Ease Sinus Congestion with Natural Remedies.
Whether caused by a cold, flu, allergies or a sinus infection, clogged sinuses make life difficult. Over-the-counter drugs designed to leave congestion may be ineffective, leave you jittery or sleepy or leave you with unpleasant side effects, such as dry mouth or sore throat. Fortunately, you can turn to a number of effective, natural remedies to ease and even eliminate your sinus congestion.
Liquid Help
Keeping sinuses moist helps them drain. Run a humidifier, especially in your bedroom at night, to keep the air moist. Take a hot shower and breathe in the steam. Give your nose a steam bath by heating water until it is almost to a boil. Pour the water into a bowl, lean over the bowl, cover your head with towel to form a tent to trap steam, and breathe for 10 to 15 minutes. Repeat as often as desired.
You may have heard that chicken soup is good for a cold, but it can be good for sinus congestion, too. Any hot liquid such as soup, tea or hot juice can help open up the sinuses and get them draining.
Add hot peppers to increase the effectiveness of hot drinks and soups. Try this tasty and effective version of a hot tomato cocktail: Combine 2 cups of V-8 or tomato juice with 2 or 3 cloves of crushed garlic, 2 tbsp. lemon juice and a dash or two of hot sauce. Heat until steaming and sip slowly. Breathe in the fumes as you drink. Repeat as necessary to unblock drainage.
A Neti pot helps unblock sinuses and keeps them unblocked. A Neti pot is a small plastic or ceramic pot with a long spout, long used in ayurvedic medicine. Fill the pot with warm water. Add 1 tbsp. sea salt or un-iodized table salt and a pinch of baking soda. Swirl it around to dissolve. Lean over the sink and tilt your head. Insert the spout of the pot into one nostril and pour. The warm water will fill your sinuses and run out the other nostril. It is messy but effective in cleaning out that sinus. Repeat several times a day until sinuses are clear. Daily use helps keep the problem from coming back.
If you do not have a Neti pot, you can use saline nasal spray, or use an eye dropper to drip a saline solution into your nostrils.
Other Remedies
Eating horseradish, hot peppers or fresh ginger root is another good way to open up the sinuses. You can also take ginger root capsules or make ginger tea. Some people find relief if they refrain from all dairy products.
Get a massage and ask the therapist to concentrate on your sinuses. Facial massage and cranial sacral work can help ease pain and congestion.
Try acupuncture. In a 1997 study reported in the "Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine," 200 people suffering from chronic rhinitis received at least temporary relief when acupuncture.
Tags: ginger root, open sinuses, sinus congestion, Sinus Congestion, warm water