Natural Cures For Sinus Infection

“Mom, I’ve got a stuffy nose and I can’t breathe!” If this is your child complaining, you’re not the only one. Sinus infection doesn’t spare anyone, be it a child or an adult. According to the National Institute of Health, this ailment is the leading cause for children and adults to stay home from school or work. If statistics are to be believed, almost thirty-seven million people suffer from this infection in the US every year.

Understanding sinus infection

Sinus infection or sinusitis is simply an infection or inflammation of your sinuses. If it’s acute, it’ll last for less than three weeks. If it’s chronic sinus infection, it’ll last from three to eight weeks, but can continue for months or even years. However, if it’s recurrent, you can get several acute attacks within a year.

Sinus infection symptoms

As if you didn’t know! Almost all the world’s population must have suffered bouts of sinus infection at one time or the other. The infection generally starts with a runny nose. The nasal drainage slowly turns thick and colored and the sinus area becomes tender, causing facial pains. The throat turns sore and itchy, leading to bouts of cough. Eyelids swell and eyes become sensitive to light. All this is generally accompanied by headaches, general fatigue and upper jaw pain. You may also suffer from bad breath.

Natural cure for sinus infection

Over-the-counter decongestants, antibiotics and pain relievers, and can give you some nasty side effects. So, the best course for you would be to go in for natural sinus remedies. Let’s see how you can get natural sinus relief:

a. Steam therapy:

Inhaling steam from a trough of water soothes inflamed sinus cavities. Fill the trough with water and put your head eight inches above with a towel over your head. Breathe deeply and slowly for ten minutes, and do this three times a day to get natural sinus cure.

b. Organic Apple Cider Vinegar:

Mix a quarter cup of this vinegar to sixteen ounces of water and sip it throughout the day. You can also gulp it down all at once. If you already have sinus infection continue to sip it for several days.

c. Essential oils:

Mix two tablespoons of pure almond oil with five drops each of lavender, pine, eucalyptus and tea tree essential oils. Stir the mixture well and then warm it. Put two drops of this warm mixture into your ears three times a day for relief. Don’t do this, if you have a perforated eardrum.

d. Hot compress:

Dip a clean cloth in hot water spiked with a drop each of eucalyptus, tea tree and pine essential oils. Use it as a hot compress over the sinus. However, take care not to heat up the water so much, as to burn your skin. Also note that pine essential oil may cause a high blood pressure to elevate further.

e. Diet:

Drinking lots of fluids generally helps in flushing out sinus infection. So, drink a minimum of sixty-four ounces of water and juices a day. Hot beverages, such as tea, are also helpful. Eat chicken soup, as it’s not only comforting, but opens up stuffy noses. Eliminating sugar from your diet will help.

f. Elderberry:

This herb is known to provide relief from the symptoms of sinus infection. It’s available as an individual supplement, but can also be combined with other vitamins, minerals, glandular extracts or herbs.

g. English ivy:

This is effective against an irritated throat, resulting from a sinus infection. It soothes the cough and has no side effects.

So, if you’re fed up with the nuisance of sinus infection and want to banish it altogether from your life, go for natural remedies for sinus infection. They’re safe, effective and with no side effects. However, do consult your physician first.