Suffering from Nasal Allergies? It Could be Sinusitis!



Posted: Sunday, March 20, 2011

by Jillian Phillips
Sinus Dynamics

Millions of individuals in North America are allergic to something, whether it’s dust, pollen, pets or nuts. An allergy is an overreaction of the immune system to a harmless foreign substance in the body. The foreign environmental substance is referred to as an “allergen” which triggers an immune response or “allergic reaction”. It could be mild, moderate or life threatening.

According to the Allergy Report from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, allergies are the sixth cause of chronic illness in the U.S. During an allergic reaction, the body’s immune system responds by producing an antibody called immunoglobulin (IgE) which everyone possesses, but a person who is allergic to a specific allergen has overabundance of them. The IgE attacks the allergens and starts the release of histamine, resulting to an extreme inflammatory response.

Nasal Allergy Attacks

Nasal allergies or allergic rhinitis bring symptoms like sneezing; itching of the nose, eyes, ears and throat; runny nose and watery eyes. It can also cause sore throat, coughing, headaches and facial pain and pressure. You might have often dismissed your colds and nasal allergies as nothing to worry about, but these can actually be the start of sinus problems.  Nasal allergies can be related to other problems like asthma, conjunctivitis, polyps and ear infection. In relation to this, nasal allergies can cause sinus infections when bacteria get trapped in the sinus cavity. This condition will greatly affect your daily life, and without proper diagnosis from your doctor, sinusitis can progress into a more serious infection and affect other parts of your body.

Sinusitis Symptoms

Sinusitis often begins with a cold or a nasal allergy attack that lingers for a period longer than the usual cold symptom duration (one week). Acute sinusitis can last for a few weeks, but if frequent sinusitis symptoms are present and lasting for more than three months, you could have chronic sinusitis. Discomforts like headache, congestion; coughing; green nasal discharge; tenderness of the cheeks, forehead, and face are experienced by the patient. Moreover, the sinuses are inflamed and blocked, making it hard for mucus to drain properly.

Sinusitis Remedies

You can try natural remedies to combat the symptoms or buy over-the-counter medications from the drugstore, although most of the time, these methods only soothe the discomforts and not cure the real problem. The best way is to see your physician for further questions and examination. A doctor can perform x-ray tests and get a sample of nasal discharge to determine if a bacterial infection is present in the sinuses. He or she may also look for signs of nasal polyps that may have developed in the nasal cavity. The doctor may prescribe a standard course of oral antibiotics as a treatment option.

New Technological Treatments

Allergic rhinitis and chronic sinusitis patients have discovered aerosolized technology, a method which makes use of a small and compact nebulizer that pumps liquid medication to be inhaled as mist. Liquid medications can be antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, or anti-fungal, depending on the doctor’s prescription. Aerosolized technology is said to be hassle-free, effective and efficient since the mist goes directly to the targeted area of the sinuses.  After trying all treatments and remedies available in the market, patients have proven that this method is a favorable therapy for sinusitis.

For more information, visit http://www.sinusdynamics.com/
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