Need some help with my health.
 

I'm currently enjoying my third sinus infection in three months. :rolleyes: I'm going to the doctors tomorrow to get some antibiotics but i was wondering if anyone knows of anything i can take to maybe boost my immunity. Clearly my immunity sucks.. my dad got a cold last week and of course, i caught it too.. but i find i don't just GET a cold... i get sinus and ear infections too. My aunt thinks perhaps i have allergies and they build up within me until it becomes an infection. i don't know much about allergies so i don't know i that even makes sense :p anyways. .any suggestions would be wonderful!

Maybe it's dietary. The only thing I believe in is the PH Miracle. It's amazing. Some people think I sell stuff, but I just follow the diet when I feel my body is compromised.
pH Miracle Living Alkavorian Health

Extra Vitamin "C" and plenty of water and rest.

I suffered from sinus infections for years and finally had to have the surgery to clear them, as they were 99.9 % blocked. My doctor recommended that I use the Netti Pot on a regular basis after the surgery to help eliminate any other sinus problems and .... IT WORKED. Hubby and I use it at least once a week ( perhaps more in the winter and during pollen season ) and the sinus problems have ended for both of us. Hubby did not have surgery and his sinus problems are all gone too ....
Please give it a try, you will not regret it .

Oooh! You poor thing, sinus infections are the worst! I was getting sinus infections every time I got sick and since i have two young boys bringing home every germ from school I get sick often during the winter months. The doctore told me to start taking sudafed at the first sign of stuffiness and take it until I was feeling well. I did this the last two times I was sick, and NO sinus infection!! YEAH!!

My husband suffered from regular sinus infections. He also got the surgery and uses the Netti Pot. I would second this advice!

One of his sinus infections landed him in the emergency room one night. I know that they can be painful and NO fun. Good luck!

The Neti pot is supposed to be great!

Also airborne makes a daily immunity booster.
A second grade teacher was tired of getting sick from her students and develped these products

oh i've heard of airborne!!! i should go look for that


anyone know WHERE one buys a Netti Pot? i saw that on Oprah!!

I am so sorry to hear that. Sinus infections are awful. :( Didn't you do your practice teaching during all of this? If so, it's probably the germ warfare that all beginning teachers deal with and the added stress as well.

The ladies have given you some great advice in this thread. Hope you feel better soon.

Airborne got sued earlier this year, here is the article: Supplement company Airborne to settle $23.3M suit - Mar. 4, 2008.

I was bummed when I found this out, because as a kindergarten teacher I used airborne constantly!

well that is when all this stuff started... in December.. had a horrible cold.. probably the worst ever for me... got better.. taught again March-April... got a sinus infection.. went to Dominican was fine... got back and another infection last month.. lasted 2 weeks and voila.. here we are in June.... i was only doing the practice teaching in April :confused:

arg... well there goes that! but thanks for the article... that was interesting.

Are you in Ontario, Canada? or Ontario Ca? anyway I too used to suffer a lot from sinus problems..the netti pots are at health food stores..like sprouts..etc..I also read that blowing your nose too hard can cause a sinus infection...resulting in inflammation..Foods that suppress your immunity and cause inflammation are sugar and refined carbs..red meat,eggs.fried foods, poultry and shellfish..foods that help boost immunity and that are ani-inflammatory are..ginger, garlic, onions, apples,broccoli.tea, and red wine. Anything in the berry family and dark leafy greens..almonds are good too. Hope this helps.

I'm in Canada... wish i was in California :p

Thanks for those food... i do eat a lot of berries and leafy greens, onions, garlic and broccoli oh and tea! so those are good.. i'll try and boost the amount that i eat and cut down on the sugar :rolleyes:

I 3rd or 4th the Neti pot!! I got the little blue plastic one at the drugstore. They also sell them at WalMart. They come with all the little packages of the solution too. I have used it a few times and it really cleans out the sinuses...just don't forget to open your mouth:2omg:
I think i paid around $15USD for the whole package. If you can't find one Marci, just let me know and i'll get you one here and mail it to you.
I also use the Zicam spray when i get the sniffles and that will knock it right out.

I found them online here:
NETI POT

Well nice to know I'm not the only one!! Okay currently I have a sinus infection and ear infection. I have horrible allergies and when someone gets a cold I get a cold plus sinus infection that leads to ear infection that can lead to pneumonia. It is very possible your immune system sucks, my does from years of using steroid inhalers for asthma issues. Your sinus issue can be caused by many things,but I will share with you what causes mine. Smoke being blow near my face, changes in pressure in the air, and changes from cold to warm or warm to cold. Allergies can bring on lots of extra mucus and when that mucus is in the sinus cavity too long it can turn to infection, and that usually leads to ear infections as well hon.
Best thing, when your face is hurting from the sinus' get a cold cold cloth or ice pack and place on your forehead,cheeks or where ever it hurts. This cooling will take away a sinus headache immediately,but it will come back when you remove the cold,so use the cold to suppress the pain until your sinus meds kick in. Best sinus med I have found for pain and getting rid of the sinus pressure is Tylenol Sinus. Another thing that works for opening up your head... go to the store in the baby bath section and get a bottle of Vapor Bath, run a hot bath add this to the water and make sure your door is shut and any vent in the room is shut so you can harness the steam. Works wonders I promise.
Lastly you can use a Neti Pot. You can find them at Walgreens or other pharmacies. they work great if you can handle the use.
I hope any of this helps hon,and if you got to the dr and he says you have allergies that are causing your issues singulair is a very good rx for preventing this all. Good Luck!

Oh Linda i TOTALLY forgot about Zicam.. i love that stuff.. but we can only get it in the states! i'll be sure to buy some next time I go! Because in the past when i've started to get a cold i've taken Zicam and it went away! thanks for the reminder! i'm going to go to wal mart this week and look for a Netti Pot! is it in the drug store part of it?

Thanks! i also currently have what can only be an ear infection! the pain wakes me up at night! Thanks for all that help! it is so great to know it isn't only me but i hate that so many of you have such horrible sinus pain as well!

Ear Infections really suck.... I use warmed up sweet oil in my ear about four drops will really take away the pressure pain. good luck hon =0(

I also recommend nasal irrigation! I used to get really bad sinus infections - actually at one point I was in a vicious circle of not being able to stop taking Dristan because once you start taking that stuff you become dependent on it and get stuffy every time the Dristan wears off. The way I got out of all that business was this: I started using a nasal irrigator, similar to the Neti pot - but way easier to use. It's called Nasaline and it looks like a great big plastic syringe. Nasaline - Tropical Traditions The advantage here is that while a Neti pot works on gravity, the Nasaline syringe has a plunger so you can control the force of the water without having to put your head upside down. I got it at a local health food store.

Secondly, my doctor prescribed me Nasonex, which is an inhaled corticosteroid, commonly prescribed for people with allergies. I don't have to take it regularly, just when I feel a cold or allergies coming on. At the first sign of a tickle, I irrigate then use the Nasonex and I haven't had an allergy attack OR a cold in over 3 years.

I would think twice about useing Zicam nasal spray!!! I used it one time as directed and, within 1 hour, I have permanently and completely lost my sense of smell and taste. It does not affect everyone the same way, but why take a chance? I would give a million bucks if I could just taste chocolate or smell honeysuckle. I cant taste if my food is spoiled nor smell if there is a gas leak.
Please be careful. I hope you get better soon!!

wow that is crazy! and it's true it affects everyone differently but just knowing that i don't want to take that chance. Thank you so much

I'm not prone to sinus infections (Thank goodness) and I don't have allergies, but I'm hardly EVER sick. Well, at least since I stopped working at the hospital.
I take a multi vitamin (almost any good quality one will do, but I usually get Centrum), and a few extra other things....I don't think they're the key though....the thing that I've taken religiously for the last 15 yrs is Emergen-C. I take it at least once a day (but I think they suggest taking it twice a day)....not only myself, but I know other people who swear by it too. I know that it's sort of expensive up in Canada, but I saw this last month at Serious About Fitness~ this was posted by Doug Schneider, who is the editor-in-chief of the site and a fitness photographer. I'd definitely give it a try for a few months and see if there's any difference. I swear, I haven't had the flu or a cold or anything for YEARS and I never have gotten a flu shot.
And if you haven't bought it before, it comes in a box of I think 30 or 60 individual packets (it's a powder that you mix with water).


"I'm a big fan of the Emergen-C vitamin supplement. Mr. Olympia Frank Zane put me on to it. The problem has always been, though, that up in Canada it's so expensive that it's a joke. Last time I looked, Nutrition House was selling it for over $25 a box! In the US, you can walk into any Walgreens and find it for $12. Therefore, I always buy it south of the border.

But, speaking of Walgreens, I was just in there and they have their own "knockoff" brand of it, and it seems EXACTLY the same (I wouldn't be surprised if the Emergen-C folks were making it for them -- I need to compare it side by side). The key is, the Walgreens version is only $6.99 a box. An outright steal!

DS

I've heard that from other people as well. That's terrible! The gel doesn't do that though.

Sinus
 

I'm no stranger to sinus problems either. My dr. finally sent me to an ear, nose, & throat specialist. He did all the allergy testing & found out I wasn't allergic to anything, turns out I have a deviated septum & the dr wanted to do surgery but I didn't want to go that route just yet. So he gave me Flonase nasal spray and also told me about rinse. I didn't get the Netti Pot but I use something called Sinus Rinse. It's the same thing. I just mix the water & the saline solution in the bottle & then squirt some of it up each nostril. Between that & the Flonase I rarely have problems anymore. My dr also gives me Duratuss, it's a decongestant so when I feel something coming on I just take that & prevent another trip to the dr's office. Hope you feel better soon!

I can't recommend adding a neti pot to your daily routine enough!!!!!!!!! It makes such a huge difference and there is also a product called NetiPot Wash Plus that has essential oils the support the immune system you can add to your salted water. You can find them all on Ebay as well as most drugs stores these days - just not the Wash or the salt in a bag that is much cheaper than the individual packets.

I used the liquid nasal gel spray. I think that because its a spray it can get up farther into your nasal passages and to the olfactory nerves. The gel swabs cant do this. Basically the gel spray severely burned my olfactory nerves and they dont regenerate.

I swear by accupuncture (sp) ... I was having sinus infections and ear infections all the time. Also that thing Linda said - The Neti Pot ... but accupunture has kept me infection free... even helped with my asthma

That was my thought... that you have allergies. Try a daily allergy med like Sudafed or something. That might help keep the gunk from going into your sinuses and preventing infection! Good Luck! Im sorry to hear you're sick again! That stinks!