Every year, more than 35 million Americans visit their doctors hoping to get some relief from a variety of symptoms associated with sinusitis. Some of the symptoms include tooth pain, cough, clogged nose, headaches, and facial pain. A bacterial infection in the sinuses around the nose is to blame for the clogged up feeling that [...]
Sinusitis
After two weeks of a bad cold, you’re finally ready to get back to work and to normal life. However, although you feel like you’re finished with the cold; it is not finished with you. The headaches, fever, fatigue, and sinus pain just won’t go away.
That’s when you realize that you may be dealing with sinusitis. The telltale signs include a headache when you lean over or lie down, nasal discharge that has gotten worse and went from clear to yellow-green, bad breath, and a decreased sense of smell that has left you without an appetite.
Similar to many other ailments, sinusitis comes in two main variations, which include acute and chronic. Acute sinusitis usually comes after a cold or an attack of hay fever. According to one study, about forty percent of people with a cold that lasted more than seven days developed signs of sinusitis that were visible on an x-ray. Acute sinusitis is most commonly caused by viruses.
A sinus infection that lasts for more than three months is considered chronic sinusitis. It is caused by the same viruses; however, there are other factors that make it hard to get rid of such as air pollution, stress, weakened immune system, or allergies. The symptoms of chronic sinusitis are not as intense as acute sinusitis; however, they include the same annoying symptoms such as nasal discharge, congestion, headache, bad breath, fatigue, lack of concentration, reduced sense of smell, and post nasal drip. A fever is not common.
Currently, in the United States, chronic sinusitis is one of the most common chronic illnesses. More than thirty-seven million Americans have the condition according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
Many people have come to the realization that they may have to learn to live with sinusitis until the infection clears up. Thankfully, there is a variety of home and herbal remedies that can help alleviate the symptoms and make life a little more comfortable.
