The Hindu Business Line : Minus the sinus

Every year, my sinusitis plays up. I feel miserable because my voice sounds nasal. My doctor says that the sinus cavities around my eyes and nose get clogged up. He says if it gets chronic, I might have to go in for surgery. Are there any p reventive steps I can take to improve my condition? Should I relocate to a less humid city? Are there any foods I should avoid or include? Please help me.

Vinaya Ghanekar

Please do not panic. The sinus cavities around your nose purify the air you breathe in before it reaches your lungs. When the cavities are clear, they give a resonance to your voice. If they clog up or their lining swells up, you sound nasal. If they get infected, you are diagnosed as having ‘sinusitis’. Due to the air trapped in the cavity and the build-up of mucus, you feel pressure or pain around your nose and eyes. Mild sinusitis clears up in 3-10 days and needs no medical treatment. Acute sinusitis lasts a few weeks and might need antibiotics. Chronic sinusitis is present almost through the year.

‘Chronic’ means any one of these three conditions: One, the drainage channels from the sinuses to the nose are narrow and have to be enlarged to allow freer air-flow. Two, the nasal septum — the cartilage-cum-bone wall between the nostrils — may be bent and has to be straightened for easier air-flow. Even rarer is the presence of polyps — tiny tissue growths in the nose’s mucus-secreting lining — that may have to be removed.

An X-ray can show what’s causing the blockage. But remember, you have the choice to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to surgery. Many people manage their sinusitis beautifully. Here’s what you can do:

■ Include steam-inhalation in your daily routine. Fill a bowl with steaming hot water, cover your head with a towel, and inhale the steam for 10 minutes. The moist steam loosens stubborn congestion.

■ Ask your doctor if any of your medications are aggravating your sinuses. If so, change them. Tip: aspirin and birth-control pills are known allergens.

■ Cycle or walk briskly every day to keep your sinus cavities clear.

■ Inhale from right nostril, exhale from left nostril. Then inhale from left nostril, exhale from right nostril. Do this 10 times regularly.

■ Boil two teaspoons of methi seeds in 300 ml of water until it reduces to half. Drink this hot mixture for 10 days.

■ Have a vitamin C tablet every day.

■ Add garlic, black pepper, onions, ginger to your meals. Add ginger and black pepper powder to your tea. The ‘fire’ in these spices clears sinus blockage.

■ Put a drop of onion juice in your nostrils on bad days. Beware! It stings! But the relief is immense.

■ Rub Vicks Vaporub around your nose and below your eyes at bedtime. Rubbing tender spots improves the blood circulation to these places. The ointment’s soothing warmth helps you sleep deeper.

■ Quit adding ice to your beverages.

■ During work, suck a strong minty lozenge to help you concentrate.

■ Jot down what you’ve eaten on the day sinusitis strikes and smartly avoid these foods in the future. Relocating to a dry clime won’t help. A sensitive constitution makes you allergy-prone. In a humid climate, you may develop an allergy to mould. In a dry climate, you may develop an allergy to dust. Try and identify the allergens in your environment and don’t expose yourself to them. Remember: by exercising and deep breathing daily you will be strengthening your immunity system. This inner armour will make you less vulnerable to sinusitis.

This is regarding an earlier suggestion on gargling with sunflower oil. How can anyone possibly not swallow for 15 minutes? I tried but I have to swallow often. I am surprised no one else has asked this question. I got scared and only d id it for a minute. I would like to try it for the full 15 minutes, but how?

JQ

Not to swallow the oil requires an alertness as well as determination and discipline to get the best out of the process. You managed it for a minute. That’s good. Increase the time-span gradually — one-and-a-half minutes, two… and so on. Since the saliva also mixes with the oil and builds up in the mouth, it is okay to spit out small amounts into the basin every time you feel like swallowing. Just as first-time meditators experience muscle twitches, so do first-time oil-garglers experience nervous twitches that make them want to swallow. Relax completely before you gargle. Let go all tension, resistance, nervousness. Sit on a chair that supports your back. Then put a tablespoonful of sunflower oil into your mouth. Don’t just hold the oil in your mouth. Squish it all around gently as if you are a child reluctant to swallow your milk. You could put on your CD and decide to keep the oil in your mouth until you hear out 3-4 of your favourite songs. Soon, you will feel a pleasant fullness building up in your mouth. Get up, go to the basin and spit out some oil. Return to your chair. Let the music play on, let the oil too play around in your mouth. Shift it from one cheek to another. Soon you’ll find 15… 20 minutes have gone by. Now, spit out all oil and brush your teeth with a nice, minty toothpaste. In the days to come, you will find your teeth are more gleaming white, better rooted, less serrated. And no, it is not okay to swallow the oil. With practice, you will get the hang of it.

The writer is co-author of the book ‘Fitness for Life’.

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