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Natural Pain Relief for Sinus Headaches
By: Cristel Lumabas
Sinusitis is the inflammation of the sinus cavities due to bacterial or viral infections. Its symptoms can be exacerbated by changes in weather from cold to hot and then back again. Sinusitis is often accompanied by headaches that can be made even worse by stress, lack of sleep, skipping meals, and unhealthy lifestyle. They can also be caused by diseases such as hypertension, bacterial infections, meningitis, pharyngitis.
Sinusitis is a very common ailment and affects millions of people worldwide. If left untreated, it can become serious due to the bacterial growth in the sinuses. The inflammation of any of the para nasal sinuses, the frontal or ethmoidal sinuses causes discomfort which includes stuffiness or nasal congestion, runny nose, and fatigue. If one wakes up with a headache, feeling congested, and has a fluffy and swelling feature around the eye, then one may already have a sinus headache.
Medications for sinusitis often include decongestants, antihistamines, and antibiotics. These drugs are designed to reduce the symptoms of the disease and to control the allergens or infections that cause the sinusitis. While many of these drugs are effective, overuse can cause “rebound” effects that actually worsen the symptoms. Getting a medical examination is also important to determine the severity of the sinus condition. Self-medication is not always the right option to take especially by people who perennially have sinus problems.
But another option is still available for those who want to experience some relief from sinusitis. For natural pain relief for sinus headaches, there are some quick solutions that could make one feel better without taking a drug or ingesting chemicals into the body.
To get sinus headache relief, try to do a steam inhalation with distilled or reverse osmosis water twice a day. Put a cloth over one's head, and move close to the steamer, then inhale steam through the nose. This brings the warm, moist air into the mucous membranes and respiratory tract. Do this inhalation for 2 minutes or more and repeat every half hour until you feel better. This process helps relieve the inflammation and congestion of the mucus membrane of the upper respiratory tract; relieves irritation by providing moisture to the nasal passages; and loosens the secretions and stimulates expectoration. Spasmodic breathing is also addressed as the steam relaxes the muscles and soothes the mucous membranes.
Another natural pain relief for sinus headaches is the hot foot bath. By placing the feet, ankles, and legs into a container or small basin with tolerable hot water for 15 minutes, the blood circulation is stimulated and relieves head, chest, and pelvic congestion by drawing the blood from those areas to the legs and feet. This induces sweating in case of fever low body temperatures. This natural pain relief for headaches relaxes the body, increase circulation locally, and relieves the sinus pain.
A hot compress may also do the trick when it comes to sinus headaches. Apply a hot compress on the forehead, nose, or sinus area for about ten minutes. This process would have to be repeated several times to experience all-natural, non-medical relief of sinus congestion and headache.
Article Source: http://www.ezarticles.info
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