Chronic Sinus Trouble

Do you wake yo with a stuffy head and mucus in your throat? Do you feel as if you always have a cold? That your last cold never left you? Do you have a chronic "postnasal drip"? You may be suffering from sinuitis-the most common condition in the 18 to 45 age group.

Your sinuses(Latin for hollow) are eight spaces in the bones of the forehead, cheeks and temples. Although they help you to breathe, many people think that's the one thing they prevent because when they get inflamed they fill with mucus.

What is Mucus?

Mucus is a sticky, elastic, inappealing gel that is nothing less than one of the greatest protections that you have against infection and poisoning. Healthy, open sinuses are lined with mucus to help ensure that the air you take into your lungs is moist, warm and free from dust, dirt and pollutants; without this filtering apparatus in your nose and throat, your lungs and kidneys, and even your blood could fill with toxins.

Symptoms

When the sinus linings are inflamed, swollen and full of mucus, the condition is called sinusitis (when it only involves the nose or throat it's called rhinitis and may mimic a cold).

Sinuitis often occurs when you have a cold and clears up when the cold ends. But if the drainage is blocked, pressure increases and can cause pain, discomfort, headaches and swelling around your eyes and ears; a dull ache in the cheekbones; pain in the teeth or jaw; increased nasal secretions; chills; fever; diziness; loss of appetite; photophobia(sensitivity to light); bad breath; a general "yucky" feeling-even depression.

Causes of Sinusitis & Rhinitis

Anything that irritates the sensitive mucous membranes can be a contributing factor to sinusitis or rhinitis. Irritants may include: dust, mold or pollen; noxious fumes; viri or bacteria; and excessively hot, dry air in buildings. Allergy sufferers often have sinus symptoms because many allergens first irritate the nasal passages. Less common causes of sinusitis are bony growths, nasal polyps, deviated septum, facial injuries, tumors or diseases of the upper teeth.

The Orthodox Medical Approach

The two main principles of standard medical treatment for sinusitis and rhinitis are the promotion of drainage and treatment with decongestants, antibiotics and antihistamines. Drugstores are filled with all kinds of sinus remedies. Unfortunately, the orthodox medical approach is a controversial one. A number of M.D.s are finding fault with the drug approach; while drugs may alleviate nasal stuffiness, the have limited effects on the sinuses and can cause insomnia, nervousness, high blood pressure and accelerate the heart. Antihistimines can cause drowsiness and there is disagreement regarding their efficacy. Robert Ivker D.O., author of Sinus Survival, states: Oral 'cold tablets' containing antihistimines...are entirely useless.... Nasal sprays and drops as customarily used are without value. I tell people to stay away from antihistimines like the plague because they dry and thicken mucus. What you're trying to do is to thin mucus.

According to Charles P. Lebo, medical editor of The Truth About Sinusitis audio tape: Antihistimines and decongestants...are popular over-the-counter remedies. But they are generally ineffective for sinusitis and tend to make it worse....It is unsafe to use nasal sprays mroe than twice daily for more than four days. If used too frequently, they can cause a "rebound" stuffiness that can be worse than the original problem.

If the usual medical procedures do not work, rather than being told about alternative forms of health care, too many medical patients with severe sinusitis are told that surgical drainage is the only procedure that can help!

The Chiropractic Approach

Chiropractic is not a treatment for sinus conditions, yet sufferers often find relief after chiropractic care. How does chiropractic help? The answer is that if your body is working properly, your resistance to germs, dust, temperature changes and other stresses is high-a healthy body has properly draining sinuses. This is especially important in sinusitis since chronic sinusitis has been stronly associated with immune system defects. Chiropractic, by relieving stress on the nervous system and body structure, helps your body work more efficiently and helps ensure that the skull bones move freely and "breathe" permitting body fluids to drain without interference.

Can Chiropractic Help Your Immune System?

Many studies have shown the beneficial effect of chiropractic care on the nervous and immune systems. Dramatic laboratory research performed by chiropractic and osteopathic researchers has demonstrated that spinal care improves immune function. In fact, as early as 1944, the famous Russian pathologist, A.D. Speransky, demonstrated that "spinal lesions" increased the death rate in human patients with pneumonia. Further, spinal care has been shown to directly benefit sinus and nasal conditions.

The relationship between the nervous system and the immune system appears to be more extensive then ever before realized. Recent research has shown that white blood cells may be "tipped off" about invaders by the nervous system.

Chiropractic for Sinus Sufferers

Chiropractic spinal care is not a treatment for sinusitis, rhinitis or other respiratory problems, and yet anyone suffering from these or other respiratory problems should receive chiropractic care. Spinal care can help your body function better, improve your resistance to disease and enhance your well-being.