The cause of all the unpleasant symptoms associated with a sinus infection is an inflammation of the sinus cavities, which are located behind the nose and upper face. The sinus cavities play a major role in draining mucus from the nose. When the cavities or sinuses become inflamed the available space is reduced and the mucus becomes trapped. It is the trapped mucus that causes the pain and pressure we call sinusitis.

Sinus infection symptoms usually include a thick yellow nasal discharge, headache, a feeling of pressure behind the face and quite often a feeling of tenderness around the eyes. In more severe cases you may even experience earache and pain in the jaw.

The sinuses themselves are more complicated than most people imagine. There are in fact four pairs and you will experience different symptoms depending on which are infected. For example, a pain around the eyes and lower nose is a sign of ethmoid sinusitis, while discomfort when bending forward or lying backward indicates sphenoid sinusitis. Similarly, pain while lowering the head could indicate a problem with the frontal sinuses and pain when the head is upright indicates maxillary sinusitis. While the symptoms may differ depending on which sinuses are affected, the sinus infection treatment will almost always remain the same.

The treatments used by most sufferers include prescription drugs, antibiotics and decongestant nasal sprays. However, it is worth questioning the wisdom of this, as many prescription drugs, including sprays are habit forming, have side effects and in the long term undermine the body’s immune system. While almost all home remedies for treating sinus problems are all natural and free from side effects.

Perhaps the favorite and oldest home sinus treatment is to fill a bowl with boiling water and inhale the steam through the nose while covering your head with a towel. The sinuses are aggravated by dry air so it is understandable why this particular sinus treatment would be beneficial. A modern variation on this old favorite is to use a vaporizer, you may find increased benefit by adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil.  You may also find that drinking plenty of warm water and eating jalapeno peppers helpful.

Many people people think essential oils or plant extracts are the only sinus infection treatment that really helps, see our sinus doctor review.

problems that many refer to as sinusitis? Before looking into that, let’s have a look at what exactly is sinusitis and what are its common symptoms.

The sinuses are air filled cavities behind the nose and upper face. If we have sinusitis the nasal membrane becomes inflamed which can cause mucus and dry air to become trapped. It is this trapped mucus that causes the pain and discomfort associate with sinusitis and most other sinus problems.

Sinus infection symptoms can include severe or recurring headaches, tenderness around the nose and eyes, possibly a fever, a cough and cold and a discharge from the nose. If the sinusitis lasts a few weeks it is said to be acute, if it lasts more than eight weeks it is said to be chronic and if you suffer with it three to four times a year it is known as a recurring sinus infection or recurring sinusitis,

What do the sinuses do?
The sinuses not only help to protect the contents of the scull they help make the scull lighter. The sinuses are part of the important air cleaning system we have to remove impurities before we take the air we breathe into our lungs. The cavities themselves help provide the human voice with richness and clarity that just doesn’t exist when a sinus infection has caused them to become inflamed and blocked.

The cause of any particular sinus infection can be any one of a number things. An allergic reaction to something, an invasion of either bacteria or fungus can all lead to an inflammation of the nasal membrane. It is this inflammation that shrinks the passageways and causes a blockage, the trapped mucus not only causes discomfort, it becomes a breeding ground for bacteria or in some cases fungus.

Other known triggers of sinus problems are those activities that subject us to significant changes in pressure such as flying and scuba diving. For those who regularly suffer sinusitis like symptoms the change in pressure need not be so significant, even a change in the weather can seem to be the cause of yet another sinus infection.

The usual approach to treating these sinus problems is to use antibiotics or nasal sprays, while these can offer some temporary and often welcome relief there is growing concern among many as to the wisdom of their repeated use.

Antibiotics and nasal sprays (particularly the sprays containing steroids) damage the body’s immune system. I strongly recommend that you try an all natural remedy such as sinus doctor regardless of the cause of your sinus infection.

But if  you have a cold or suffer an allergy attack, your sinuses become inflamed, the available space in your head gets smaller and the mucus is unable to drain properly and you are now suffering sinus congestion.

So when does sinus congestion become sinusitis?
Well, diagnosis of sinusitis is generally is based on a physical examination and your symptoms. Your doctor may even suggest an x-ray of your sinuses or take a sample of your nasal discharge to test for bacteria. But the generally the symptoms of sinusitis include
Pain and/or pressure behind the upper face
Nasal obstruction or excessive discharge

You may experience a diminished sense of smell. Develop a fever, experience bad breath, become easily fatigued and suffer toothache.

Believe me sinusitis is rubbish, or pants as my granddaughter might say. But you can do things to combat it, without steroids or antibiotics. Have a look around the blog, I personally found long term relief using a plant extract remedy (I can’t use the cure word, I think you are supposed to die without it coming back to be cured) When time allows I’ll put a review up for this product, until then you can read more here. Sinusdoctor. But that is just one solution,  it worked for me, have a look around and if what you are looking for is not here yet bookmark us and come back or better still take the rss feed. You can get relief from sinusitis and sinus congestion naturally.