Three Kaizen Things I Did to Heal My Chronic Sinus Infection aka Chronic Sinusitis

the sun hits differently with clear sinuses

Have you ever had a bad sinus infection?

I'm talking can't sleep, can't breathe, reach for the hankies, over the pain, sinus infection. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself.)

This was probably the worst one I’ve ever gotten.

Four-hour sleep and sore gums from mouth breathing. My heart and chest felt weak day after day. 

I avoided taking OTC medications and was (naively?) waiting for it to cure itself. 

After three weeks of suffering - loudly I might add - I did what I always do when I have a problem I don’t know how to solve.

To the interweb!

THE FLAMIN' HOT TRUTH

Turns out, the foods you eat can affect the wellbeing of your sinuses. Oh really Krystal? I knew this on some level, but I didn't want to accept it. 

Facing the truth meant accepting that hot cheetos, ice cream, and fried foods did terrible things to me.

Things like hormonal cysts along my jawline, upset stomach, and burning poop the day after. 

Because I also have a lactose sensitivity, it's a triple whammy of inflammatory foods. 

I'll take 'Things That Inflame My Sinuses for $100', please!

KAIZEN ACTIVITY #1: FOOD JOURNAL

The more doomsday it sounds, the better

Now that I had some awareness about the food-body connection, I had two choices: change my diet or keep suffering. 

But what to change exactly? I wasn't keen on paying for an at-home allergy kit nor was I willing to go to the doctors. 

Taking the no-cost route, I kept a 45-day food journal of what I ate and logged any symptoms or feelings next to it. 

First, I ate as usual. I wrote how my body felt and noted if I became extra sneezy, stuffy, or congested.

Slowly, I started to eliminate certain foods, like processed food (no chips, breads, dairy). I took notes too as I weaned off. 

I paid closer attention to what kinds of condiments I was consuming (read: I scrutinized every label.) I avoided hydrogenated oils and MSG. 

I looked for any patterns to reveal themselves. 

• "Chips definitely clogged my nose more." I had a moment of weakness the other day and totally regretted digging into the last sour cream and onion snack bag. I couldn't sleep that night.
• "Oatmeal seems to helped." Rolled oats simmered with water seasoned with raw honey and a blend of cinnamon, chia, and nutmeg. I ate this every few days. 
• "Maybe it was all the condensed milk I was drinking." I was loading my coffee with Longevity condensed milk (ack, so tasty) for a good few weeks. Had to ditch this habit as it was dairy + loads of refined sugar.

Reviewing my food log provided a lot of insight into my eating habits. For one, I ate more dairy than I thought I did. That everything bagel + cream cheese though…😽 so zesty and creamy.

I also ate a LOT of eggs. I was going meat-free for November, and that somehow equated to eating more eggs. I'm not inclined to give up eggs just yet. 

Instead, I'm eating pasture-raised hens as grain-fed hens lay eggs higher in Omega-6. Pst, stay tuned for my article on buying products that are Certified Humane and Certified Animal Welfare Approved! 

Also, More 👏 leafy 👏 greens 

That is all. Well, not quite. 

Instead of getting back to running, doing yoga, and eating well, I'd made some pretty regrettable choices in the meals department (hello, Del Taco cheese fries!)

To say I was eating enough leafy greens would be straight up lying.

Bok choy, cabbage, scallions, and the likes became staples. These rotated and refreshed our weekly meals, alternating between Chinese and Vietnamese cuisines, as well as Indian, and anywhere in between. 

Another thing I did was increase my vitamin C. Did you know a navel orange has about 70 mg of vitamin C? We already know vitamin C is beneficial to our health. Why not take it in the form that mother nature provides? 

An orange a day keeps the inflammation away! 

After a few weeks of healing journey, I began to feel some differences in my sinuses. Less stuffy, less sneezy, less runny. 

I'd read that it could take anywhere from 3-6 months for your gut to heal. That seemed like forever. 

To keep the momentum going, I wrote a list of consequences (see above) and taped it to my pantry door: a visual reminder of what would happen. 

KAIZEN ACTIVITY #2: NASAL SALINE RINSE

My internet search led me to read about the benefits of doing a saline nasal rinse. Adopting this practice would clean my nasal passages of any irritants and pollutants to clear up sinusitis. Bingo!

I looked to ayurvedic medicine for a remedy. After much debate, I purchased a jala neti pot from my local Sprouts.

Be good to your sinuses; they'll be good to you

Now, I'm not telling you to go out and buy a jala neti pot right away. Please do the research and make an informed decision that works best for you and your lifestyle. 

I chose the jala neti pot because it was a natural remedy consisting of salt, bisodium carbonate (baking soda), and distilled/boiled-than-cooled water, low cost, and because I had these already, essentially free (minus the cost of a jala neti pot). 

I steered away from nasal sprays because: 

1. more plastic which would've been counterintuitive to my efforts of reducing plastic waste,
2. I didn't want to build a tolerance to them, and 
3. what exactly was in those? 

Note: Using too much of either method could lead to a rebound phenomenon aka a sinus infection: the very thing you're trying to heal from.

KAIZEN TIPS FOR JALA NETI POT

It took a few trials and errors to feel the benefits of doing a saline nasal rinse. I won't go into details about how to use one. I'll just share some resources with you that helped me develop my method. Please review them thoroughly if you decide to go this route.

• Arundhati Baitmangalkar’s video: I liked that she encouraged us to keep trying. If you have severely blocked nostrils, it may take more than one cycle to clear. 
• Jalanetipot.com: I liked that this website was truly for the people. The most useful thing I learned was to tilt my head forward until the tip of the nose was the lowest point. THEN, turn to one side until the bottom nostril is the lowest.

I found that following the 2-step process kept water from getting in my ears. Other resources don’t teach that. 

And finally, DRYING YOUR NOSTRILS AFTER is probably the most important part. 

You can do that via: 

1. the Kapalabhati breath
2. or a variation of alternate nostril breathing

Again, find what works for you. I use both methods and alternate between the two, do a few forward folds, and finish with more nostril breathing. 

To start, it took me several weeks, 4-5 times a day of the jala neti pot. The second resource provides the times of day for best practices. I slowly reduced it to 3 times a day, to 2 times, and now to once a week. 

I feel good knowing I can reach for this ceramic pot whenever I need it. It's a more sustainable option compared to plastic nasal sprays. 

"If one truly loves nature, one finds beauty everywhere." - Vincent Van Gogh

KAIZEN ACTIVITY #3: LACE UP

Running is one of the best things you can do for your sinuses. 

No, this isn’t a ruse just to get you to exercise.

Feel alive! 

Any cardiovascular exercise is extremely beneficial for alleviating the pressure on your sinuses. The release of adrenaline helps our blood vessels contract (relax) so that means less pain. Yay! 

I was reluctant to get back to exercise, but my sinuses were screaming at me to get off my butt.

Finally listening, I pulled on my running shoes and just went for it. 

Breathing became easier as I put one foot in front of the other. Before I knew it, the air was freely flowing through both nostrils.

In the spring and summer, I ran in the mornings. But lately, I've been running in the afternoon just before the sun sets. It's a different vibe, and I'm totally enjoying it. 

To me, it doesn't matter how long or fast you run, so long as you're running. As long as you're moving anywhere from 2-4 times a week. 

Take it easy. Take it slow. Notice the differences. 

Keep taking that one small step toward healthy sinuses. 

CONCLUSION

Sinus infections are no fun. They take up a big part of your day, your mind, and zap your energy. They tamper with sleep quality and fog the brain. 

Being proactive and making healthy choices for your mind, body, and spirit are some ways you can prevent or at least offset chronic sinusitis.

Healing your sinuses starts with self-awareness (identifying the cause of the problem). 

Once you've done that, take small, actionable steps à la kaizen to heal them and improve your daily living. You can do it. I believe in you! 

Bises,

Krystal (she/her)

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you've found something valuable in this post. 

Let me know what helped or didn't help in the comments below.