Sinusitis treatment at home || common cold and sinusitis
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How to clear sinuses home remedy |
What are the treatments and how to prevent it?
Many people are suffering from this without actually knowing that it is sinusitis. That is the truth. We will see in detail about this problem. If we say sinusitis, first we should know what a sinus is in our normal anatomy. ITIS means inflammation in medical language, so when we say sinusitis, it means an inflamed sinus.
What is a sinus?
There are four sinus in our body, four hollow spaces. All four sinus will be paired, and they are present in our face. So, if you see, where are they located in our face?
Frontal sinus: In the forehead, above the eyes
The largest sinus, the maxillary sinus, is housed in the maxillary bone beneath the eyes.
Between the eyes is the ethmoid sinus.
The sphenoid sinus is situated behind the nose in the middle of the head. Now let us see what the function of these four spaces is.
There will always be air in those areas. A healthy sinus is one that is air-filled and devoid of bacteria or other microorganisms. Thin mucus produced by the sinuses escapes through the nose's passages. This drainage aids in maintaining a bacterial-free, clear nose. Additionally, it maintains the moisture within your nose, which helps shield it from pollution, dust, and allergies. Sinusitis is the term for when these sinus tracks become infected with bacteria or other microorganisms.
Let us see the symptoms of sinusitis.
There are two types of symptoms. Acute symptoms or chronic symptoms in medical terms:
Acute means something that has started suddenly, and chronic means that if the infection has been there for a long time, the acute symptoms can be there for a few days or a few weeks, and it is chronic if you have the infection for more than four to six weeks and if it is recurrent in a year.
Symptoms of acute sinusitis:
First, as the sinus is located in our face, when there is an infection, our face will look puffed up or swollen, like around the eyes, or near the cheek bones, and so on. You might feel heavy facial pressure. next thing would be nasal block you might have nose block or stuffed nose and obviously head ache and mild range of fever and also running nose and throat congestion as they might have post nasal drip which can be felt behind the nasal passage so these are the symptoms of acute sinusitis.
Chronic sinusitis:
If you tend to have all these symptoms for many weeks together you will have fatigue and a nagging facial pressure you might have headache too and low grade fever along with nasal congestion, stuffy nose and also bad breath since there are lot of bacteria and germs which have settled in the cheek area apart from these, you might have cough as the infection is present in the oral cavity and throat you might have cough, chest congestion, laryngitis, and so on so these are the symptoms of chronic sinusitis.
Who is at risk of getting sinusitis?
First, people who tend to have a dust or pollen allergy Second, we call it nasal polyps, which means there can be small grape-like structures inside the nasal passage that can make it difficult for the mucus to drain out, which can cause nasal block; hence, they will have recurrent sinusitis. third is the nasal septum The center portion of the nose is called the nasal septum. For some people, it might be deviated like an S in shape instead of being straight, so the nasal passage will be blocked on one side and the other side might have a lot of space. People who have a deviated nasal septum, nasal polyp, or who have an allergic tendency can get affected by sinusitis.
How can we differentiate between the common cold and sinusitis?
How does the common cold occur?
It can start with a low-grade fever, and you might have repeated sneezing. It might peak slowly in a few days, so during the third or fifth day, it will peak with cough, running nose, and other symptoms, and settle down during the sixth or seventh day.
Puffiness, such as a bloated face, will be evident if you have sinusitis. Individuals may become aware of this facial swelling if you have a persistent headache, foul breath, a persistent cough, or a persistent nasal blockage. You should absolutely see a doctor or ENT specialist if you develop a low-grade fever that lasts for several days or weeks.
If it is a common cold, it will start slowly, peak at a certain stage, and later subside. With a viral fever, there is no need to take antibiotics. they give antibiotics so as to prevent secondary bacterial infection, but when it is sinusitis, it will start quickly with facial puffiness, pressure, nasal congestion, cough, sneezing, and nasal block. Along with that, it can extend for days to even weeks, so definitely do not miss out. If you have these symptoms, now let us come to the last part of this article.
So, when you meet a doctor, they will treat all the above-mentioned symptoms. The first symptom is nasal congestion and facial puffiness, which means the mucus gets collected and blocked, causing more infection. The first thing they will give you is decongestants, which are done either with the use of tablets or by nasal sprays.
Do not buy nasal sprays over the counter without your doctor's advice, as long-term usage of nasal spray without a doctor's advice has its own side effects, so always use nasal sprays that are specifically prescribed only for the prescribed time period by the doctor. The nasal spray will help in relieving the nasal passage that is blocked with mucus, as the thick mucus will get liquified and removed from the nasal passage. Next, your doctor might give you saline nasal sprays. Saline nasal sprays are not medicated; they are clear liquids that will also clear your nasal passages more than these.
Your doctor, if you have had the symptoms for a very long time, will give you antibiotics. Your doctor might advise antibiotics for even 10 to 14 days, so consult your doctor if you have a fever and all these other symptoms.
Steam inhalation, Steam inhalation will definitely help you relieve the blocks in your nasal passage. You can try steam inhalation in plain hot water, or there are a few medicines available where you can cut the capsules and pour the liquid into the water and inhale it for quick relief. There are many medicinal herbs that your doctor might prescribe, and all these treatments will help you cross the acute phase quickly.
But if the symptoms are chronic, your doctor will ask you to take an X-ray as they will want to examine the nasal passage and the affected sinus. If the condition is not clear in an X-ray, then they will want an MRI too, as we can rule out nasal polyps, deviated nasal passage, and also check if the skull bones are affected. If you want to know what are the things that you need to avoid to prevent sinusitis, obviously avoid any pollen or dust allergy, so these are the symptoms of sinusitis, and if you have gone through any of these symptoms, do not hesitate to meet your physician or ENT specialist because you can prevent the issue from becoming chronic.
What are the treatments and how to prevent it?
So, when you meet a doctor, they will treat all the above-mentioned symptoms. The first symptom is nasal congestion and facial puffiness, which means the mucus gets collected and blocked, causing more infection. The first thing they will give you is decongestants, which are done either with the use of tablets or by nasal sprays.
Do not buy nasal sprays over the counter without your doctor's advice, as long-term usage of nasal spray without a doctor's advice has its own side effects, so always use nasal sprays that are specifically prescribed only for the prescribed time period by the doctor. The nasal spray will help in relieving the nasal passage that is blocked with mucus, as the thick mucus will get liquified and removed from the nasal passage. Next, your doctor might give you saline nasal sprays. Saline nasal sprays are not medicated; they are clear liquids that will also clear your nasal passages more than these.
Your doctor, if you have had the symptoms for a very long time, will give you antibiotics. Your doctor might advise antibiotics for even 10 to 14 days, so consult your doctor if you have a fever and all these other symptoms.
Home remedies for sinusitis:
Steam inhalation, Steam inhalation will definitely help you relieve the blocks in your nasal passage. You can try steam inhalation in plain hot water, or there are a few medicines available where you can cut the capsules and pour the liquid into the water and inhale it for quick relief. There are many medicinal herbs that your doctor might prescribe, and all these treatments will help you cross the acute phase quickly.
But if the symptoms are chronic, your doctor will ask you to take an X-ray as they will want to examine the nasal passage and the affected sinus. If the condition is not clear in an X-ray, then they will want an MRI too, as we can rule out nasal polyps, deviated nasal passage, and also check if the skull bones are affected. If you want to know what are the things that you need to avoid to prevent sinusitis, obviously avoid any pollen or dust allergy, so these are the symptoms of sinusitis, and if you have gone through any of these symptoms, do not hesitate to meet your physician or ENT specialist because you can prevent the issue from becoming chronic.
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