Sinusitis
What is Sinusitis?
Every time we breathe, air passes through our nostrils and into the nasal passage. As the air travels through this area on its way to our lungs, it passes through a series of cavities in the cranium located around the eyes, cheekbones, and forehead. These cavities are known as the sinuses, and sinusitis occurs when these cavities are inflamed. Typically, when pathogens like viruses, bacteria, or fungi are inhaled, they pass through the system without any problems. But when someone has a cold, allergies, or something else that causes congestion and obstruction of the sinuses, pathogens can get trapped inside. When they do, the mucus membranes that line the sinuses get inflamed, and sinusitis is the result.
As such, sinusitis is often a resulting condition of having a cold or an allergic reaction. When this inflammation occurs, the sufferer may experience pain surrounding the sinuses, nasal congestion, a postnasal drip, a cough, bad breath, and even a fever.
Western medicine considers a case of sinusitis to be acute if it lasts up to eight weeks, and chronic if it lasts longer than eight weeks.
The Western approach to treating sinusitis that results from a virus associated with a cold is to let it take its course and to relieve symptoms through the use of saline nasal sprays, decongestant medications, nasal corticosteroids, and pain relievers (like ibuprofen or acetaminophen). Bacterial and fungal infections can require a more involved medicinal regimen with antibiotic or anti-fungal properties. It is sometimes recommended that the sufferer undergo surgery of their sinuses if they experience a chronic case of sinusitis that resists standard treatment.
How Does Ayurveda View Sinusitis?
When treating the common cold, an Ayurvedic practitioner will investigate the nature of the symptoms and provide treatments in response. Symptoms that reflect a Vata imbalance, such as a dry cough, will be responded to with Vata-balancing therapies. Symptoms that reflect a Pitta imbalance, such as a yellow and green mucus discharge, will be responded to with Pitta-balancing therapies. Symptoms that reflect a Kapha imbalance, such as a clear or white mucus discharge, will be responded to with Kapha balancing therapies. Through these dosha-specific therapies, the sufferer of the cold can work to overcome their symptoms and build the strength of the immune system.
Ayurveda takes a similar approach to sinusitis. Though Ayurvedic practitioners generally recognize symptoms associated with sinusitis to be indicative of an infection in these various pairs of cavities, the response to the infection is based on whether it has a Vata, Pitta, or Kapha quality.
Vata-based sinusitis is indicated by a rough, aching pain and the emission of a frothy-like substance. This pain can be accompanied by a sense of dryness and thirst, and can become exacerbated at night.
Pitta-based sinusitis is indicated by a sense of heat in the sinuses and stabbing sensations of pain. Pitta-based sinusitis can also be indicated by yellow secretions.
Kapha-based sinusitis is indicated by itchy sensations in the sinuses that can become numb. Kapha-based sinusitis can also be indicated by white, pus-like secretions.
Sinusitis can also be indicated by two or even three doshic imbalances, and these more complicated conditions are especially difficult to treat.
How Does Ayurveda Treat Sinusitis?
Ayurveda’s treatment of sinusitis centers on the condition being responded to as the infection being a type of wound. As such, some of the more involved therapies administered by an Ayurvedic practitioner have both antiseptic and antibiotic properties. All of these therapies, of course, are defined not by chemically-based medicines (like Western culture’s antibiotics) but decoctions made from herbs with the necessary qualities to help the body eradicate the ailment.
Along with recommending dosha-balancing lifestyle modifications for each of the doshic types of sinusitis, the below recommendations sometimes include a layman’s references to remedies that may be applied to the afflicted sinuses and other therapies that can be self-administered. Cleaning of the sinuses through therapies such as Nasya, when administered by an Ayurvedic therapist, or the simple use of warm salt water sucked up each nostril a few times a day will relieve the accumulated mucus. Lifestyle changes for sinusitis reflect therapies recommended for the common cold as well.
Lifestyle Changes for Sinusitis
When we neglect to establish the root cause of one illness, it can turn into another, stronger illness in the future. The first step in resolving a specific ailment or disease in the body is to assess the nature of our lifestyle and make general modifications. Living our day-to-day life with a deliberate intention to improve our health will help us to both resolve the disease we are suffering from and prevent further incidence of it and other diseases in the future. Regardless of the doshic imbalances associated with sinusitis, it is important to eat simple foods like cooked vegetables and broths, avoid packaged and processed foods that form toxicity in the body, and avoid sweets, meat products, and heavy foods like cheese.
Vata
- Create an herbalized oil, combining sesame oil with neem, vidanga, chitrak, pippali, vacha, and mustard and apply to the face.
- When the nose is dry, apply three drops of sesame oil to the nostril and rub along the inside.
- Repeat for the other nostril and before sleep.
- Gargle with a tablespoon of warm sesame oil and a pinch of licorice and turmeric.
- Avoid excessive movement.
Pitta
- Combine 16 parts milk, 4 parts ghee, and 1 part herbs (manjishtha, poppy seeds, vidari kand, turmeric, triphala, and licorice). Cook together and drink as a healing remedy.
- Avoid eating late at night so as to prevent weak digestion.
- Avoid talking and thinking in excess.
- Avoid violent TV shows, as this creates heat in the body.
Kapha
- Avoid breads baked with yeast and white bleached wheat.
- Fast for one day to burn off toxic matter in the body and help drain the excess mucus.
- Take an herbal concoction of senna or castor oil at night one hour before bed for one to two days to aid the colon in cleansing itself. The amount used should be mild, and the castor oil can be one tablespoon to half cup of warm water.
- Mix a pinch of salt with a tablespoon of warm water and suck it up the nostrils, one at a time.
Better Foods For Sinusitis
Ayurveda teaches us that disease and sickness are derived from poor digestion and inappropriate food choices. We then have the opportunity to make deliberate and more conscious decisions as to what foods we do and do not put in our body which increase the chance of resolving the body’s imbalance.
Food needs to be in season, in moderate combinations of one or two food groups, not too hot or cold, in a modest enough quantity to allow for room left over in the stomach, consumed without too much liquid which hinders digestive power, and should be fresh and not left over from more than a few hours before. The following foods are recommended for symptoms related to imbalances for each of the three doshas:
Ghee
Milk
Berries
Apricots
Figs(Fresh)
Peaches
Plums
Carrots
Beets
Zucchini
Sweet potatoes
Asparagus
Whole wheat (unbleached)
Rice (white basmati)
Mung beans
Ghee
Apples
Pears
Mangoes
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Brussels Sprouts
Asparagus
Barley
Oats (cooked)
Rice (white basmati)
Milk
Olive oil
Coconut oil
Prunes
Raisins
Cherries
Pomegranates
Figs(Dry)
Radishes
Onions
Sprouts
Brussels Sprouts
Vegetable soup
Barley
Millet
Ghee
Mustard oil
Foods To AVOID In Response To Sinusitis
While some foods can help to balance an aggravated dosha, other foods can cause further imbalance. Dry and cold foods as well as pungent, bitter and astringent tastes will dry out the body and aggravate the Vata dosha. Sour, salty and pungent tastes as well as spicy foods will add more heat to the body and aggravate the Pitta dosha. Sweet, sour and salty tasting foods will add heaviness to the body and aggravate the Kapha dosha. The following foods are organized by dosha and should be avoided in response to whichever type of symptoms are being experienced in relation to the sinusitis:
Apples
Pears
Watermelon
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Celery
Eggplant
Corn
Oats (dry)
Barley
Most legumes including green lentils and garbanzo beans
Raw and cold foods
Grapefruit
Bananas
Cherries
Pineapple
Tomatoes
Garlic
Carrots
Spinach
Rice (brown)
Corn
Nuts
Lentils
Corn oil
Almond oil
Spicy foods
Sour foods (like yogurt, sour cream, and pickles)
Salt
Meat
Bananas
Melons
Papayas
Avocado
Plums
Sweet potatoes
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Tomatoes
Wheat
Rice
Nuts
Seeds
Sweets and candies
Allergy-causing foods
Dairy products (except goat milk, in moderation)
Unnatural sugar
Cold foods
Beverages For Sinusitis
Generally, Ayurveda discourages the consumption of too many cold beverages, as doing so hinders the strength of the body’s digestive fire. Instead, favors room temperature or hot beverages to encourage the strength of the digestive fire.
- Take half a cup of warm water with one teaspoon of lemon juice and one teaspoon of honey several times a day.
- Mix one teaspoon of warm water with half a teaspoon of ginger juice and half a teaspoon of honey and take several times a day.
- Avoid cold and frozen drinks
- Avoid sugary or fizzy drinks that blend with the digestive juice and make it weak.
- Avoid alcohol, coffee, and black tea.
Herbs For Sinusitis
Herbs are used in the Ayurvedic system much like Western medicine utilizes drugs and vitamins and can be taken like tea 2 to 3 times a day. Herbs aid in the digestion of food, the breakdown and elimination of toxins, and help to strengthen the cellular structure of our system for greater vitality. Herbs become more potent once mixed with other herbs of similar properties. Mix together 2 to 4 different herbs from the below list by adding a quarter to a half teaspoon full of each, for a total of 1 teaspoon. Drink these in half cup of hot water.
Cinnamon
Cloves
Ginger
Licorice
Rock salt
Turmeric
Myrrh
Triphala (take at nighttime, an hour before bed)
Bala
Neem
Pippali
Coriander
Cumin
Licorice
Fresh ginger
Triphala
Turmeric
Musta
Lotus seeds
Guduchi
Poppy seeds
Cinnamon
Licorice
Nutmeg
Cloves
Ginger
Turmeric
Myrrh
Black or sea salt
Castor oil
Tulsi
Neem
Guduchi
Yoga Postures For Sinusitis
When applied therapeutically to specific ailments, yoga postures provide an opportunity to strengthen the body, rid it of toxic matter, and restore balance. The postures included in this section can be practiced as part of a more general sequence or can be focused on in short sessions. When first exploring yoga postures, it is best to only practice them for twenty minutes or so per day and buildup from there once the body becomes more flexible.
The following postures can be used to facilitate breathing and foster greater health while suffering from symptoms of a cold:
General
Shoulder stand
Fish
Cobra
Bridge
Plough
Corpse
Locust
Knee to chest
Corpse
Easy seat
Cobra
Boat
Plough
General
Vata
Pitta
Kapha
Aromatherapy For Sinusitis
Aromatherapy utilizes the fragrances of essential oils when applied to the skin. Essential oils can burn the skin and therefore must be diluted with a base oil such as sesame, coconut, sunflower, canola, or mustard oil. Mix 1 fluid ounce of base oil with about 12 drops of essential oil before applying to skin. You can also just mix 5 drops of base oil to one drop of essential oil if using on one spot.
Vata-like sinusitis can be treated with basil, camphor, cedar, eucalyptus, frankincense, ginger, lavender, lily, lotus, musk, myrrh, patchouli, sandalwood, or cinnamon oil.
- Use a sesame oil base.
- Apply oil on the forehead or on the back of the neck.
Pitta-like sinusitis can be treated with sandalwood, tea tree, rose, honeysuckle, gardenia, lily, iris, mint, lavender, or lotus oil.
- Use a coconut or sunflower oil base.
- Apply oil in the center of the chest in front of the heart.
Kapha-like sinusitis can be treated with cinnamon, eucalyptus, sage, basil, cedar, frankincense, or musk oil.
Use a canola or mustard oil base.
Apply oil on the skin between the navel and pubic bone.
Mantra Therapy For Sinusitis
Ayurvedic tradition suggests that repeating certain words or sounds can help a person suffering from an ailment to restore subtle balance to nerve tissue and enhance one’s mental clarity. Different sounds are prescribed to either repeat mentally or chant outwardly. These sounds are also used and repeated in the mind for the purpose of spiritual growth.
For Vata-like sinusitis, repeat the syllable “Ram” (pronounced rahm) for several minutes a few times a day and build more practice over time.
As a Vata-related disorder, it is helpful to inwardly repeat this syllable for the duration of time it is practiced.
For Pitta-like sinusitis, repeat the syllable “Aum” (pronounced ohm) for several minutes a few times a day and build more practice over time.
As a Pitta-related disorder, it is helpful to both outwardly chant and inwardly repeat this syllable for the duration of time it is practiced.
For Kapha-like sinusitis, repeat the syllable “Ham” (pronounced hahm) for several minutes a few times a day and build more practice over time.
As a Kapha-related disorder, it is helpful to outwardly chant this syllable for the duration of time it is practiced.
Breathing Practices For Sinusitis
Controlling the breath is a central practice toward developing peace and stillness in the mind and body. When the breath is under our control, we are no longer at the mercy of the senses that are stimulated by everything and lead to greater fluctuations of the mind. When applied to the context of resolving specific ailments, the breath is used as a tool for developing lung capacity, heating and cooling the body and resolving mental afflictions like anxiety and stress.
General
Pitta
Vata
Kapha