Healthy-n-Fit.Net

Q: I went to the doctor today and he told me that I have a sinus infection. He prescribed Antibiotics, Clarinase, Otrivin nose drops and Nasonex. He said the Otrivin and Clarinase will drain out the sinus since it will be hard to treat the infection with the anti-biotics if they aren’t drained. I don’t want to take the medication but I need to get rid of this infection.

I have been doing the sinus wash but I find that my right nostril is blocked most of the time. Sometimes when I blow my nose, it seems to be stuck and doesn’t come out. At times the mucus is clear and other times, bright yellow. This is two weeks now that I have been dealing with this. Not sure if mucinex is sold here in my country. I did increase my vitamin uptake.

What else can I do?
________________________________
A: You can flush your sinuses with nasal washes (neti pots, big syringe things, etc. – check your local pharmacy). Basically, you use warm salt water to clean out your sinuses. You can brew some garlic tea to use as well – this can be somewhat harsh.

That said – I find this helps me at the beginning of a sinus problem and at the end but in the middle it doesn’t do much for me since my front sinuses are not the problem – it’s always my back/middle sinuses that clog up and the washes do nothing for them (for me anyway).

Increase zinc, Vit. D and Vit. C to help your body fight off the infection.

Doctors usually prescribe antihistamines. They work but they are immuno-supressents – so, essentially, while they make the reaction go away, they supress your natural immune system. This doesn’t help in the long run.

When I have a sinus problem I boost my vitamins, use the nasal wash and take Musinex. The Musinex helps the sinuses to drain and that helps get the infection out (and also helps prevent infection in the first place).

Now, if you are miserable (and you probably are since you went to the Dr.) then you might want to go ahead and use the medications to get yourself well – medication does work many times. Just try to avoid taking it long term since it is likely that you don’t need it long term. If you take the antibiotics then be sure to get a good probiotic to counteract the impact on your gut.

Next time – when you feel something coming on, use the nasal wash, boost the vitamins and take musinex. That seems to work for me.