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Sniffling, snorting, headaches, head congestion, pressure against the eyes and cheekbones, postnasal drip, and using up an entire box of tissues-all of these usually signal one thing: sinusitis. And, unfortunately, these aren't the only symptoms of sinusitis. You can also expect fever, fatigue, an inability to smell or taste food, and a thick greenish-yellow nasal discharge.
With these symptoms, life is quite unpleasant. You struggle to make decisions because you feel like your head is flooded with sludge. When you have to give a presentation at work, your voice sounds nasally. You rush to grab the tissues before your nose drips all over your notes. People are afraid to hang out with you because they fear you're contagious. You have to give up any plans for swimming, flying, or scuba diving because the pressure from sinusitis would make you feel like your head's about to explode.
According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology, sinusitis is one of the leading forms of chronic disease. In the US alone, there are about 18 million cases a year, with a staggering 30 million courses of antibiotics prescribed annually. If you make an appointment with a doctor specializing in allergy and immunology, you'll have company-one out of every five people in the waiting room has sinusitis.
The recent news about vitamin D is confusing if you look to the news for insights about managing your health. Does it help prevent colds? What about more serious diseases? Health bulletins make good headlines, but they are often misleading and contradictory.
If you are troubled by sinus congestion and have read the Healthy Steps for sinus health, you already know what hit the
So much pressure in the head it’s hard to know whether it’s pushing in, out or all of the above. Sniffling, snorting, headaches, head congestion, postnasal drip, and using up an entire box of tissues—all of these usually signal one thing: sinusitis. You can also expect fever, fatigue, an inability to smell or taste food, and a thick greenish-yellow nasal discharge.
