I suffer from chronically stuffed up sinuses; over-the-counter decongestants do nothing. The only time my sinuses ever open up is when I’m getting over a cold and have reached the later stage where all the gunk gets cleared out. Then by continuously running, my sinuses purge all the fluid they’re usually bloated with. Any way to duplicate this?
Have you tried a neti pot or one of those plastic squirt bottles? I use the squirt bottle and it does wonders for my sinuses. In fact, it’s about the only thing that has worked on my sinuses.
You said otc decongestants do nothing but does that include the now-restricted decongestants with psuedoephedrine? The kind kept behind the pharmacy counter? Because I use that stuff alot and it absolutely will make my nose run all day if I take too much.
Not exactly what you’re looking for, but I found eating very hot Mexican food makes my nose run
That delicious hot mustard at Chinese restaurants clears up sinus problems in a tasty instant. It doesn’t cure, but it gives blessed relief for several hours.
From a chronic sinus sufferer, I’m reading the thread title wondering, “you could, but why would you?” After reading the OP, may i also recommend a neti pot. If you can get over the idea of running water through your nose, it’s really not uncomfortable to do and many swear by it.
I also use the “under-the-counter” sudafed type products and they work for me. Mucinex D’s main ingredient (guifenisen sp?) is also a great decongestant that used to be Rx only.
The little squirt bottles of saline (Ayr, Ocean) also help keep the sinus cavities hydrated and you can’t over-use them like the more effective sprays like Afrin.
Wasabi.
Sniff English mustard.
Word. And if that doesn’t work, buy horse radish and grind it up for sauce yourself. Do it inside and it will work for at least a week.
Don’t do this in a home where children, pets or other people live.:smack:
Okay, this is kinda weird, but…about the time I turn off my electric toothbrush (2 minutes), my nose is just beginning to run. I think if I wanted to make it run, I would just brush my teeth for 3 minutes.
Sometimes, actually, it starts running before that.
The best, instantaneous cure is to steam up the bathroom and inhale. Shut the door, plug the tub, run about 2-3 inches of hot water (no cold tap at all), then turn on the shower to produce enormous amounts of steam. Get down next to the tub and inhale for about 5 minutes. Then blow your nose thoroughly and hock up all you can (I do this a couple times a day at least when I’m sick and phlegmy, and it really really helps). Or use a hot steam room in a health club, if you have access to one.
You could try using a body massager on your face afterward, as well (on the nose and right next to it). It’ll make you sneeze and feels great.
I also find my mucus tends to thin when I drink lots of water, and hot broth also helps (chicken noodle soup).
As far as spicy edibles are concerned…
I think Cub Mistress is referring to sriracha sauce, to put a name to it (and if not, sriracha sauce is Thai hot sauce and it works very well). I would never try to eat wasabi on its own… but if you like sushi, put some wasabi on it and consume. Or jalapeno peppers work. And vindaloo sauce (Indian food).
Four good ways: Peppers! Mustard! Wasabi! and Hot Liquid!
when I am all stubbed ub an wanna commit sinuscide, I go get either Thai chicken soup (Tom Kar Gai) or Chinese hot-and-sour soup… and I ask that they make it Extra Hot.
Here’s a couple of things you should know; and I say this as a person who suffered 20+ yrs with terrible sinus problems, eventually having sinus surgery.
Decongestants, while they offer relief from the running nose and pain of sinus inflammation, are actually working against you. They will keep you from having to blow your nose all day, take away the headache, but what they are doing is drying you out. Effectively turning what’s clogging your sinus into gummy bears. You may get initial relief but once that’s over, you’re worse off. Avoid decongestants if you can.
People who suffer from bad sinus conditions often have slightly misshaped sinus cavities, which impedes good drainage and leads to more infections and headaches, headcolds, sinusitis, etc. While neti pots are sworn by, for lots of people, they are often unworkable for those who have misshaped sinus’.
Following my surgery, the surgeon taught me two things which I wish I’d know about years ago. The first was aerosal saline spray. Required after surgery to keep things, moist and moving, and fight infection. As it’s got a propellant, and accurate nozzle, it’s easier to get it into the spots where it’s needed. Drying things out is anti to what you need. You need to keep things moist and slippery to improve drainage. (Always, sterilize the nozzle after every use to avoid reinfection, I use a baby food jar of rubbing alcohol!)
The second thing was apple cider vinegar. (I realize the world is filled with people who believe this magical elixer will cure cancer and bring world peace. Those people are wrong.) Because it is fermented with the skins on the apples, it concentrates something in the skin that actually thins mucus. You drink it back, 1-2 ounces a day, for a few days, (shoot it like tequila, always brush your teeth afterward, vinegar is hard on the enamel of your teeth!), but be prepared that it will clear your sinus within a minute or two of taking it, kind of like whiffing Vick’s would do. Thinning the mucus improves drainage significantly, even if things are misshapened.
These two thing together, saline spray and Apple Cider Vinegar, are the bomb. Using these two things alone, I rid myself of the remarkably difficult to clear sinusitis, even the surgeon was impressed! If I’d known this 20 yrs ago I could have saved enough, in over the counter cold remedies, which aren’t cheap, to buy a damn car!
Because it was so effective for me, and because I wish someone had clued me in sooner, I tell anyone who will listen hoping to spread the word. Lots of people are hooked on taking a pill for everything, if you can think beyond that you should definitely try these two things.
Good luck. Do come back and tell us what all you did try and what you found really worked for you.
elbows I’ll have to try that and see if it works. I’ve been getting headaches for years and they are only getting worse.
As for the OP, I find fireballs really help open them up, at least the really hot part in the beginning. Lucky for me I like them so I don’t mind eating them.
Wasn’t there a thread about snorting cayenne pepper* a while back?
Grim
*and what a baaaaaaaaaaaaad idea it was…
Another vote for sniffing hot spicy things. I used to carry a baggie of white pepper powder around when I was sick; people gave me the strangest looks when I’d stick my nose in and inhale!
Chronic sinus infections have been proven in a study to be often fungal. Rather than just your sinuses being mishapen, you could have fungi that give bugs something to hold on to, and thus allow them to cause inflammation, clogging you up. And, at the same time, your body is producing more mucus to try to get rid of the bug.
I’d actually suggest going to a sinus specialist who is up on this research, and see if you have a fungal infection, and, if you do, see if you can get it cleaned out. And, if you don’t, they may have something else for you, too.
Quoth rachelellogram:
What I do when I have a cold is I put a big pot of water on the stove, and keep it boiling whenever I’m at home and awake (topping it off occasionally, of course). It’s probably not great for the paint on the walls (after a few hours, condensation starts running down the windows), but it significantly reduces the misery. Then too, I also have a fairly small apartment-- I’m not sure how well it would work in a house.
Wasabi, horse radish, Szechwan pepper
enter it into a race and talk encouraging to it.
Ha! Your post made me giggle. Yes, I agree. 