Whole Living Guide > by Dylana Accolla
Better to Breathe
Illustration by Jim Bliss

Breathing in, I am conscious of rapture;
Breathing out, I am conscious of rapture.
—Buddha

If you experience sinus problems, take solace in the fact that you are
not alone. Chronic sinusitis is the most prevalent adult disease in the
United States, with more than 38 million sufferers. The symptoms these people share include a continuous, thick postnasal drip that runs down the back of the throat causing cough, sore throat, hoarseness or loss of voice, and ear ache. Trapped mucus in the sinuses can cause terrible pounding and pressure headaches. Secondary problems stemming from chronic sinus disease include general achiness, fatigue, low-grade fever, depression, mental fogginess, ear pain, or painful or throbbing teeth. In addition, 50 percent of asthmatics suffer from chronic sinusitis, and sinus flare-ups can trigger asthma attacks.

Many people try numerous over-the-counter and prescription medications for sinusitis, and most books available locally, as well as many Web sites, about sinus problems suggest a plethora of medications for sinusitis. These can make people feel jittery and nervous, or can slow you down and make it difficult to concentrate. Eventually, medication is often ineffective, leaving the sufferer without recourse.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are people with less severe post-nasal drip and congestion, who suffer from dry nose and throat, chronic sore throat, and frequent bloody noses in the fall and winter. This condition becomes worse once the heating goes on and they are forced to breathe dry air all day. This dryness can lead to frequent colds that start with sore throats and can end with the cold invading the lung, producing a lingering dry cough that may or may not include difficult-to-expectorate, blood-tinged sputum.

Murray Grossan, MD is an otolaryngologist who specializes in treating scuba divers’ sinus problems. Because divers cannot take medications while diving, he has researched and developed nondrug methods to keep the sinuses and the ears clear. Grossan has published in over 35 medical journals and co-authored The Sinus Cure: 7 Simple Steps to Relieve Sinusitis and Other Ear, Nose, and Throat Conditions (with Debra Fulghum Bruce, Ballantine, 2001). According to Grossan and Bruce factors that can predispose you to sinus problems include: common cold, flu, infection, allergies (pollen, molds, dust and dust mites, and animal dander are the most common triggers), environmental irritants, family history, immunodeficiency, emotional stress, anatomical or structural problems, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and blowing the nose or sniffing too hard.

What causes sinus pain? Obstruction results from the build-up of mucus due to damage of the cilia, the minute hairs lining the inside of the nose, sinuses, Eustachian tube, bronchi, and bronchioles. The cilia beat rhythmically to carry particles out of the respiratory tract. If their action is hindered, mucus build-up in the sinuses can cause severe pain and pressure. Extreme swelling of the sinus membranes against a deviated septum or a nerve area also causes pain. So do bacterial sinus infections, although this can be quickly relieved by sinus drainage, either by your doctor (who may prescribe antibiotics and decongestants for continual healing) or by you (see below).

Sinus-related sore throats are usually caused by poor sinus drainage resulting in constant postnasal drip that irritates the delicate tissue at the back of the throat. If you often wake with a sore throat in the morning, you have probably been breathing through your mouth all night, drying out the throat tissue and causing pain. Otitis media, or painful inflammation of the middle ear, is the result of infection and pressurized pus. It is frequently the result of inflamed or congested sinuses. In addition, the Eustachian tube, the tube connecting the middle ear to the nose and the outside, can be blocked, causing pain. Blowing your nose too hard can close the Eustachian tube, resulting in pain and pressure. For other causes of pain, consult your physician.

Steps to Better Breathing

Improve air quality: To improve sinus comfort it is important to improve the quality of the air you breathe. Your air improvement goals should include the following: to reduce dust mites, stop mold and mildew, reduce pollen in the air you breathe indoors, avoid all smoke, stay away from pets and animal dander, and avoid chemical and fume inhalation.

Estimated to cause allergy symptoms in more than 20 million Americans, dust mites are a particularly pernicious problem for sinus and respiratory problem sufferers. One gram of dust contains as many as 250,000 dust mite feces, which are inhaled and trigger sinus inflammation. Dust mites live in your mattress, so you should start by encasing your mattress with a special allergen-impermeable casing. They are now available as a tightly woven fabric rather than the plastic of the past, a definite plus. Encase your pillow in a plastic zip-on cover to stop the allergen in your bedding and tape over the zipper to seal out leaks. Wash bed linens in hot water weekly. Avoid feathers. You may want to check into a hepa (high-efficiency particulate-arresting) filter, which filters out 99.97 percent of airborne allergens and dander. Room-sized hepa air filters can effectively remove irritating pollens, dust mite allergens, mold spores, pet hair and dander, tobacco smoke, bacteria, and house dust.

Ridding your home of mold and mildew is another essential step to improving your sinus condition. Besides keeping kitchen and bathroom surfaces dry and fixing leaky pipes, you can purchase an air purifier with an ultraviolet light that will eliminate mold spores. A dehumidifier can be used to help reduce humidity and mold levels. Change air filters once a month or consider using a hepa filter to improve air quality.
There are other methods for purifying air besides the hepa filter: ozone purification and negative ionization. Electronic air cleaners that utilize low-level ozone generators are said to able to remove chemicals from the air based on the chemical properties of ozone. Ozone is a molecule composed of three atoms of oxygen. Two atoms of oxygen form the basic oxygen molecule—the oxygen we breathe that is essential to life. The third oxygen atom can detach from the ozone molecule and re-attach to molecules of other substances, thereby altering their chemical composition.

Ionizers, often combined with ozone generators, are supposed to remove particles (such as allergens) from the air. An ionizer is a device that disperses negatively (and/or positively) charged ions into the air. These ions attach to particles in the air giving them a negative (or positive) charge so that the particles may attach to nearby surfaces such as walls or furniture, or attach to one another and settle out of the air.

There seems to be a significant amount of scientific evidence showing that at concentrations that do not exceed public health standards, ozone has little potential to remove indoor air contaminants. “Some manufacturers or vendors suggest that ozone will render almost every chemical contaminant harmless by producing a chemical reaction whose only by-products are carbon dioxide, oxygen, and water. This is misleading,” according to an Environmental Protection Agency report.
The epa report continues: “A review of scientific research shows that for many of the chemicals commonly found in indoor environments, the reaction process with ozone may take months or years (Boeniger, 1995). For all practical purposes, ozone does not react at all with such chemicals. And contrary to specific claims by some vendors, ozone generators are not effective in removing carbon monoxide (Salls, 1927; Shaughnessy, et al., 1994) or formaldehyde (Esswein and Boeniger, 1994).” The report goes on to say that when ozone does react with chemicals, it often produces aldehydes and other chemicals in higher concentrations than the original chemicals.

As for ionizers, “In recent experiments,” according to the epa report, “ionizers were found to be less effective in removing particles of dust, tobacco smoke, pollen, or fungal spores than either high efficiency particle filters or electrostatic precipitators (Shaughnessy, et al., 1994; Pierce, et al., 1996).”

Dry-sinus sufferers may want to use a humidifier to moisten dry nasal passages that lead to frequent bloody noses, dry mouth, cracked lips, and dried, scaly skin. Humidifiers come in two forms: cool mist and warm mist. The difference between the warm and the cool is that bacteria are killed by the heat and not by the cool. Sometimes an ultraviolet light that kills bacteria is included. Old-fashioned steam vaporizers are fine, but be careful that children and animals don’t burn themselves around the hot steam.

Humidifiers are generally high-maintenance. Current standards suggest you empty the contents of the machine every three days to remove mineral sediment, and clean it thoroughly with a three percent hydrogen peroxide solution. Or follow the manufacturer’s directions.
I want to add that I recently bought a small Slant Fin humidifier that was advertised as being “almost silent.” Truth be told, it gurgles away like a toddler learning to talk, all night long. I think, Virginia, there is no such thing as a silent humidifier.

Nasal irrigation: Perhaps the best thing since Kleenex, daily nasal irrigation is the most beneficial step you can take toward curing and preventing recurrence of sinus infection. You can do this by snorting saline out of your cupped hands, by using a neti pot, or by using a Grossan Pulsatile Nasal Irrigator. The neti pot looks like a small genie bottle or tea pot. You can add a little salt to the water with a couple drops of goldenseal if there is yellow or green phlegm, pour through one nostril, then the other, and sniff the excess water and accumulation out at the end.

The Nasal Irrigator sends water through the nose at a pulse of 16 to 18 times per second, which is more healing than just pouring water into the nostrils. This process adds five pounds per square inch of pressure to make it more effective. It sounds like a souped-up neti pot, but the Pulsatile Nasal Irrigator has been the subject of numerous scientific studies involving thousands of people. Done twice daily, it has been shown to increase blood flow to the nasal passages, restore the function of damaged cilia, improve breathing, and to reduce infections and occurrence of asthma attacks. Those with serious sinus problems may want to look into this device, which sells for less than $100 and also attaches to a dental water pick.

Self-help pain relief: If your sinuses are full of pressure and pain, the first thing you want to do is to get the phlegm out. Sinus compresses—warm, moist cloths applied to the sinus area for 10 to 15 minutes twice a day—can help get the phlegm moving to reduce inflammation and pain. You can also breathe in steam to open the sinuses. Drink plenty of water. Six to eight cups of hot tea per day (can be black, green, or herbal [anise, borage, elderberry, fennel, feverfew, and sage] are particularly helpful with phlegm and inflammation) can help restore cilia movement. Chicken soup contains the amino acid cysteine, which is similar to the acetylcysteine that doctors give for bronchial infection. It makes mucus easier to expel. Hot, spicy foods such as horseradish, cayenne, garlic, and wasabi can help loosen and expel mucus.

If post-nasal drip leads to a sore throat, you will want to sip warm drinks to help the throat heal. Alternate this with sucking on ice to quell the pain, and gargle gently twice a day with salt water and a couple drops of goldenseal. Again, drink plenty of water. Use a warm mist humidifier in the bedroom, and take papaya enzymes to reduce inflammation and swelling in the throat and reduce pain. If you have a swollen uvula, avoid very hot drinks, which can make the swelling worse.

Nutrients to help reduce sinus infections
Nutrition is another arm of support for improving sinus conditions. Through conscientious eating, you can thin nasal secretions and gradually reduce them. As usual, the first consideration with food is not what to add, but what to take away. The first thing is to absolutely stop drinking iced drinks. Drink fluids room temperature to hot. Ice and cold foods and drinks paralyze the cilia in your sinuses, causing mucus build-up.

Second, avoid the list of usual suspects: sugar, especially chocolate, dairy products, yeast, and food additives. Notice coffee is not on the list. Coffee is a bronchodilator, so it’s useful for asthmatics.

Third, you can eat foods that block the enzyme cascades that are key to mucus production. Foods that do this are carotenoids from orange and yellow vegetables (carrots, parsnips, sweet potato, yams, rutabagas, yellow and red sweet peppers, and winter squashes). Bioflavonoids such as quercitin and essential fatty acids, including flax and fish oil, work to block the cox (cyclooxygenase) enzymes that produce prostaglandins that lead to swelling and sinus inflammation. Quercitin stabilizes cell membranes and prevents them from releasing histamine, and has been found to fight and sometimes prevent chronic disease. It is found in citrus fruits, apples, tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, scallions, and broccoli.

Antioxidants are also useful to control sinus infection and chronic sinusitis. Beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, and the minerals magnesium and zinc are also beneficial for sinus sufferers. Papaya enzymes are a natural remedy for reducing inflammation associated with sinusitis. Grossan suggests taking one tablet four times a day and melting it in your mouth between your cheek and gums.

Additionally, there are many alternative therapies that can help with phlegm and sinus problems. Chiropractic, Chinese medicine, homeopathy, and Western herbalism are just some of the modalities that come to mind. You don’t have to live with chronic sinus problems, but remember that nondrug treatment is a combination of professional treatment and self-care.

Chronogram online addition
Another method to improve air quality is the use of essential oils to help clean and moisten the air. Joan Apter, a certified massage therapist and a specialist on essential oils, maintains that diffusing essential oils into the air with a cold diffuser can indeed help. Apter said that essential oils must be distributed throughout the air with a cold air diffuser, which maintains the oils' unique molecular structure that allows them to digest airborne bacteria, viruses, fungus, and mold. "This is different from distributing them with a diffuser with the candle on the bottom," she said. The cold air diffuser is an electric device that forces air and essential oils into a nebulizer that shatters the molecules into a mist and disperses them into the room. The essential oils will work to make the room a germ-free zone, she said. She recommends using Young Living brand Purification oil blend for this purpose.

Can you put essential oils into your humidifier to disperse them? Apter said this is fine but the only problem is that if you put the essential oils into a plastic dish or bottle, they will begin to breakdown the plastic. Perhaps evaporating them from a small ceramic dish on top of the humidifier would be better.

Apter also pointed out that maintaining sinus health requires not only external but internal measures. She emphasized the importance of staying hydrated -- drinking good clean water everyday -- as opposed to drinking diuretics such as coffee and tea exclusively. She added that detoxifying, or keeping the body working well by supporting the liver and keeping the intestines cleansed, helps sinus health. She recommends a cleansing trio of supplements from Young Living brand and taking a full-spectrum digestive enzyme at the same time. I would talk to Apter before doing any of this because she sells the products and can recommend the best products for you, personally.

Young Living oils were created by Dr. Gary Young, who has fashioned a number of supplements and health care products using essential oils. Young Living oils are extremely high quality, "higher than therapeutic grade A," Apter said, which means they can be used therapeutically, that there are no chemical additives, and you're getting what you think you are. Apter warned that many of the essential oils available in the health food stores are adulterated with petrochemicals used as extenders. Poor labeling laws do not require manufacturers to reveal the exact contents of the oil. So purchasing your oils through a trusted merchant is a good way to ensure the quality of the oil. Young Living oils are available only through multi-level marketing distributors, of which Apter is one.

I really liked Apter's suggestions for nasal moisturizers for dry-nose types. She recommended dabbing Young Living Rose Ointment, which she calls a "first-aid kit in a jar," on the little finger and directly applying it to dry nasal mucous membranes. "Rose is a great healer," Apter remarked. Other ingredients include mink, lecithin, beeswax, sesame oil, wheat germ oil, and essential oils of rosewood, palmarosa, patchouli, and myrrh. Vitamin E gel can be used in the same way, she said. For dry, irritated skin try Tender Tush, from the Young Living children's line. It contains coconut oil, cocao butter, beeswax, wheat germ oil, almond oil, olive oil, and essential oils of frankincense, sandalwood, geranium, rosewood, cistus, and blue tansy.