Healing Your Sinuses

I wrote this post in August, but for some unknown reason, I didn’t hit the Publish button then.

I started tackling my sinus headache problem back in March. My early strategies were based off article I read on various websites. Nothing too scientific. Well, I figured it was time to do something I should have done a lot earlier and that was read a book my a medical profession with expertise in the field.

Harvard Medical School Guide to Healing Your Sinuses (Harvard Medical School Guides) by Dr. Ralph Metson

I learned a few things from Healing Your Sinuses. The most important thing being that my self-experimentation is actually a good thing. The author recommends a step-wise approach starting with the simplest treatments first and then progressing to the most advanced. Two initial steps that do not require medical assistance are:

1. Diet and Lifestyle
2. Irrigation

Diet and lifestyle is the approach I am testing right now. Common irritants to the sinuses include smoking, alcohol, wheat, and milk. So this book validates my most recent 30 day test, which involves going dairy-free. This makes sense since I already know alcohol and wheat cause me to have sinus headaches.

For irrigation, I have been using the Neti Pot and experimenting with a sinus spray. The book states that irrigation is a highly effective strategy and I learned I could double the amount I’m currently using.

The rest of the book covers the over-the-counter medications, antibiotics, steroids, and surgery.