Sinus Rinse Using Pulsating Nasal Irrigation
Sinus Treatment Success Story- Walt
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Here is my personal system of treating sinus problems in a nutshell:
Here's my story: |
I used to come down with sinus infections on a fairly regular basis. The sequence generally went like this:
1. A little tickle in the throat turns into a significant sore throat after 2-3 days. I know I’m headed for trouble.
2. This condition turns into a “cold”, and often my eyes and nose would start running.
3. I would start to wake up in the morning with lots of sinus congestion and headache, feeling pretty miserable.
4. I would try whatever medication I could. At one point I started using Afrin, which gave some temporary relief, but I didn’t pay attention at first to the label warning that Afrin should only be used for 3 or 4 days. Afrin can cause “rebound congestion”, and in the end you are worse off than before. In addition, Afrin can become addictive.
5. I would see my doctor (probably saw him for the first time after step 2) or ENT specialist. Normally they would prescribe a 10 day course of antibiotics and also some decongestants.
6. Start the process again in a few months with another tickle in the throat.
For a number of years I probably averaged 3-5 sinus infections a year, and the general trend was that things were getting worse with time.
I had two very painful sinus operations over the years. I was hoping for a “cure”, but that hope would vanish after subsequently having more sinus infections in fairly short order.
I was doing a lot of research and read 4-5 books, trying suggested approaches. I tried sinus rinse with a neti pot for a while, but this didn’t work for me. This was unfortunate because it turned me off to sinus irrigation for a period of time.
I eventually came upon a book by Dr. Murray Grossan entitled “The Sinus Cure, 7 Simple Steps”. Dr. Grossan suggested sinus rinse by using pulsating nasal irrigation and explained why it is often effective. Although skeptical at first, I decided in desperation to give it a try and purchased the necessary items. These included a WaterPik device, an adaptor for the WaterPik, and a saline solution supplied by Dr. Grossan’s company.
In short, this has been a life saver. I rarely get sinus infections any more (one or two in the last 5 years), and I can eat what I want and drink wine, which I had to give up for a while. During the worst of my problems even one glass of wine would be enough to kick off a sinus infection. For someone who has lived in France, this was a major sacrifice.
I continue to take some medications as part of my normal treatment. I use flonase before going to bed (waiting at least a half hour after the nasal irrigation sinus rinse to apply it), and sometimes I use an antihistamine (zyrtec). On rare occasions, when I feel like a sinus infection is brewing, I’ll take 5 or 10 mg of prednisone. 10 pills last me for about a year, so that isn’t too much. Prednisone can have serious side effects if taken too often.
I am not 100% “cured”. I still get stuffy most nights in bed, but when I get up in the morning, my sinuses are able to drain, and I feel quite good most days. I also exercise quite a bit, and that seems to help clear things out. I would say my problem is now “under control”, which is a far cry from where I was 5-10 years ago. I intend to test my environment for fungus soon, as Carlton Mann did, as this is a new study area, and that could provide some additional relief. You can read more about that subject here: Recurring Sinus Infection- An Explanation.
Even if fungus does prove to be the root cause of sinusitis in most people, sinus rinse by pulsating nasal irrigation will continue to be important, as it will wash some of the accumulated fungus out of the nasal cavities.
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