A sinus rinse with a neti pot sounds a wonderful idea and they really do work, but they are too difficult to use for normal human beings or at least for me anyway. I know there is a lot of tradition behind them; Buddhist monks have probably been using them since Adam was a lad, but I gave up trying a long time ago. I remember thinking last time I tried “isn’t it a about time someone came up with a better idea than the neti-pot?” Now thankfully someone has.

Sinus Rinse an excellent idea from Neilmed
Neilmed Pharmaceuticals have come up with a brilliantly simple solution which they call sinus rinse. It’s just a plastic bottle with a cap shaped similar to a nasal inhaler, you fill the bottle with a saline solution, Neilmed provide little sachets with the correct amount of salt and a touch of sodium bicarbonate to balance the pH value that prevents any stinging.

How to use sinus rinse
You gently squeeze the bottle of solution up one nostril; it cleans the nasal cavity and exits out the other nostril, cleaning out your sinuses and inside of your nose in the process.

Here is a video showing the sinus rinse bottle in action, Sydney, aged 5 has Cystic Fibrosis and does a sinus rinse once or twice a day to help clear the thick & sticky mucus that makes her prone to sinus infections.

There you have it, Sinus rinse is a simple idea but I doubt that you have seen a more effective way of cleaning out the sinuses. If you’ve suffered with sinus problems for any length of time the few dollars for the bottle and sachets is no money. Go and buy one now it’s worth it, if only to have the dubious pleasure of watching yourself using it in the mirror.

“What Are the Side Effects of Decongestants?
Decongestants may raise blood pressure, so they are not recommended for people who have blood pressure problems or glaucoma. They may also cause insomnia or irritability and restrict urinary flow.”

If we forget the side effects for a minute, do they work? They didn’t work for me but I am only a sample of one, and I rather suspect that they didn’t work for you either or you probably wouldn’t be reading this page. I had great results with Joe Johnson’s sinus doctor which is completely natural and it really worked for me, but it is not as easy to use as the (OTC) medications and is more expensive, but I only needed to buy it once, you can click this link to visit his site.

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.

Balloon Sinuplasty ™ is seen as an alternative to functional endoscopic sinus surgery, which is the surgical procedure currently endured by 350,000 Americans each year, here surgical instruments are used to cut away and remove bone and tissues to enlarge the sinus passageways.

It’s said that a picture is worth a thousand words so a video must be worth more, watch this short video explaining the procedure:

Ballon Sinuplasty Video

While Balloon Sinuplasty ™ is certainly less invasive than functional endoscopic sinus surgery, the procedure is relatively new and the long term benefits and disadvantages cannot yet be fully appreciated.

For some it may well be the answer to their problem, but I personally would look at less drastic solutions first.  I had good results with sinusdoctor it may be a bit more inconvenient to use than a spray, but if it works for you, it is probably less inconvenient than balloon sinuplasty.

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.

Sinus problems seem to be on the increase and are now affecting more than 35 million Americans each year. Our sinus infections are now big business. Americans alone spend over $5 billion each year on healthcare costs directly related to sinusitis, and there are a half million related surgeries performed annually.

But the medical profession know what they are doing, don’t they?

Well I assume so, and certainly hope so, but there must be some doubt as to the long term effectiveness of some of the “treatments” that some of their number recommend. Consumption of both prescription and none prescription drugs is at a all time high (as we’ve said over $5 billion a year) yet there’s no drug currently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of chronic sinusitis.

My Success Story
I personally suffered chronic sinus problems for about twenty years; you could say I grew into it in my late twenties. I seemed to end up stuck on a merry go round of antibiotics and steroids, any relief to be had was temporary and when the problem came back it seemed worse than ever. Since I wasn’t really getting better and the side effects of both antibiotics and steroids were worry me, they were appearing increasingly in the news, I tried a “natural remedy”* and have never looked back. That’s what this blog is about, helping people find an alternative solution for their sinus problems.

*When time allows I’ll put a review up for this product, until then you can read more here.  Sinusdoctor