SINUSITIS:
You cough now and then and sneeze a lot when you
get up in the morning. You are feeling tired and
your body aches. You suspect you have a cold.
You go on to take medication for the common cold.
It doesn't work. You now have a terrible headache
as well. You finally consult the doctor. After
listening to your history of symptoms, examining
your face and forehead, and perhaps seeing a sinus
X-ray, the doctor says you have sinusitis. This
is the day of health problems begins.
When you say that you are having a sinus attack,
you are actually referring to symptoms in one
or ore of your pairs of hallow cavities, or air
spaces, known as para-nasal sinuses. These cavities
are located within the skull or bones of the head
surrounding the nose.
Each sinus has an opening into the nose for the
free exchange of air and mucous and a continuous
mucous membrane lining joints each sinus with
the nasal passages.
Therefore, anything that causes a swelling in
the nose, either an infection or an allergic reaction
can affect the sinuses. Air trapped within an
obstructed sinus, along with pus or other secretions
may cause pressure and pain on the sinus wall.
The swollen membrane at the opening prevents the
air from entering into para- nasal sinuses that
creates vacuum and causes pain.
SYMPTOMS
Sinusitis simply means inflammation of the sinuses.
It has own localized pain signals, depending upon
the particular sinus affected. Recurrent headache
or congestion that changes with head position
and disappear shortly after getting out of bed
is the characteristic of sinus involvement. You
may have stuffy nose and loss of smell with yellowish
green nasal discharge. You may experience bad
breath; pain in the upper jaw and tenderness over
the facial sinuses is also present. Fever, if
present indicates the acute nature of the disease.
In addition, drainage of mucous from the sinuses
down the back of the throat can cause a sore throat
and irritate the membrane lining, and the upper
windpipe causing cough.
CAUSES
Sinusitis can be caused by infections, allergies
of medicines. It can also occur because of changes
on temperature, air pressure and irritants in
the air. A cold can put you at risk of sinusitis.
Overuse of decongestant nasal sprays, smoking,
swimming and diving may also increase your risk.
Nasal polyp and other problems with the sinuses
also increase the probability of getting sinusitis.
Sometimes, fungal infections can cause acute sinusitis.
Although these organisms are abundant in the environment,
they are usually harmless, indicating that the
human body has a natural resistance to them. Fungi
can cause serious illness in people whose immune
systems are not functioning properly. Inhaling
airborne allergens such as dust, mould and pollen,
often sets off allergic reactions that, in turn
contribute to sinusitis.
SELF
HELP APPROACH
- If you are susceptible to sinus disorders you
should avoid cigarette smoke and other air pollutants.
Inflammation in the nose caused by allergies provokes
sinusitis. Drinking alcohol also causes the nasal-sinus
membranes to swell.
- Do not swim in the pool treated with chlorine,
since chlorine irritates the lining of the nose
and sinuses.
- Air travel, too poses a problem if you are suffering
from sinusitis. A bubble of air trapped within
your body expands as air pressure in a plane is
reduced. This expands as air pressure in a place
is reduced. This expansion causes pressure on
surrounding tissues and can result in blockage
of the sinuses or the eustachian tube in the ears.
The result may be discomfort in the sinus or middle
ear during the plane's ascent or descent. In the
same way, some people with sinusitis feel worse
just before a rainstorm, when the air pressure
is changing.
- if you suspect that your sinus inflammation
is getting worse with dust, mould, pollen, or
food or any of the hundreds of allergens that
can trigger a respiratory reaction, you should
take medical help.
- Avoid curd, banana, ice-cold drinks and frequent
head baths. Mosquito repellants are the major
culprots. If possible, use mosquito nets in the
place of repellants.
- Household remedies such as turmeric, garlic,
ginger and black pepper are always helpful for
both the prevention as well as cure of the disease.
- Although sleep is important to help you feel
healthy, too much sleep may worsen your sinus
symptoms. This happens because lying down increases
nasal congestion. If only one side of your sinuses
is affected, try lying on the side that is not
congested when you go to sleep.
- For some people who have chronic sinusitis,
exercise helps reduce congestion by increasing
nasal discharge. For other people, exercise can
worsen symptoms.
- Make sure your eyeglasses fit well. If your
glasses pinch your nasal bridge, your symptoms
may get worse.
- Steam can be very helpful in relieving congestion.
Yu can use steam inhalations with or without astringents
such as eucalyptus or menthol. Simply breathing
in the steam for a cup of hot water works. You
can also place a damp cloth heated in the boiling
water or microwave oven over your face, but make
sure you do not burn yourself.
- Saline rinse helps moisten dry nasal membranes,
and makes the mucus wetter and easier to remove.
The saline rinse can be prepared at home by mixing
one-fourth teaspoonful of table salt with 200
ml of warm water. Use a bulb syringe to squirt
the liquid into your nostrils and rinse the sinuses.
Nasal wash with the lotion prepared from fried
Tankana bhasma (borax) is also very effective.
AYURVEDIC
REMEDIES
After diagnosing sinusitis and identifying a possible
cause, your doctor can prescribe a course of treatment
hat will reduce the inflammation, relieve the
symptoms, and build up the resistance power. Sinusitis
is treated by re-establishing drainage of the
nasal passages, controlling or eliminating the
source of the inflammation, and improving the
immunity power.
- Ayurveda doctors generally recommended nasal
drops such as Anu taila or Shadbindu taila to
reduce congestion. These oils initially may provoke
bouts of sneezing and running of water from the
nose. If properly inhaled, these oils remove the
blockage of the path from the sinuses of the nasal
cavity.
- To reduce the inflammation, you may be advised
to take medicines such as Khadiraadi vati, Vyoshaadi
vati and kaanchanaara guggulu. These medicines
will produce a soothing effect and reduce the
inflammation.
- Other symptoms such as headache, pain and nasal
allergies are treated with appropriate medicines.
Medicines such as Laxmi vilas ras, Chyawana praasha,
Abhraka bhasma will build up the immunity if used
for a long period.
- Chitraka hareetaki available in leha form in
the dose of 2 teaspoonful with warm milk twice
daily is also an effective remedy that is commonly
prescribed for sinusitis. Along with it nasal
inhalation is steam to which a few drops of Jeevan
dhaara (a mixture of camphor, menthol etc) are
added, should be inhaled twice daily for about
a week.
TONSILLITIS:
The tonsils are a pair of small almond shaped
structures on either side of the throat just behind
and above the tongue. The structure acts as a
defense against infections that invade the body
through the nose and mouth. Tonsils are a part
of the part of body's protective lympathetic system,
which dispatches cells that literally gulf down
bacteria. Adenoids are structures located at the
back of the nose, above the tonsils. They too
keep away respiratory tract infections.
Occasionally, bacterial overwhelm the tonsils.
This infection, known as tonsillitis, is often
one that children come down with between the ages
of three and six. The symptoms are similar to
those of flu, and so it may that makes it difficult
to swallow. Others are headache, ear pain, fever
and chills. The tonsils become swollen and red.
You may also notice specks of white discharge
on the infected tonsils.
Occasionally, the adenoids swell too, giving a
nasal quality to the child's voice.
Earlier, the only known cure for recurrent throat
infections was tonsil surgery. Medical opinion
has changed, however and now this procedure is
less common. More often than not, having tonsillitis,
even when it recurs up to seven times a year,
does not mean that the tonsils should be removed
(in a surgical procedure called tonsillectomy).
You don't have to pressurize your child's doctor
to remove tonsils just because this was commonly
done years ago or on the basis of any of these
misconceptions:
1. Tonsils are useless.
This is not true. Medical scientists continue
to report new evidence that shows tonsils are
a valuable part of our defense mechanisms against
invading germs and viruses.
2. My child is always sick.
Chances are your child is going through a normal
stage of growth, irrespective of the condition
of his tonsils. Before a child can build up antibodies
to fight off bugs, he must be exposed to them.
Therefore, it is not unusual to expect a certain
number of mild respiratory diseases during a child's
early years.
3. My child will be healthier with them out.
It is myth that a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy
make a child less susceptible to colds, sore throats
and other respiratory diseases. Nor does the operation
relieve an allergy or a chronic problem such as
asthma.
4. They are enlarged.
What you observe as swelling may be the tonsil's
normal size. Tonsils are very small at birth,
and then enlarge gradually, reaching maximum size
at six to seven. Thereafter, they usually shrink
to walnut size. Adenoids grow between the ages
of three and five and then shrink, eventually
disappearing altogether during puberty. Unless
a medical problem is diagnosed, enlargement alone
is no basis for surgery.
In Ayurveda, tonsillitis is called as galaayu.
Ayurveda physicians consider recurring infection
and inflammation of the tonsils to be a factor
in illness in later life. Therefore, the entire
immune system is treated, aiming to eliminate
the risk.
SELF HELP
APPROACH
- Gargle every few hours with a solution of a
quarter teaspoonful of common salt or yavakshaara
dissolved in half a glass of warm water or decoction
prepared from the bark of Acacia (babul) tree,
if your child is older than eight.
- Drink plenty of warm beverages such as tea (with
or without honey) and corn soup, if tolerated.
- Eat foods that are soft and easy to swallow.
- Avoid spicy foods, chocolates, milk-based sweets,
sour substances, curds, buttermilk, cold drinks
and fried substances.
- Suck a piece of hard candy or medicated lozenge
such as licorice extract occasionally (if your
child is five years of age or older).
- Avoid passive cigarette smoking and atmospheric
pollution.
- Apply hot fomentation externally on the front
side of the neck twice or thrice a day.
- Take the powders of mulathi, vacha and kulanjan
after mixing together in equal quantities along
with honey. This soothes the throat and cures
inflammation.
- Make a solution with half gram of sphatika (alum)
in 100 ml warm water and gargle with many times
a day.
- Avoid frequent head baths and rain showers.
AYURVEDA
REMEDIES
Your Ayurveda doctor may recommend Khadiraadi
vati. It is to be kept in the mouth and chewed
slowly. Sitipalaadi choorna is another common
medicine that is usually prescribed in a dose
of three grams, to be taken thrice daily along
with honey and ghee to minimize the symptoms.
To develop immunity against any future attack
of tonsillitis, you can give your child Agastyarasaayana
in a dose of one teaspoonful, twice daily mixed
with honey.
Kanchanara guggulu in the dose of 2 tablets twice
daily with warm water to kapha ketu ras 2 tablets
thrice daily or Tundikeri ras 1 tablet thrice
daily for 4-6 weeks give permanent relief.
