Best In Class Treatment For Sinus Infections
If youre experiencing the symptoms of a sinus infection, the experienced ENT specialists at Chicago ENT can correctly diagnose your symptoms and help you breathe better.
Our team will work together to customize the ideal treatment plan for your needs. Schedule an appointment at Chicago ENT in Chicago, IL, and get the relief from chronic sinus infections you need!
Suffering From Sinus Infection Its Time To Try Some Effective And Easy Home Remedies That Can Naturally Cure Sinusitis
Written by Satata Karmakar | Updated : August 24, 2022 11:53 AM IST
Sinus infection, also known as Sinusitis is a condition which is marked by the inflammation, or swelling, of the tissue lining the sinuses. What are sinuses? These are the four pairs of cavities found in the head. These four cavities are connected by some narrow channels. These channels act as drainage that helps in keeping the nose clean and free of bacteria. Sinus infection happens when these channels get filled with air and thus leads to blockage of the path in the nose. They often get filled with fluid as well. When the air and the water get accumulated in these channels, bacteria growth begins, which causes an infection known as bacterial sinusitis.
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What Does Sinus Drainage Feel Like
Allergies and sinusitis can often feel very similar stuffy nose, runny nose, wheezing, watery eyes, etc. If your sinus drainage is the cause of the cold, then you will not feel relief from this for days. If allergies are to blame for the sinus drainage, then you will experience relief when you are no longer around the trigger.
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Drainage Or Pus Runny Nose And Strange Smell Or Taste
- Medical Author: Carol DerSarkissian, MD
Reviewed on 6/15/2020
Do you have a stuffy nose? Do you have fullness or pain over your cheeks and forehead? Its possible that your symptoms could be due to the common cold or a sinus infection caused by either a virus or bacteria. Pay attention to your symptoms. If they get worse or dont get better after a few days, check in with your doctor to come into the office.
While the list below can be considered as a guide to educate yourself about these conditions, this is not a substitute for a diagnosis from a health care provider. There are many other medical conditions that also can be associated with your symptoms and signs. Here are a number of those from MedicineNet:
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How To Deal With Bad Breath Caused By Sinusitis
Having a regular bout with sinusitis is already handful enough to deal with, but what if it is coupled with bad breath? That certainly makes things worse.
Why You Experience Bad Breath When You Have Sinusitis
Most people fail to make the connection between their sinusitis and their bad breath. They dont know that bad breath is, in fact, a lesser-known secondary symptom of sinusitis. Heres why having sinusitis leads to bad breath:
Whenever your sinuses are packed with fluids, it leads to swelling and infection. It also leads to the accumulation of mucus in the nasal cavities, causing the foul smell.
When the cavities get clogged, the mucus is forced to travel down the back of the nose and throat instead. The excess mucus leaves behind a trail of a white or yellowish film, creating an ideal breeding ground for bad breath-causing bacteria to multiply.
Mouth breathing is also another cause of bad breath. When the sinuses are clogged with mucus, the tendency is to breathe through ones nose during night time. Mouth breathing dries out the saliva, which is important in keeping the oral cavity healthy and clean. The absence of saliva results to dry mouth, which in turn results to bad breath.
Treatment of Bad Breath Caused by Sinusitis
Drinking plenty of water helps thin out the mucus build up in your sinuses, making it easier to drain. Frequent gargling with warm water and salt as well as tongue scraping also help prevent bad breath.
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An Introduction To Your Sinuses
You have four pairs of sinuses located around your nose and eyes. These air-filled chambers vibrate, adding tonality to your speech, and the mucous membranes that line them filter the air you breathe.
The membranes, or mucosa, can produce up to a quart of mucus per day. As the mucus continually drains away down the back of your throat, it traps bacteria, germs, and viruses. The mucus also keeps your throat and nasal cavities from feeling dried out and scratchy. When you have a sinus infection, your sinus cavities swell and stop draining. The trapped mucus can become infected, causing even more congestion and inflammation, which causes further swelling and blockage. Its a vicious cycle. When this happens over and over, or happens and doesnt go away for weeks or months, you have sinusitis.
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How To Get Relief From Sinusitis
If youve ever struggled to find relief from a sinus infection, youre not alone. Its a condition that impacts over 30 million Americans a year. In the US alone, sinusitis accounts for roughly 70 million days of decreased activity each year.
And, it seems that everyone is looking for a quick fix so they can get on with their daily activities. That being saidâ¦
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What Is Severe Post
The nose, throat, and sinuses are constantly producing mucus. This process usually goes unnoticed, as the mucus is typically diluted saliva long before you swallow it. However, this balance of mucus-to-saliva can be affected by outside factors.
Specifically, a change in the environment such as new allergens or a dramatic shift in the weather can create an uptick in mucus production. Additionally, when your body begins to battle viral infections they body may react by creating more mucus in an attempt to flush out the invading germs.If the sinuses begin creating too much mucus due to an uptick in allergens or when you get ill, the excess mucus drains down the back of the throat, resulting in the condition called post-nasal drip. When post-nasal drip lasts for more than ten days or patients have unrelenting symptoms, they may be experiencing severe post-nasal drip.
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Dental Issues And Poor Oral Hygiene
Cavities, or holes in the teeth, can trap bacteria that release unpleasant gases such as sulfur when they break down. Cavities usually arise due to tooth decay or gingivitis, which can include inflamed gums or gum disease.
These unpleasant gases, which become foul-smelling odors, can travel through small holes in the back of the mouth that connect to the sinuses and cause a bad smell in the nose.
Poor oral hygiene increases the number of food particles left in the mouth that can decay, increasing the risk of developing a bad taste or smell in the mouth.
Dental issues can also increase the risk of developing plaque, which is a thick film of bacteria that can cause tooth decay and inflame the tissues between the teeth and gums .
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But Is It Sinus Infection Or Covid
Overlapping symptoms can make it very difficult to determine whether one has a sinus infection or a COVID-19 infection. If you are unsure of what your symptoms might constitute and have not been tested, use common sense when it comes to symptom management and be mindful of local health ordinances.
Common symptoms of each include:
Sinus Infection
Have You Lost Your Sense Of Taste
Today, if youve lost your sense of taste, its likely that your first thought is that you might have COVID-19. While COVID-19 certainly can cause a loss of taste and smell, a sinus infection could also be the culprit. The quickest way to tell the difference and make sure youre not spreading the coronavirus to those around you is to get tested.
If a cold or allergy has caused a nasal blockage and loss of taste, then reducing inflammation is key in the fight against a sinus infection. If youve tried all the home remedies and youre still not finding relief, its time to get help.
Our team will work with you to find a treatment plan thats right for your circumstances. Dont let a sinus infection keep you from enjoying your favorite foods. Give ENT Associates of Lubbock a call today.
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What Effects Does A Loss Of Sense Of Smell Have
Individuals with anosmia might lose interest in eating and food which could lead to weight loss and malnutrition.
When you have anosmia, you should ensure you have functioning smoke alarms in your home in various locations. You should also be careful with the use of natural gas and with food storage since you might have issues detecting gas leaks and spoiled food.
Some suggested precautions are:
Smelling Ammonia All The Time
Urine can vary in color and smell based on the number of waste products in addition to fluids you take in over the course of this day. However, some out-of-the-ordinary scents may indicate you need to seek medical treatment. One such instance is a sweet smell into the urine, which can mean excess glucose in the urine. Another is the smell of ammonia, which includes a robust and chemical-like odor. While urine that smells like ammonia is not necessarily caused for concern, there are some cases where it may be.
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The Effects Of Sinusitis
Whether acute or chronic, sinusitis can have a significant impact on your health, leading to:
- Difficulty breathing
- Pain and pressure around your sinuses
Among these symptoms lies an unlikely effect a loss or reduction of your sense of smell and taste.
Lets start with your loss of smell. First, because of the congestion that often comes with sinusitis, youre unable to breathe in deeply enough to reach the olfactory sensory neurons higher up in your nose to initiate smell in the first place.
Second, the viral infection inside your nasal passageways can temporarily damage your highly sensitive sensory cells.
Your sense of taste and its relationship to sinusitis is trickier. The condition doesnt necessarily lead to a direct loss of taste, but it can alter the sense because your sense of smell and taste are linked. Taste and smell work in lockstep, and when you lose one, the other is compromised.
Your sense of taste may also be altered because of a pervading foul taste brought on my infected mucus at the back of your mouth and throat.
The bottom line is that the sooner you come in to see us for treatment, the sooner we can restore order among your senses. If you suspect you have sinusitis, please call us so we can set up an appointment.
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Prevent A Bad Smelling Nose
There are many lifestyle changes that can help you alleviate the bad smell in the nose, including:
- Practicing good dental hygiene
- Avoiding dehydrating foods and drinks
- Treating nasal and sinus inflammation
- Avoiding foods that cause bad breath
- Stopping smoking and other tobacco products
If you are still experiencing bad breath and an unpleasant smell in the nose, talk to your local ENT at SW Idaho ENT today.
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Can A Sinus Infection Make You Lose Sense Of Taste
A sinus infection can make you miserable, and thats not a surprise at all. But when foods that you would normally enjoy seem tasteless, its even more miserable. So why does this happen?
Whether you realize it or not, your sense of taste is linked to your sense of smell. In fact, much of what you taste is actually what you smell. When you have a sinus infection, the congestion that causes the infection can actually block your sense of smell. This is why you can seem to lose your sense of taste during a sinus infection.
Symptoms of a Sinus Infection can vary from person to person, but they often include at least a few of the following:
- Sinus headaches and facial pressure
- Sore throat and cough
While some sinus infections may require antibiotics or prescription medications, many times there are ways that you can treat the symptoms of your sinus infection at home.
- Hot, steamy showers to help loosen mucus
- A Neti pot or saline spray
Treating your symptoms as early as you can is important because if left untreated sinus infections can have a lasting or even permanent impact on your health.
What Home Remedies Help Soothe Sinus Infection Or Sinusitis Symptoms
Sinus infections caused by viruses can use home treatments such as pain and fever medications , decongestants, and mucolytics. In addition, some health care professionals suggest nasal irrigation or a sinus rinse solution to help relieve symptoms of sinus infections, even chronic sinusitis symptoms. This irrigation is accomplished with a Neti-Pot or a sinus rinse kit . The last reference of this article shows a video of a sinus rinse procedure. In 2012, the FDA issued a warning about the use of Neti-Pots. The FDA cautions people not to use untreated tap water for rinsing, as contaminated tap water rinses lead to two deaths.
Bacterial and fungal sinus infections usually require antibiotic or antifungal therapy so home treatments without them are often not successful. However, some authors suggest home treatments may reduce symptoms after medical therapy has begun some healthcare professionals recommend nasal irrigation after sinus surgery.
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Can Sinus Infection Cause Bad Smelling Mucus In Nose
Sinus infection is the colonization of the sinuses by foreign microorganisms leading to inflammation or swelling, normally filled with air. The truth is that this infection can cause bad smell in the nose. The inflammation makes them to become blocked and filled with bacteria which then grow. This inflammation is called sinusitis.
A sinus infection can start when you have a cold. Similarly, It could happen when you some condition that is known as deviated septum that refers to a shift in your nasal cavity. Your examining doctor should be able to prescribe for you the best remedy.
There are various symptoms that could tell you that you have a sinus infection:
- Thick yellow or pain around your face and eyes
- A cold that will not go away
- Post nasal drip
- Blockage of your nose
- Headache mainly on the forehead
There is a whole mechanism on how the inflammation of the sinus leads to the bad smell in the nose. The inflamed sinus clogs the nose and this creates a warm, moist environment which is the best culture medium for bacteria colonization. The bacteria in the mucus multiply fast.
The infection makes things to get worse in the nose. Your body starts an act of fighting the infection using the immune system response mechanism. The fight makes the body to respond by secretion of more mucus. The mucous membrane also dilates blood vessels.
Try A Homemade Saltwater Rinse
Using a saltwater rinse can help temporarily reduce the intensity of a bad smell in the nose.
To make a saltwater rinse at home:
People can also use a soft rubber ear bulb syringe or a commercial nasal saline rinse product from a drug store.
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How You Can Treat Sinusitis Yourself
You can often treat mild sinusitis without seeing a GP by:
- getting plenty of rest
- taking painkillers, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen
- avoiding allergic triggers and not smoking
- cleaning your nose with a salt water solution to ease congestion
If you have a high temperature or you do not feel well enough to do your normal activities, try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people until you feel better.
You do not need to use all of the solution, but make a fresh solution each time you clean your nose.
How Is Sinus Infection Diagnosed
Diagnosis depends on symptoms and requires an examination of the throat, nose and sinuses. Your allergist will look for:
- Discolored nasal discharge
If your sinus infection lasts longer than eight weeks, or if standard antibiotic treatment is not working, a sinus CT scan may help your allergist diagnose the problem. Your allergist may examine your nose or sinus openings. The exam uses a long, thin, flexible tube with a tiny camera and a light at one end that is inserted through the nose. It is not painful. Your allergist may give you a light anesthetic nasal spray to make you more comfortable.
Mucus cultures: If your sinus infection is chronic or has not improved after several rounds of antibiotics, a mucus culture may help to determine what is causing the infection. Most mucus samples are taken from the nose. However, it is sometimes necessary to get mucus directly from the sinuses.
Knowing what kind of bacteria is causing the infection can lead to more effective antibiotic therapy. A fungus could also cause your sinus infection. Confirming the presence of fungus is important. Fungal sinus infection needs to be treated with antifungal agents, rather than antibiotics. In addition, some forms of fungal sinus infection allergic fungal sinus infection, for example do not respond to antifungal agents and often require the use of oral steroids.
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