Sinus Congestion: Causes, Symptoms, and Support Strategies (2nd part)

 

Eliminate Food Sensitivities

If you suffer from chronic sinus congestion, I recommend identifying and eliminating all food sensitivities. To identify your food sensitivities, you can take a food intolerance test.

To do an elimination diet, remove all common food sensitivities, including wheat, gluten, soy, fish, shellfish, eggs, dairy products, peanuts, as well as any other food you think might trigger. Eliminate these foods for two to four weeks, then slowly reintroduce them one by one.

Keep a food diary to record your meals and any symptoms. Leave two to three days between each introduction and monitor your body for reactions. If you notice negative reactions, immediately remove that food. You can reintroduce a food two or three times to check for false negative or positive reactions. Foods to which you continually react with any symptom, you are sensitive to and must remove from your diet.

Consider a Low-Histamine Diet

As you learned earlier, histamine sensitivity may be the reason for your chronic sinus congestion. The best way to see if histamine sensitivity is the cause of your problems is to try a low-histamine diet. Eliminate high-histamine foods, including eggplant, spinach, tomatoes, citrus fruits, processed and smoked meats, dried fruits, vinegar and vinegar-based foods, fermented foods, shellfish and peanuts.

Do a two-week trial to see if your symptoms improve. If your symptoms improve, you can try reintroducing these foods one by one to see if you can tolerate them, otherwise, continue to follow a low-histamine diet.

Support Intestinal Microbiome Health

 Your intestinal microbiome can play a critical role in the development of chronic sinus congestion. Reducing bad bacteria and improving your intestinal health is essential for your immune system and can reduce your symptoms.

Although an anti-inflammatory and gut-friendly diet is essential for intestinal health, I also recommend taking high-quality probiotics like Protiotic 7-in-1 for intestinal dysbiosis, leaky gut syndrome, and poor intestinal bacterial balance.

Clean Up Your Air Quality

Reducing your risk of environmental allergens is essential to improving your health if you have nasal congestion. Make sure your home is free of mold. If there is mold in your home, make sure to do professional mold remediation or move to a mold-free home. Vacuum regularly at home. Invest in a high-quality air purifier to reduce your exposure to dust, pollen, and other air allergens.

Put lots of natural plants in your home to increase the fresh oxygen around you. Avoid using conventional toxic cleaning, beauty, and body products and replace them with natural and organic products to clean your environment.

Acupressure Technique

 For immediate relief from sinus congestion, you can try a simple acupressure technique. Place and press your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Instead of aiming for a specific point, simply press flat against the palate. Then put your finger between your eyebrows and apply some pressure.

Hold this position for about 20 seconds. There’s a good chance you’ll feel your sinuses start to drain.

Diffuse Essential Oils

Diffusing essential oils is another strategy that can help relieve your symptoms. Eucalyptus oil and oregano oil can be particularly supportive. Opening a bottle and inhaling peppermint oil can be beneficial for inflammation, and a 2015 study showed that it can help fight bacteria responsible for sinus congestion.

Use a Neti Pot

 Neti pots are small personal hygiene devices that look like a teapot. They are used for nasal irrigation which allows you to pour a saline solution into your nasal cavity to help relieve symptoms of nasal congestion.

Using Neti pots helps to rinse your sinuses, relieve blockages, remove nasal debris, maintain the mucous membrane moist, and improve breathing. If you don’t have a Neti pot, you can use a squeeze bottle instead.

Consider Using Colloidal Silver

 Colloidal silver consists of nanometer-sized silver particles that create a very effective form of silver. Colloidal silver is created by mechanically grinding metallic silver into tiny silver particles or by converting silver salts into small silver crystals using an electrochemical reaction. Colloidal silver or nano-silver spray can reduce fungal or microbial growth in the nasal cavity.

For immune health and upper respiratory tract support, I recommend putting colloidal silver in a spray bottle. I recommend spraying in each nostril every few hours until symptoms are eliminated.

Immune Support Nutrients

 To further support your immune health, there are a variety of immune support nutrients you can try. Here’s what I recommend:

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is absolutely necessary for your immune health.

I generally recommend about 1,000 IU per 11 kg of body weight to help reach the optimal range and maintain it.

Zinc

Zinc is essential for your immune health.

I recommend consuming a zinc-rich diet full of grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, oysters, wild salmon, chickpeas, lentils, pumpkin seeds, cashews, and asparagus. If you have a weakened immune system, it may be very helpful to take an additional 20 mg of zinc per day to support your immune response.

It is important to take zinc before bedtime, otherwise you may experience nausea.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is one of the most well-known nutrients for immune support.

To increase your vitamin C levels, I recommend using a high-quality vitamin C supplement daily in addition to consuming vitamin C-rich foods, including citrus fruits, kiwi, pineapple, tomatoes, green and red peppers, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

Bioflavonoids

Bioflavonoids can be beneficial for respiratory conditions.

I recommend eating foods rich in bioflavonoids, including lemon, lime, oranges, cherries, grapes, strawberries, bell pepper, garlic, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli.

A constantly blocked and runny nose due to chronic sinus congestion is very common. Yet, there’s no reason for you to have to deal with these uncomfortable symptoms any longer. Try my natural support strategies to improve your immune health and overall well-being.

 

Here is what I recommend:

 

To your good health!

Colombe Gauvin ND. K.in.