Sinusitis: all therapies

Sinusitis is the inflammation of one or more paranasal sinuses, that is, those cavities dug inside the bones that are located near the nose and eyes. They perform various tasks: they heat and humidify the inspired air, are important for olfactory perception and help modulate the voice.

When they become inflamed they give a typical headache, which adults can recognize quite easily. More problematic if it affects a child, because the symptoms can be so clear and this often delays treatment.

Causes and therapies

The most frequent causes of sinusitis are viral infections, first of all the classic cold. And then allergic rhinitis, which often gives rise to a chronic form and tends over time to be associated with asthma.

Anatomical abnormalities, such as deviation of the nasal septum, or the introduction of foreign bodies can sometimes be called into question.

In children, the enlargement of the adenoids, also due to infectious episodes, can be an additional factor that acts as a reservoir of microorganisms and determines obstruction.

In this regard, in fact, it should be noted that the sinuses communicate with the nasal cavities through thin channels that, in case of congestion of the mucosa, can easily reduce or close completely, thus allowing any pathogens present to proliferate undisturbed.

In the absence of complications (due to the extension of the inflammatory process to nearby sites such as the eye socket) and especially if diagnosed in time, sinusitis resolves effectively with antibiotic therapy, which must be prescribed by the doctor or pediatrician.

Obviously, if sinusitis is associated with allergy, it is advisable to intervene also on the latter, being in itself a cause of inflammation and abnormal reactivity to infectious agents.

Supportive care

No less important are supportive measures, aimed at counteracting inflammation as well as promoting breathing, drainage of mucus and possibly the physical elimination of pathogens.

It is essential to maintain a scrupulous hygiene of the nasal cavities, practicing a systematic washing with saline, useful to remove both secretions and any microorganisms present.

Alternative strategies to nasal washing are:

• the traditional aerosol
• fumigations with the addition of essential oils or aromatic herbs (thyme, eucalyptus, ginger)
• inhalations of thermal waters (sulphurous and salsobromoiodic), essential oils (lavender, eucalyptus), lemon, chamomile or propolis.

Products based on propolis, zinc, vitamin C, willow, licorice, echinacea that help strengthen the immune system and have anti-inflammatory action can also be useful.

And then, they help nasal baths and showers, to be practiced preferably in the morning, herbal teas with anti-inflammatory action and, again, decoctions of horehound, tussilage or hyssop to promote the fluidification of mucus.