Headaches, itchy eyes, congestion, facial pain, and a host of other annoying, uncomfortable symptoms are making your life miserable. It's that time of year and trying to do anything while you are suffering feels almost impossible. Medications? There are plenty of choices, but sometimes they are ineffective even though they worked the last time. Waiting it out while the medication kicks in can also be a nuisance, right?
Well for those of you who would prefer a non-surgical approach, there is help. Shiatsu, a Japanese word meaning finger pressure, can be effective. I'll bet you didn't know that facial massage can help to relieve some of the pain during the initial onset of sinus congestion or for mild cases. When your sinuses are in trouble, your body usually tightens up against the discomfort.
Shiatsu, which helps the body to produce endorphins (those "feel good" hormones), can be used to reduce the discomfort felt around the forehead, eyes, cheeks and nose. Other benefits of Shiatsu are improved circulation and general relaxation. Now if you have having symptoms such as fever or greenish yellow mucus for more than three days, or if your symptoms are severe, please contact your physician as soon as possible.
Do you know what is going on in your sinuses? First, you should know that your sinuses are openings filled with air, located between the bones in your face. You have four main pairs of sinuses in your face. The frontal sinus is found in your forehead and above the eyebrows while the ethmoid sinus is between the eye sockets. At the back of the nose is the sphenoid sinus, and the maxillary sinus is in your cheek bones.
All of these openings are lined with a mucous membrane and all openings lead to your nose, which is lined with the same mucous membrane. This membrane produces mucus which traps dust particles, pet dander, smoke, bacteria, etc. in the air. Little hairs called cilia push the mucus through the sinuses and out your nose. When the debris and mucus reaches your nose and throat, normally you sneeze, cough, swallow or spit to eliminate those substances.
Movement of this mucus is really important because it is one of the body's first defense systems again disease causing agents, such as viruses. Anything that causes swelling in the nose may block the mucus movement. A cold, allergies, perfume, and pollen are just a few triggers that may irritate the mucus membrane and cause problems. This is when you find yourself in trouble - when the cilia can't move the mucus due to narrowing of the sinus channels.
Fortunately, medical technology is always on the move. In December, 2005, doctors started using a procedure called balloon sinuplasty in the United States. This procedure, done under general anesthesia, involves threading a guide wire with a tiny balloon into the nostrils and inflating it near the blockage just enough to open the channel. The balloon actually fractures the soft, thin, flexible bones and spreads them apart. After the balloon is deflated and removed, doctors reported the sinus spaces become wider and generally stay that way with no pain, bruising or swelling involved.
