Does anyone else here suffer from chronic sinus problems?
I am going to go see another ENT soon. My primary care dr says there is nothing he can do for me..
I have already had sinus & septoplasty surgery in 03'.
I live in Florida and that is part of the problem. There is always something blooming here as well as mold all over due to the humid rainy climate.
If there are any other sufferers out there, let me know. Maybe we can help oneanother??

shanti0608 said:

Yes!!!

I have major allergy issues and have been through all the testing and so on. I did the back scratch and arm scratch test and had reactions to ALL 51 scratches. My allergist told me basically there is no environment I could exist in without there being something in the air I'd have a reaction to. Now my common reactions are just having a stuffed up nose and runny nose. So I submitted to all the injections and pills for awhile, but I'd grow immune to them over time...

I have let go of all the over the counter medications as well as prescription drugs because of the bullshit side affects that come with putting "unnatural" things in your body in order to cure.

I have been going to a Holistic/Natural Herbalist/Doctor (if you will) for all that has been ailing me on every level. She has prescribed accupuncture and all natural Chinese herbs for me and I have let go of all "dairy" products as the mucous build up in your body is directly attributed to being clogged daily and I have been breathing easy ever since!

So I would suggest first, attempting to stay away from the allergens that you KNOW affect you directly and quickly...then get a full check up with a Dr that is willing to approach it from a natural standpoint because you are allergic to things that are of a natural existence in most cases.

DexMSR said:

Thanks!

I too had all of the allergy tests and I used to do the shots before we moved. I also decided to stay away from all of the OTC & RX crap due to side effects. Unless I am really miserable I do not use anything. Lately though I have had to use my Flonase & yesterday I had a horrible sinus headache so I took an Advil sinus pill.
I started to see an alternative/conventional med dr recently and he told me to find a new ENT and get a 2nd opinion. He said he could not help me with my sinus/allergy problem. He did take me off of dairy a while back and that helped a little. I have never liked milk, my weakness is cheese!
My primary "alternative" dr says all of our problems come from our diet...
He also said I must have some kind of blockage or obstruction. I explained to him that I have already had surgery and I do not want to keep going through sinus surgeries. He then told me that I must not want to resolve this issue...
I have heard that he is a good dr but I am starting to wonder..
I am going to try a new ENT soon and I will see what he has to say. I have suffered with this my whole life but it has gotten worse since we moved up about an hour north of where we were. We are surrounded by trees, before we were in the city. I am just tired of being tired and run down from it.
Maybe I will try to find an accupuncurist. I have not tried that yet.
I just cleaned both of the bathrooms so the chmicals have my head a mess right now.
Thanks for your help!

So what about the lack of energy?

JoeyMFinCoco said:

I am assuming that is coming from my sinus problem...

Me 2!

This winter was particularly bad. I had a sinus infection which required 3 weeks of antibiotics. I had to get X-Rays, & a CT Scan just to ensure that it was what it was. Yesterday I was re-tested for alleries, and now I'm on my 3rd nasal spray- Flonase. I was thinking of doing surgery and/or the allery shots but after reading your posts I'm having 2nd thoughts. I'm going to look into a Herbalist....

I'm not sure if you've tried this yet, it was recommended to me by the allergist yesterday. It's a salt water rinse called Neil Med Sinus Rinse. I'm going to try it. It might be worth a shot.

ronnie said:

I know about the sinus infection thing! For some reason the dr's here only give a 5 day antibiotic called Levaquin-Pak for my sinus infections. So, they always come back...
My sister in law who is a nurse says you cannot fully get rid of a sinus infection unless you are on antibiotics for a least 3 wks.
I have been on antibiotics all of my life and I am tired of going that route though I just did the 5 day thing about a month ago.
Like I said I had the surgeries and I was better for a while but now back to the same way I was before..
I will try the rinse though. I already use a saline spray but I will try that one.
Thanks!

shanti0608 said:

I would suggest you clean your home with all natural cleaning products as well... google Dr. Bonner's and also hit your local organic foods shopping stores...do you have Whole Foods markets there or Trader Joes...? They, like most health first stores have cleaning alternatives as well from laundry detergent to basic cleaning items....I changed my soaps, I don't do lotions...nothing artificial goes on my body..and I am "gradually" making that the case for internal....it is a brand new discipline, but neccessary in our situation sweety!

Whap!

ronnie said:

Yes, I have one of them...the nasal rinse pot...it does a good job as well.

You're constipated.

I'm not talking about hard poo poo here.
I mean, your system is consitpated.
This is due to a high animal based intake of food with relatively little fruits and veggies to match it (or becuase you're eating too frequently or in too great a supply).


Here's what you should do.

1) Cut all dairy out of your diet for a month
2) For a week try to go with only fruits and veggies with minimal meat.

or

Do a water only fast for 3 to 5 days.

AsianBomb777 said:

I have already cut out dairy and I rarely eat meat as it is. i shop at an organic market as much s possible. I have started to drink lots of water too. I have never been a big meat eater.
I know that I could improve my diet even more then I aready have. I never eat fast food and I usually make dinner from scratch. My husband won't eat anything from a box as it is.
Gotta go finish making dinner actually. My veggie steamer is almost ready to ding!
Thanks for the info!

shanti0608 said:

You might also want to give you body a fresh/clean start by doing the Master Cleanse...this will totally clean out your entire system, kidneys, liver, pancreas, intestines, etc, and then adhere as much as possible to your diet and no dairy...you will feel so much better after have gotten rid of the residue left behind by the things you shouldn't eat.

http://www.geocities.com/...eanse.html

I've done this a few times...the first time for a week, then a 3-day from time to time!

Whap!

I don't eat meat. I haven't for the last 5+ years. I eat fish once a month, if that. My allergies/sinuses are not better off because of that. They are consistently the same.

Regarding lack of energy.... I work out 5 or 6 times per week. It really helps to energize me. It's also [about] the only time during the day that I can BREATH better.

I've started doing yoga once a week. This winter because everyone was sick in class, the instructor recommended a breathing exercise that she says it's proven to help with respiratory ailments.
She called it "humming breathing" or something. You inhale deeply through the nose, and exhale through the nose while you hum [allow your belly to raise on the inhale and fall with the exhale]. I do it on occassion only so I can't tell if it actually works. If anything, it's relaxing!

IMO - there's something about our environment that causes this "allergy" phenomenon.

I spent a LOT of time in Honduras as a small child, and I NEVER had problems with allergies. It wasn't until I reached my twenties that they started hitting me.

My wife and most people I know are allergy sufferers.

NOW...my children (ages 3, 5 & 7) are suffering from allergies!!!!! WTF?!?!

Must be something in the air OTHER than pollen that's affecting people. Has to be. Humans are creatures wrought from nature. I can't imagine cavemen walking around sneezing and red-eyed every spring & summer.

ronnie said:

Thanks for the info.
I took a yoga class a year ago and we did the humming thing also. I forgot about that. I used to exercise but stopped about a month ago when I go t sick again. Now I lack the energy and will to start again. Maybe I need to go back to Yoga.

PurpleJedi said:

I agree with you. I think it is probably the pollution and man made things like that. Something is wearing down our immune systems and causing us to be more sensitive to things then we would normally be.

I agree with PurpleJedi. I grew up in South America [although many moons ago] where 'allergies' are non-existent. As far as I knew, no one had them back then. I started suffering from allergies here in Canada, as an adult.... and it really SUCKS!

How do your allergies affect you on humid/smog/hazy days?

This whole week it's been like that here. One smog or humidex advisory warning after another. I only have 1 functioning nostril at any one given time. It's really difficult to breath on regular days, let alone breath this humid air. The flonase spray isn't working

Shanti,
Yoga is great!! I really love the serenity it gives me to get through the week. I have a new found respect for people who do Yoga and/or Pilates. Who would have thought that they would be so difficult to do. It's harder than weight lifting!

ronnie said:

Well, lately here in Florida it has rained everday. Everything is moldy and damp. I am suffering! I wake up stuffy and congested. Sorry to hear the Flonase is not working for you. It usually works for me when I use it...

I have heard the surgeries just make it worse. I am just as bad with my allergies. Florida sucks in so many ways.

MsLegs said:

I have the same problem with where I live.
I am in Florida, where are you?
I have been outwest and I usually feel better there.
When you said you were allergic to soy, it made me think of something. When my dr told me to stop dairy, I did switch some of the dairy to soy. Like about once a month I crave chocolate milk. Since I do not like milk and the dr took me off of dairy, I started drinking soy (silk) but my allergies got worse.
I wonder if it is the soy?

jerseykrs said:

Well, my surgeries helped for a little while but I am pretty much back to where I was before...
The septoplasty surgery was very unpleasant. Don't think I would do that again. Since my sinus surgery I did hear that it is not good to go in and disturb the sinuses..
Who knows!
I do not want to have surgery again though!
My allergies/sinuses have been worse since we moved north from St Pete to Spring Hill.

shanti0608 said:

check the kinds of plants around you. Those are huge triggers.

shanti0608 said:

Your probably allergic to Soy as well. My doctor did an allergy test and found that I was so I have to watch what I eat. Also, I have to limit dairy products as well since I've been off allergy shots.

jerseykrs said:

I know a big part of my problem are the trees in our yard & surrounding areas.
We did not have many trees around in St Pete.
Oh well, guess I will have to live with it somehow. Until we get the hell out of FL someday- hopefully soon!
[Edited 6/12/05 4:50am]

shanti0608 said:

Your right. It's the tress and grass. You might want to relocate to Arizona. I know thats what they keep telling me.

Now brace yourself on this one. The allergies are so bad where my live that my damn has allergies and asthma. I had to take him to the vet the other day for a damn sinus infection and have him get an allergy shot and vet tells me maybe you two should move to Arizona.
[Edited 6/12/05 10:31am]

MsLegs said:

AWW, poor kitty!

shanti0608 said:

My is really pissed off w/me b/c I had to also give him penicilln pills for his sinus infection. This was murder. Fortunately, this is the last day and won't have to be with me anymore.
[Edited 6/12/05 11:09am]

Hotlegs said:

Giving cats medicine is like wrestling with an alligator!
I remember!
I have 3 dogs now, they eat anything...