Medicine for the People

By Jim McDonald, http://www.herbcraft.org/index.htm

I've had the opportunity, over the years, to play around with a number of different plants in addressing sinus troubles of all sorts, and will here offer what I've learnt, which, hopefully, will help out some troubled soul.

Fortunately, it hasn't been me who's had lingering sinus problems.  I think I've had sinus colds only three or four times, and they were completely dreadful experiences which taught me lots about how lousy chronic suffering must be.  Gratefully, though, I have a guinea pig at home whose been willing to let me try this and that on her, and share the results for me to share with you (someday, she plans to write a book called "my life as a guinea pig; tales of an herbalist's wife"... certain to be a best seller, eh?).  Several other friends, students, clients and passersby have likewise aided my understanding.

Anyways, back to the sinuses...

First, before jumping right into "take this or take that", let's acknowledge that sinus problems come in various guises, and so too should herbal treatment.  Most often, I've come across three variations of sinus troubles:  Leaky, stuffy and dry.  Different types of herbs are used in each case, and this is quite important to know.  Too many people play name association games with herbs: the kind where they simply associate a problem and the name of the herb that was written next to it in a book.  But trust me, you don't want to go giving drying herbs like Goldenseal to someone with dry sinuses, even though it's supposed to be "good for sinus problems".  It is good for sinus problems, but not that kind.

It’s also useful to recognize whether sinus troubles are chronic (all the time), episodic (they come and go and come and go and...) or acute (you got an inhalation full of some irritating substance and the irritation is the direct result of that).  Chronic problems require a dedicated, consistent, long term commitment to a herbal regimen, as well as making whatever lifestyle changes are called for.  Obviously, the issues that might require attention are myriad, and it’s not really feasible for me to try to list all the possibilities.  But it is safe to say pay attention to your diet, how much rest and relaxation you're getting and minimizing stress levels.  You may know or be told that dairy and wheat are especially bad for sinus sufferers, because they promote mucous production.  This is true, but I think mostly applies to the “plugged up stuffy” variety of sinusitis.  I know people who've successfully recovered from chronic sinus problems without totally eliminating wheat and diary, but they have been smart and steadfast enough to drastically reduce or eliminate it when their sinus troubles have flared up.  The "comes and goes" variety also indicates the need for focused attention, as it suggests the problem is coming and going as your body's resistance is ebbing and flowing.  Acute conditions, more often than not, can be treated acutely as well.  Take you herbs till it gets better, and then go on your merry way.

Leaky and Drippy...

The sinuses are leaky, dripping freely down the nose or the back of the throat.  Maybe there's a cough or sore throat from this drainage.  The eyes might be watery and red, there might be sneezing, and there's definitely lots of sniffling.  Hay fever is a good example, though this problem can arise from other causes.  Hay fever does offer, though, a good example to look at what's often going on with this condition...

If you have allergic rhinitis (respiratory allergies), you are much more likely to suffer from acute bacterial sinus infections and to develop chronic sinusitis.  Controlling your allergies is key to reducing sinus infections.

Ragweed pollen is miniscule, copious (there's lots) and wind-born.  The pollen itself looks like a mace - not the pretty red stuff surrounding nutmeg but those heavy metal balls with the spikes on them that you might associate with ogres (or perhaps certain government officials).  So when ragweed is blooming, pollination occurs not through pretty insects like butterflies and bumblebees, but by blowing from one plant to another.  Inhaling this airborne Ragweed pollen is like inhaling powdered fiberglass… what, of course, does the body do when this happens?  It does what makes sense: tries to get the stuff out of the system.  And how?  By causing the eyes to water, the nose to run, sneezing... all methods to get irritating particles out of the sinuses.  So we see that "hay fever" isn't an illness, it's a sensible response by the body to the problem at hand.

Sometimes, though, the body over-reacts; it goes into the full blown allergic response when it might not be called for at all.  Here's a good example of this: Think back to an occasion when you might have had too much, let's say... Southern Comfort at a party.  The next day you get very, very, very sick.  Some time after recovering, you find yourself at another party, and someone has some Southern Comfort, but while you don't drink any, just the smell of it - just knowing it’s there next to you makes your stomach churn... your body is over-reacting in a way that it hopes will let you know: "Not that stuff again!"

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