Sinusitis
Keeping the
Sinuses Healthy
Your
sinus cavities are open spaces located on either
side of your nose. Sinuses have layers of folded-up
skin (mucosa) that help regulate the pressure and
keep those open spaces clean. When your immune
system is low, you can get an acute attack of
sinusitis (-itis at the end of any word means
"inflammation"). Inflammation is the immune system’s
response to infection and is characterized by
swelling, redness, heat, and pain. You may also be
experiencing chronic sinusitis due to small growths
(polyps) in the nose, or from allergies to
environmental irritants like fumes or cigarette
smoke.
The word sinus is Latin meaning, "curve," "fold," or
"hollow." Sinus was used earlier in medieval times
to mean the fold of a garment. In medicine, the term
was combined to describe the sinus cavities in the
human head, whose tissue looked like folded garments
tucked in a hollow space.
When your sinuses are inflamed, it feels like your
whole face hurts. If you tap on your forehead or
just under your eyes and feel pain, you probably
have an infection. You may also experience further
unwanted symptoms such as low-grade fever, headache
(often described as "splitting"), difficulty
breathing through your nose, loss of smell, and
yellow or green nasal discharge. Unfortunately, that
gunk may also be draining down your throat, creating
a sore throat, nausea, snoring, or a cough.
Acu-Pros
Clear Your Nose
The goal is to get your sinuses to drain (remember
the soggy, folded garments?). This will stop the
swelling and pain, encouraging normal circulation to
return, and end the thick, gunky mucus discharge.
Oriental medicine does a great job at relieving both
acute and chronic sinusitis. Patients are amazed at
the rapid release of pressure in the sinuses that
acupuncture can bring.
Herbal medicine, improved diet, and attention to
potential environmental irritants can help keep your
sinuses healthy once they’ve been cleared. We will
determine the kind of sinusitis you have, such as
wind/heat or damp/heat, based on your symptoms.
Acupuncture and acupressure create circulation of
blood in the hard-to-get-to folded tissues of the
sinuses. You’ll enjoy letting the pressure out of
your face.
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