So I’ve had Sinusitis, aka a sinus infection, it started with a cold and developed into this. I had it once before about 4 years ago, I didn’t know how to treat it and it took around 4 months to clear up. Thankfully, this time around I’m better equipped to heal faster and it’s been around 2-3 weeks.

Although it’s annoying having it again, in Naturopathic nutrition we believe that acute illness is a good thing, all those toxins leaving your body instead of being stored. It’s also giving me time to see if there is anything I need to reflect on or review in my life right now and ask myself if there is anything I could do differently another time to avoid this…I already know there is.

Sinusitis is usually a viral infection but can be fungal or bacterial, the symptoms can include the following:

Mucus / thick nasal discharge – usually green in colour

Pain in the face, jaw, tooth or even the head

Loss of taste or smell

Cough

Sore throat or sore mouth

Fever

Earache or hearing that is sensitive to loud noises

Tiredness whilst the body is working hard to recover

I have most so it was an easy self diagnosis, here’s my top tips for naturally healing sinusitis:

Avoid these foods, dairy as it’s so mucus forming, as is sugar so that’s next on the list closely followed by gluten and then acidic foods like alcohol, red meats and processed foods.

Eat lightly, make a homemade vegetable broth with seaweed for extra minerals or an organic bone broth and add lots of garlic and onion which are great to use medicinally to kill bacteria. If you don’t or can’t eat these foods then try the supplement MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) which a sulphur containing compound which is found naturally in onions and garlic, it reduces inflammation and boosts immunity.

Take vitamin C, be it a capsule at 1000mg or the high strength effervescent tablets with added zinc or even superfoods high in vitamin C like camu camu or baobab take it multiple times a day.

Turmeric is anti inflammatory and a wonderful way to enjoy is by making a golden latte or take the capsule form.

Steam inhalation with essential oils oregano or peppermint, I combined them and boy were they strong but they did the job nicely. You could do this up to 3 times a day for maximum benefit. Just fill a bowl with boiling water, add a few drops of the oils and inhale with a towel over your head to keep the heat in.

Juicing and wheatgrass helps to alkalise the body and heal, I always juice more when I’m ill to aid recovery. I buy frozen wheatgrass here

Hydration, we can’t forget the importance of hydration in healing. Keep drinking, I noticed I needed more than usual, on average most adults need around 2 litres a day.

Neti pot, nasal irrigation with water or sea salt, so I haven’t tried this myself but have many good reports on this cleansing technique, so give it a go if you are drawn to it.

Bee propolis, is what really moved the needle for me. I took two tablets 3 x daily in place of an antibiotic for 1 week. It’s a material made by bees to build their hive and has proven antibiotic and antiseptic properties. I’ve used this for chest infections too and have had just as good result.

So that’s my round up and I really hope some of this information is helpful to you. To make sure you don’t miss future blog posts that are full of practical tips on how to heal naturally, sign up here for them to be delivered straight to your inbox.