Any Ideas fo rchronic sinus congestion

Hello,
This may be a redundant post from below but I am hoping that you folks could help. I have for many years had constant sinus congestion. I on most days am maybe able to use 50% of my nasal passages for breathing. Being a triathlete preparing for my first Ironman you can understand how important open airways are. I have used Breath Rite strips with sucess but it is just a temporary fix. How can I get to where I dont constantly feel as though I have a cold? :?
Thanks for your thoughts on this subject.

Corbin Baird

[Larry]

This one will definately wake you up! :lol:

One thing I've used to clean out my sinuses (and it seems to work to clear them out as well) is to take a tablespoon of hydrogen peroxide and snort it up each nostril. Hydrogen peroxide is just water with an extra oxygen molecule on it (H2O2) so apart from the fizzing, it won't hurt you.

But it also does wonders at killing all the nasty bacteria in your nostrils and sinus cavities.

Longer term, there's this stuff called Xlear http://www.xlear.com/ that my chiropractor (and now my wife) recommend. The xylosweet ingredient in it somehow makes the bacteria very "slippery" so they don't adhere to the nasal passages (and interestingly enough, the use of this stuff as an artificial sweetener also seems to do the same thing to the bacteria in the mouth that make for dental caries and to the bacteria in the coronary arteries that contribute to heart attacks).

Good luck-- and I hope you win the competition!

Larry Wall
Houghton, MI

[James Boelter]

Hydrogen peroxide seems a LITTLE harsh, but I can attest to its effectiveness in combatting gum disease, so it might well work as a nasal wash also.

A simple saltwater wash of the nasal passages might also help. I like to use either a 'netti' pot or a simple turkey baster bulb/syringe to get the saltwater up there. The baster is simpler to use.

As an adjunct to direct mechanical washing, consider drinking a mixture of freshly squeezed lemon juice in warm water -as strong as you care to make it. Hardcore would be throwing an entire lemon (discard the peel and seeds, but keep the zest and pulp) in a blender with several glasses of water, blending, and then adding as much honey as needed to keep you from puckering to death. Something about the lemon juice's astringent effect on the mucus membrances will start your sinuses draining almost immediately. This is one of those 'home remedies' that seems to work about 80% of the time.

Hope this helps.

Holy Cow! :shock:
The H2O2 trick was something. After I got over the shock and the nasal drainage for a good 12 hours I can honestly say that I have noticed a big difference. My wife does want me to look into one of the "nutti Pot" things - so I will try it to keep the peace! Also going to look into the Xlear product that you mentioned.

Thanks,
Corbin Baird