Are your sinuses bothering you? Nose all stuffed up, running, pressure in your face?
Those are common symptoms this time of year due to the weather changing, doors closing, and furnaces coming on!
There are several things you can do to prevent your sinuses from acting up:
1. Check your furnace filter
Make sure your furnace filter is good and fresh. For the best air quality (and happy sinuses), changing your filter with every change of season is recommended (that's every three months - Northeast Ohio weather doesn't always swing on a predictable season calendar!).
2. Rinse your nose
You might wrinkle your nose at the prospect, but a saline rinse can rid your nasal passageways of thick or dried mucus, easing all of that pressure, restoring moisture, and easing inflammation of the mucous membranes in your sinuses.
3. Wash your hands frequently
Clean hands are the pathway to disease prevention, and this is especially important during the winter months. Colds and allergies cause mucus to build up in your sinuses, so keep those germs away by frequent hand washing.
4. Use allergy medicine
We usually only think of allergies during the green seasons, but allergies can still cause problems during the cold months. Allergies cause the passages of your nose and sinuses to swell because they're trying to get rid of whatever it is you're allergic to. So even if you think allergy season is over, don't drop the allergy medicine!
5. Stay away from your sick friends
The best solution for sinus infections is to avoid them in the first place! Protect yourself from unnecessary discomfort and skip the shopping trip with that sniffling shopping buddy - WalMart can wait.
Sinus Pressure Still Got You Down?
If these remedies don't work and you find yourself repeatedly dealing with sinus infections, you may be a candidate for balloon sinuplasty. Ashland ENT performs this technique. Balloon sinuplasty is very minimally invasive, less expensive, and performed right in our friendly office environment.
If you think you might have chronic sinus problems call us for an appointment to find out if balloon sinuplasty is the best solution. Click here for more sinus information.
