Chronic Sinusitis Treatment with Nasal Saline

You can help yourself by trying chronic sinusitis treatment with nasal saline to improve your chronic sinus symptoms. I use nasal saline in my practice to help control symptoms and prevent recurrence of chronic sinusitis. If you have tried these treatments and they have failed, there is chronic sinusitis treatment available. If you are like me you have struggled with chronic sinusitis your whole life. Maybe you are looking for solutions and this journey is what eventually drew me to specialize in treating patients with sinus and allergy symptoms.  I only see the worst patients now in my office and if you are wondering what you can try at home so you don’t have to come see me or another sinus specialist, you have reached the right place!

In this 2nd installment of a four part series is am going to outline the benefits of nasal saline use to help improve and in some cases eliminate chronic sinusitis symptoms.  Let’s get to it!

Nasal Saline

• This treatment comes in several forms and is not a medication at all. It’s safe and effective with anyone down to a young age and is typically used by all of my patients regardless if they use other medications or not.
• You want to think of chronic sinusitis treatment with nasal saline in two categories – mists or sprays, and irrigations.  They can be used in different situations.
• Mists and sprays are used to moisturize the nasal mucosa.  They are particularly important to use if you experience nasal dryness and crusting or dried mucus.  Any mucus that becomes trapped in the nose can be a set up for inflammation and possible infection so it is important to use nasal saline spray frequently if you are experiencing chronic sinusitis symptoms.  They come in two varieties over-the-counter.  Those with preservatives use a squeeze bottle (i.e. Ocean Spray) and the ones that do not come in a pressurized canister (ie. Simply Saline).  I personally have sensitivity to the preservatives used in most nasal sprays and opt to spend a little more on the unpreserved saline sprays.
• Nasal saline irrigations (i.e NeilMed Sinus Rinse) are another type of treatment that can be very effective at controlling and reversing symptoms.  They come in kits and are typically sold right next to the nasal saline sprays in most markets.  Nasal saline irrigation uses a much higher volume than saline sprays and physically washes the nasal mucosa free of bacteria, yeasts, mold, pollens and other debri that may be sitting on the surface of the mucosa causing chronic sinus inflammation.  These can work much better than nasal saline sprays but do require a little more time to mix the solution and use.  They are also less convenient to use and more messy so most people use these only in the morning or evening and not while they are out in public.  The major thing to remember with these treatments is that you need to read all instructions on the sinus irrigation kit and always use sterile bottled water – never tap water as this can cause serious infections!

Best Strategies

So your best things to try when it comes to reverse nasal and sinus inflammation to stop chronic sinusitis is to follow this effective strategy:

• Identify and avoid your triggers in your home, work and where you play.
• Identify and avoid any foods that may be triggering inflammation.
• Start nasal saline spray several times a day and especially after you do a triggering activity.  This may help wash out the things in your nose that are making you sick.
• For you over-achievers out there try using nasal saline irrigation once or twice a day until your symptoms improve.  If you have a dirty job or dirty hobbies this one can be a very effective approach to feeling better and it does not involve extra medication use.  Many patients like that.
• Move on to medication trials when saline does not work.  If you are having nasal congestion, headache, facial pain and pressure or thick mucus/post-nasal drainage your best option is to do a trial of nasal steroid sprays.  As mentioned, these have been shown to be effective at reversing nasal sinus inflammation and may give you good relief.  Nasal steroids are also a good option to control allergy when you can’t find an oral antihistamine that works without side effects.
• If you are having itching or watering of the eyes, nose or throat or having excessive clear nasal drainage you should try using an oral antihistamine to control symptoms.  The better you control your allergies the better you will control that root cause of your sinus symptoms… Inflammation!

What to do if all these things don’t help?

When medications fail that’s when you want to consider searching for a sinus specialist near me on google.  We are out there and we are here to help.  

Click HERE if you want to start an immediate discussion with me about your nasal sinus symptoms and options for care.

I sincerely hope you found this article helpful.  Have a great day!

Dr. B