More than 40 million people in the US suffer from chronic sinusitis, making it one of the more common ailments that doctors treat.

The mainstream method of treatment is to give round after round of antibiotics. Patients initially feel better while they’re on the antibiotics, but then the symptoms return a few weeks later.

In 1999, the Mayo Clinic did a study of 210 patients with chronic sinusitis. Biopsies of the sinus cavities and mucous discharge were examined and cultured. The results took mainstream medicine by surprise.

Ninety-six percent of the patients had fungal overgrowth in their sinuses, along with fungus detected in their mucous discharge. Forty different species of fungi were identified, with an average of two per patient.

Chronic sinusitis is an immune response to the fungus. When white blood cells fight the fungus they create inflammation, resulting in swelling and mucous production, making us feel miserable with headaches, congestion and runny noses.

With this startling information, it became clear why sinusitis actually gets worse with the antibiotics and steroid nasal sprays. Antibiotics have no effect against fungus, and can actually increase fungal overgrowth by killing our beneficial bacteria.

So, why do the patients feel better on the antibiotics when little or no bacteria is present? Antibiotics have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect. You can be fooled into thinking for sure you have a bacterial infection because you feel so much better while taking the antibiotics. But, if bacteria is not the problem, the relief will be short-lived. The inflammation will resume a week or so after finishing the course of antibiotics.

As for the nasal steroids, they allow fungus to grow unchecked. Steroids suppress the immune reaction so the patient with chronic sinusitis will get relief from the inflammation and feel better. Meanwhile, the fungus can grow rapidly because there is no immune response to combat the fungal growth.

The treatment for chronic fungal infections in the sinuses is anti-fungal nasal sprays.

The Mayo Clinic did a further study to see how long it would take to eradicate the fungus in the sinuses with anti-fungal medication. It took up to eight months!

Researchers discovered that fungus creates a biofilm to protect it from being killed. Biofilm is a slime barrier that acts like a fortress to protect the fungus. In the last few years, some physicians have added a biofilm disruptor to the anti-fungal regimen, making the treatment more effective. The biofilm disruptor is a chelating substance called EDTA, commonly used as a harmless preservative in foods. The EDTA binds to the calcium and magnesium in the biofilm and causes the film to break apart, making the anti-fungal medication more effective.

Unfortunately, many doctors have forgotten about the sinus study done at the Mayo Clinic and still give antibiotics for chronic sinusitis.

Other causes of chronic sinusitis include exposure to toxic chemicals, like formaldehyde and solvents that irritate the mucous membranes lining the sinus cavities. The best solution is to avoid the irritants whenever possible.

Acute sinusitis is different from chronic sinusitis. Acute sinusitis lasts less than a month and is more likely to be viral or bacterial. Given the devastation that antibiotics can cause in the intestinal tract, it’s best to try natural remedies first, and use antibiotics as a last resort.

Here are a few suggestions using natural solutions:

—Stop grains, sugars, and dairy products until the infection passes to maximize the efficiency of the immune system.

—Sip on hot ginger tea throughout the day and take vitamin C, fish oils, and curcumin for the inflammation.

—For the infection itself, take oil of oregano capsules three times a day until you feel better. You could also spray colloidal silver up each nostril three times a day.

—Boil water in a pan on the stove and breath the steam up your nose twice a day. Add a couple drops of eucalyptus or peppermint oil to disinfect.

—Try either hot or cold packs on your face, whichever feels better to you.

—If the pain is extreme, you could take 400 mg of ibuprofen on a full stomach.

Of course, best of all is to practice prevention. If you rinse out your nose with a pinch of salt and warm water twice a day, every day, using a neti pot or something similar, you will have significantly less problems with your sinuses.

Here’s to your good health!