Chronic Sinusitis: causes, symptoms, Ayurvedic treatment

By Dr. Mahesh Annapure.
Chronic sinusitis is an upper respiratory tract disorder. Some of the bones of nose and face have empty spaces, called sinuses. The inner lining of these sinuses are lined with soft mucus membrane. Due to different causes, the mucus membrane swells (inflammation). This leads to accumulation of mucus or phlegm in these sinus cavities. In due course, germs (bacteria) develop in these sinuses leading to sinusitis. 

Due to discharge of heavy nasal fluid repeatedly and by any infection the bones of sinus region enlarge and it becomes painful for the removal of watery fluid due to itching of the nose.

Read related: Sinusitis: Ayurvedic treatment, Remedies, Preventive tips 

Causes

Causes for sinusitis:
Cigarette smoking
Working in dusty, polluted area, humid area
Exposure to irritants, chemical drugs
Nutritional deficiency
Weaker immunity
Low physical activities or exertion
Working in cold area, change in atmosphere
Polyps in nasal passage
Cystic fibrosis
Blockage in Eustachian tube of ear
Chronic cold
Genetic factor

Symptoms

Symptoms – Lakshanas:
Headache with heaviness. Patient feels as if his face is falling off, when he bends forward.
Toothache
Smelly breath
Running nose
Cough at night time.
Fever
Nasal congestion
Blocked nose
Face pain
Constant lachrymation
Whitish yellow nasal discharge
Migraine

Classification

Chronological classification:-
Acute sinusitis: Infection for about one to four weeks. It is also distinguished in two types severe and non severe.
Recurrent acute sinusitis:  Repetition of attach at small intervals.
Sub acute sinusitis: Infection lasts for months.
Chronic sinusitis: Symptoms last forever.
The differentiation between this is very complicated. Broadly it is considered as acute sinusitis.

Classification by location:-
Frontal sinusitis– Pains in the frontal nasal cavities, located above eyes. Headache (migraine)
Maxillary sinusitis – Pains in the maxillary, chick area, toothache, and headache.
Ethmoidal sinusitis – Pains, infection behind the eye, upper part of nose.
Sphenoidal sinusitis – Pains behind eyes up to skull vertex, or back of the head.

Ayurvedic concept

Ayurvedic concept- Tridosha vikara:-
As per Ayurveda the root cause of sinusitis is a improper digestion. Due to mand Agni – low fire, food is not properly digested. It creates the nasal inflammation, low immunity etc. agni is the fire element, the jathar agni contributes the metabolic process of the stomach and the upper part of the small intestine jathar agni resembles to the hydrochloric acid secretion by the stomach. With the enzymes secreted by the pancreas, it breaks down the food into small particles and decompose it into absorbable substance. Insufficient secretion of the digestive fluids may be described as a mand agni. the digested food is absorbed by the lower part of the small intestine and the large intestine, and the undigested part is excreted out of body in the form of stool – mala. Ama is useless excreta, it should be excreted otherwise contributes to phlegm.

Due to weak agni of digestive system kapha gets unbalanced and overburden of fluid. . the weaker secretion mechanism for excess fluid creates imbalance of kapha. The un secreted fluid accumulates at several sites of sinuses. Kapha is responsible for dosha of phlegm. The accumulation of phlegm disturbs the vata. The prahna vata agitated by obstruction of phlegm unable to regulate smooth flow. Due to the disturbance to the smooth flow it is transferred in to agitated flow, it is a disease inducing factor.

Pitta is a transporter of the metabolic nutrients with energy for metabolism. The pachak pitta resembles with the bile secretion of gall bladder and spleen. It is responsible for creating digestive fire. Deficiency of is a dosha of fire, which looses control on digestive fire the agni. Excessive kapha and disturbed vata leads to manifestation of mucus and breath. All these three doshas contribute to sinusitis.

Home remedies

Take half liter water + 20 gm salt + one teaspoon turmeric. Boil it for five minutes, take it repeatedly.
Take 6 cloves + 6 black peppers + one piece of long pepper, crush it and take with honey.
Take half piece of lemon; spread a pinch of salt and turmeric on the inner surface. Heat the lemon from outside on burner for a minute and choose it.
Take a tea of basil leaf- Tulsi and mint leaf.
Chew a piece of garlic and ginger.
Take roasted horse gram.
Take extract of ajwain, black pepper, poppy seeds.
Coriander and cumin powder boiled in milk.
Take warm soup of cornflower, mushroom with added pinch of clove and black pepper.

Diet management

Take: – Take light food, easy for digestion. Drink luke warm water. Take kaphanashak foods like little spicy food, saindhav salt, legumes, soups, Boiled eggs, etc.
Avoid:- Heavy food, fermented food, congestive food, too hot or too cold food, sour, and non vegetarian food, milk, curd, ice creams, deserts, cakes, yellow gram, etc. Avoid alcoholic drinks, beverages.

Ayurvedic treatment

Chronic sinusitis is cured by Ayurveda having following remedies.
Nasya:-Nasya is a process of inhalation with medicated oils. Drops of medicated oils are placed into each nostrils. It results perfectly if done early in the morning. Medicated oils like Panchendriya vardhan tail, clamus and ginger extract in sesame oil, bramhi oil is also used some time, At the time of acute attack it should be avoided, because it increases heavy nasal fluid secretion.
Herbal Massage:- Externally oleation of head by massage using medicated oils proves to be useful for preventing accumulation of kapha in the cavities of sinuses, and it releases saturated kapha. It also controls vata. Narayana oil, mahanarayana oil, shatavari oil, nirgundi oil are used. If there is not heavy mucus or nasal flow, the nilgiri oil, mint oil, kamphoor oils are also tried.
Neti: – For cleaning accumulated kapha in nasal path.
Basti: – It corrects the vata.
Vaman:- It removes the vitiated kapha.

Ayurvedic and naturopathy remedies

Ayurvedic remedies
Hingavashtak churna (Ferla asafetida) – stimulates jathar agni.
Combination of Celery- Ajwain, Clove, Ginger, and long pepper is suggested to keep body warm. And corrects kapha
Licorice and Turmeric – pacify pitta dosha.
Tribhuban kirti rasa, Anand kirti rasa is also suggested for cure.

Medicinal Yogas For Urdwajatrugata roga from Sahasra Yoga Text Book
Triphaladi Taila
Bala Dhatryadi Taila
Anu Taila
Nasika Choorna
Mayura Ghritam

Naturopathic remedies
Naturopathy focuses on the lifestyle for correction of the root cause of the diseases.

Precaution tips, lifestyle correction

Daily take a fresh cup of wheat grass juice.
Do not intake too hot or too cold food, drinking water, bath ect.
Don’t expose to hot sunlight.
Regularly take steam inhalation with turmeric early in the morning and at evening.
Take tub bath with warm water.
Use hot water bath under neck, fore head and chest to pacify cough, take fomentation.
Regularly go for morning walk in warm weather, perform easy exercise. Avoid heavy exertion.
Avoid dark and humid areas. Don’t sleep at day time, or after meals.
Take sufficient rest. do not let night out.
Use warm cloth.

Yoga

Yoga for sinusitis-
Setu Bandha Sarwangasana
Adho mukha Sarwangasana
Janu sirsasana
Halasana
Uttanasana

Conclusion, clinical experience

It is observed that the patient get attack generally early in the morning, or at the time of change in the climate, and cold wind pass out.
General drugs available over the counter (OTC) are not useful in sinusitis, but they may increase the intensity of the disease.
Chronic symptoms may last for months, if not treated.
There is no other way than the surgery in the modern pathy for cure to sinusitis.
The root cause factors contributing the sinus disorder are corrected by the Ayurvedic remedies.
Ayurvedic remedies eradicate the root cause factors of these tridoshas.
It may be cured in three months by getting Ayurvedic remedies under supervision of the practitioner and maintaining lifestyle.

Dr. Mahesh Annapure
M.Sc. D.N., M.D. (A.M.)
drmaheshannapure@gmail.com