce sugar, salt and calorie intake
¸ Take vegetable juices, broths, herbal teas
¸ Increase raw foods rich in Vitamins C and A
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Therapeutic
foods:
¸ Cooked carrots, okra, steamed and mashed parsnips, squash,
pumpkin, figs and flax seed tea, steamed zucchini and squash, papaya,
grated raw apple, applesauce
¸ Miso soup, psyllium seed powder, flax seed powder
¸ Foods high in the omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids: vegetable,
nut, seed oils, cold water fish, evening primrose oil, black currant
oil, flaxseed oil
¸ Foods high in water-soluble fiber: flax seed, pectin, oat
bran, legumes
¸ Chlorophyll, e.g. in Wheat grass or in pill form
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Foods to avoid:
¸ Dairy products and all phlegm-forming food: starch, oranges,
sugar, sweets; coffee, caffeine, processed foods, heavy protein foods,
fats, meats, vinegars.
Lifestyle
Condition Management:
¸ If overweight, weight reduction can help alleviate symptoms.
¸ Have your health care provider check for food sensitivities
or allergies if you suspect you may have them.
¸ Irrigate your nose and sinuses 4-5 times a day with a warm
salt-water solution, either via spray or using a "nettie pot."
¸ Use steam inhalation, you can use a pot of hot water with
a few drops of eucalyptus or rosemary oil, place a towel over your
head and breath in through your nose.
¸ Try hot or cold packs to relieve pain (see which one works
best for you).
¸ Try crushed ginger root around your sinuses as a poultice
for pain and pressure relief
¸ Check your Thyroid function.
¸ Avoid toxic chemicals such as paint, pesticides, herbicides,
fuels or solvents.
¸ Avoid alcohol, drugs and tobacco, as they tend to aggravate
sinusitis.
¸ Check for Candida overgrowth and Bowel Toxicity.
¸ Check your home and job for exposure to potentially toxic
substances.
¸ Get plenty of rest, generally 7-8 hours per night.
¸ If stress is a problem in your life, find simple ways to defuse
it. Take a walk in nature, meditate, help someone with his or her
problems, work in a garden or just take some deep breaths. Explore
and find what works for you.
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Body Movement:
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, life is movement. Anything in nature
that does not move is usually inanimate. If we are to keep our life
force vital, we must keep active. This does not mean that we have
to work out 4 hours a day, it means we have to have a regimen of exercise
that will keep us flexible and fit. For most of us that means 20-30
minutes of some kind of aerobic exercise a day. If you are unable
to get exercise out of the house, finding ways to stretch, low impact
exercises, tai chi, yoga massage can help.
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Mind-Body Connection:
A positive mental attitude can aid the healing process. It might mean
going to church and praying, taking a walk in the woods or helping
another person. What is it that makes you feel connected? Calming
practices such as prayer, yoga, meditation or tai chi can help us
tame the habitual patterns that control us. What we are trying to
do with these calming practices is turn that dialogue down and in
time, gain some control over it. For you, it might be gardening or
cooking, whatever it is, the idea is to truly relax and curtail the
negative patterns that stress us out and can actually make us sick.
Although there is no "cure" for sinusitis, there are many
approaches that can substantially alleviate its symptoms. Herbs, vitamins,
supplements, nutrition, activity and mind-body approaches can all
help the sinusitis sufferer live a fuller and healthier life.
For additional information on sinusitis and other conditions, visit
our website at www.HealingJunction.com.
Please be advised that this information does not constitute a treatment
or cure for sinusitis. At no point should you use any approach as
a substitute for the advice and counsel of a physician, nor should
you discontinue any medications you are currently taking. It is important
to tell your physician about any approach you may take to this or
any condition.
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