Are you getting sinus infections that won't go away? It could be from mold in your home.
An estimated 37 million people in the United States suffer from chronic sinusitis, an inflammation of the membranes of the nose and sinus cavity. Its incidence has been increasing steadily over the last decade. Common symptoms are runny nose, nasal congestion, loss of smell and headaches. Frequently the chronic inflammation leads to polyps, small growths in the nasal passages which hinder breathing.
In a 1999 Mayo Clinic study, researchers studied 210 patients with chronic sinusitis. Using new methods of collecting and testing mucus from the nose, they discovered fungus (mold) in 96 percent of the patients' mucus. They identified a total of 40 different kinds of fungi in these patients, with an average of 2.7 kinds per patient.
See full Mayo Clinic document on this study
Antibiotics and over-the-counter decongestants are widely used to treat chronic sinusitis. In most cases, antibiotics are not effective for chronic sinusitis because they target bacteria, not fungi.
So, why are most doctors still prescribing antibiotics for sinus infections?
I don't have a logical answer to this. I do know that I hear from people all the time who have chronic sinusitis and they get prescribed antibiotics again and again. What happens is: they feel better for a short time while they are taking the drugs. Then, the sinus inflammation comes back, sometimes worse than before.
When we first found out that toxic mold was making us sick, we were sick with neurological symptoms, stomach upset and brain fog. We had pain and fatigue and some of us were completely disabled. Sinus issues were the least of our problems.
Luckily for us, we listened to some toxic mold experts who said you cannot get well from toxic mold if it is growing in your nose. It's dark and damp up there in your sinuses. Just the type of environment that mold likes to grow.
We used a neti pot and a mixture of warm distilled water, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp sea salt and 1 teaspoon xylitol.
This video shows how to use a neti pot – she buys a salt from a health store specifically for the neti pot – I just use Himalayan sea salt.
NEVER use tap water in a nasal rinse. Tap water can contain microbes, bacteria, chemicals and heavy metals that could make you feel worse! Boiling water is a poor idea if you have fluoride in your water because the fluoride will intensify with boiling.
This video shows a different recipe for a nasal rinse which uses iodine – and he uses a squirt bottle.
