Keeping Your Sinuses Clear, Seven Tips From Harvard Men's Health Watch

Main Category: Ear, Nose and Throat
Also Included In: Allergy
Article Date: 25 Nov 2008 - 9:00 PDT

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More than 20 million Americans will have at least one bout of sinusitis this year. Blockage of the channels that drain the sinuses is the main cause of this painful condition. Keeping these channels open can reduce your chances of developing the problem, while restoring drainage if they become blocked is the key to treatment, reports the December 2008 issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch.

Many people with sinusitis recover quickly and completely without taking antibiotics simply by promoting drainage.

  Harvard Men's Health Watch offers the following tips:

- Drink lots of water. Good hydration helps keep mucus loose.

- Inhale steam three or four times a day. Boil water in a pan. Turn off the heat and bend over the pan with a towel over your head. to catch the steam. Breathe deeply through your nose.

- Sleep with your head elevated.

- Use decongestants. Tablets containing pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine are helpful, but beware that they may raise your blood pressure, speed your pulse, or make you jittery.

- Avoid antihistamines. They're fine for allergies or a watery nose, but they make mucus thick and hard to drain-the last thing you want for sinusitis.

- Use a saline (salt water) nasal spray to loosen mucus and rinse your sinuses.

- A warm compress on your face may soothe sinus pain. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin or acetaminophen will help reduce pain and fever.

Antibiotics aren't the first step in treatment. Good as they are, they have potential disadvantages. They can trigger allergic reactions or cause side effects. Most people recover fully without antibiotics, but if your sinusitis is very severe or does not improve with two to four days of drainage therapy, ask your doctor if you should take an antibiotic.

Also in this issue:

- Osteoporosis prevention and treatment

- Tomatoes, broccoli, and prostate cancer

- Tests for statin users

Harvard Men's Health Watch is available from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, for $24 per year. Subscribe at http://www.health.harvard.edu/men or by calling 877-649-9457 (toll-free).

Harvard Men's Health Watch