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Sinusitis Prevention
There are so many ways to help lessen or prevent altogether your chance of developing sinusitis or address early symptoms of sinusitis. Keeping the nasal passages clear and improving drainage are the two most important things to remember in sinusitis prevention. To attain them, here are some tips to follow:
Daily wash your nasal passages – This can be done by gently running water into the nasal passages to moisten membranes and remove excess mucus. The best times to perform these are when you are brushing your teeth in the morning and at night. You can apply nasal saline spray in the daytime to moisten your nasal passages.
Drinking copious amounts of water – A well-hydrated body keeps the mucus loose and thin. Always keep a bottle of water at your desk during work and always remind yourself to drink water or other fluids by, for example, placing a glass near the kitchen sink to serve as a reminder to drink water during the day.
Breathe in steam – Stay for a while inside the bathroom during a hot shower. Or you can boil water, pour it into a pan; cover your head with a towel and bend towards the pan to inhale the steam.
Stay away from dry environments – At home always use a humidifier especially near your bed so that your nasal passages will be prevented from drying out. Also you need to keep your humidifier clean and mold and bacteria free.
Keep your head elevated while you sleep – When your head is down when you sleep at night mucus can accumulate in your sinuses; therefore, keep your head elevated by using pillows on your head or a wedge on the front legs of your bed when you sleep.
Treat your nose with care – This means gently blowing your nose, one nostril at a time. Blowing your nose in a forceful manner will just irritate the nasal passages and bring back the infected mucus into your sinuses.
Unless prescribed, do not use any antihistamines – These medicines tend to thicken the mucus making it difficult to expel. However, if your sinusitis is caused by an allergy, your doctor may prescribe an antihistamine for you combined with other drugs.
Take proper care when using decongestants – Decongestant tablets that have pseudoephedrine helps contract membranes and enable the nasal passages to open. Decongestant nose sprays that have oxymetazoline or phenylephrine act fast and effectively. However, use of topical nasal decongestants for one to two days can increase the risk of dependency due to rebound — more swelling after the drug wears off. The use of oral decongestants can also cause side effects like blood pressure increase and jitters. So, if you suffer from high blood pressure, talk to your doctor first before using these drugs.
Dr. Vickery is a licensed acupuncturist in Tarzana, CA., and the founder and clinical director of Vickery Health and Wellness.
Influenza Treatments and Drugs
Usually people sick with the flu do get well after a week or two without any need for treatment. The problem starts when flu complications arise. You may need to call your physician or nurse if you:
- Have a problem breathing or feeling short of breath
- Have pressure or pain in your abdomen or chest
- Have symptoms of dehydration like not passing urine or dizziness when standing
- Feel confused
- Cannot drink enough fluids or cannot stop vomiting
If your child has flu and shows the following signs and symptoms, you may need to seek medical help.
- Does not easily wake up
- Purplish or bluish skin color
- Irritability – Your child does not want to be held
- Does not shed tears when crying (especially among infants)
- Rash with fever
Treating Symptoms — This means that flu symptoms will be reduced but the flu itself will not be treated. Some of the ways to reduce symptoms of influenza include:
- Paracetamol or acetaminophen – Can include Tylenol among others. This drug can temporarily relieve muscle aches, headaches and fever. You can also use aspirin and other mild analgesics that can include PeptoBismol and bismuth subsalicylate among others. Aspirin should not be given to individuals under 18 years of age because it can lead to a very serious condition named Reye syndrome.
- Fluids — Taking in copious amounts of fluids is needed for flu-stricken individuals in order not to be dehydrated. You can gauge if you are drinking enough fluids by observing the color of your urine. Normal urine color should look almost colorless or light yellow. You also know you are drinking adequate amounts of fluids if you pass urine every three to five hours.
- Rest – In order to reenergize your body and boost your immune function you need to get adequate rest particularly if you are suffering from severe flu symptoms.
Antiviral medicines – These drugs work against influenza in very limited degrees. Antivirals hardly can eliminate the flu symptoms but it serves to lessen the duration of symptoms by one day as well as reduce their severity. There are some individuals with the flu who may need to take antiviral medicines to prevent the rise of complications and if they are seriously ill. People at low risk for complications and are only lightly sick are typically given an antiviral drug if their symptoms have lasted for two days or less. Some of the antiviral drugs can include active ingredients called zanamivir (Relenza) and oseltamivir (Tamiflu). A couple of old medications called amantadine (Symmetrel) and rimantadine (Flumadine) are not prescribed anymore because today’s flu viruses have developed resistance to them. For seasonal flu, antiviral treatment can be effective as long at it’s taken during the first 2 days of flu symptoms.
The most effective medication will depend on certain individual factors and if the virus has still not developed resistance to the medicine. A nurse or doctor will be the ones to determine what drugs will be effective for the patient. The side effects of oseltamivir and zanamivir are mild and they can include vomiting and nausea. Some people may develop breathing difficulty when they inhale zanamivir. Because they only cause light side effects, people are still able to continue taking these drugs.
Antibiotics — These types of medicines are virtually useless in treating viral influenza and other viral illnesses. Antibiotics need only be used if you develop bacterial complication like sinusitis, ear infection or bacterial pneumonia. Antibiotics have certain side effects and often bacteria eventually develop resistance to these drugs.
Alternative and complementary treatments — A varied array of homeopathic, herbal, holistic and other alternative and complementary treatments are offered for treating influenza. One very good alternative medicinal treatment is traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
TCM has an entirely different approach to conventional treatments especially in regards to flu and cold. TCM is composed of dietary changes, moxibustion, herbal remedies and acupuncture among others. They all can be applied for the flu and colds and can also be used as forms of preventative medicine to reinforce the immune system and prevent the environment from doing damage to the body. Moxibustion and acupuncture are especially important in strengthening chi (vital energy) and removing elements that cause flu symptoms from the body. Certain herbal remedies can be applied for flu and cold. Astralagus and Cordyceps are potent plants that help strengthen the lungs, the most important organ when it comes to flu and colds.
Needles & Moxa Wellness Center
700 S Red Rd
Miami, FL 33144
Ph: (305) 265-5265
http://www.needlesandmoxa.com/
Low Blood Pressure Tests and Diagnosis
The typical initial step in diagnosing low blood pressure is by measuring a person’s blood pressure in both the standing or supine (lying) positions. Individuals who manifest symptoms of hypotension often register a sudden drop in their blood pressure when they start to stand and they more often than not may acquire orthostatic symptoms and an increased heart rate. The aim of the diagnosis is to know the factor(s) that cause(s) low blood pressure, that is, as soon as the cause of the symptoms has been ascertained. There are occasions when the causes of hypotension become somewhat obvious. This may, for example, be sudden shock after the person underwent an x-ray test that entailed the use of iodine or loss of blood caused by trauma. Sometimes, the cause may only be known through testing. Tests for low blood pressure can include:
- Blood electrolyte test – This test measures electrolytes in the blood to see if the patient is suffering from too much acid in the blood (acidosis), kidney failure or mineral depletion or dehydration.
- CBC or complete blood count – This test may identify anemia in the patient due to increased white blood cells caused by infection or blood loss
- Urine and blood cultures – These tests are done in order to identify bladder infections and septicemia respectively.
- Cortisol levels – The amount of cortisol in the body is ascertained to effectively diagnose for Addison’s disease or adrenal insufficiency
- AKG or electrocardiograms – An EKG test can monitor for heart muscle damage, pericarditis or abnormally rapid or slow heart beats caused by either poor supply of blood to the heart muscles that has yet not resulted in a heart attack or from previous heart attacks
- Radiology studies – These tests can include computerized tomography (CAT or CT) scans, stomach ultrasounds and chest X-rays to identify conditions such as diverticulitis, pancreatitis, gallstones, heart failure and pneumonia
- Holter monitor recordings – This is used to identify for instances of irregular heart rhythms. If these abnormal rhythms intermittently occur, then it means that the EKG test done during your doctor’s appointment did not detect any irregular rhythm. The Holter monitor is used for a span of 24 hours recording the rhythm of your heart beat for one whole day. The Holter monitor is utilized to record and diagnose sporadic events of tachycardia or bradycardia.
- Patient-activated event recorder – If the patient experiences sporadic episodes of tachycardia or bradycardia and if a day-long Holter recording fails to capture these episodes, then he can use a patient-activated event recorder for about a month. A patient-activated event recorder is used by pressing a button to commence recording when the patient feels the onset of low blood pressure symptoms or an abnormal heart rhythm caused by low blood pressure. The recordings are evaluated by the doctor to identify the abnormal episodes.
- Ultrasound examinations – This test focuses on the patient’s leg veins. Chest CT scans can help the doctor detect for any pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis.
- Echocardiograms are examinations of the structures and motion of the heart using ultrasound. Echocardiograms can detect a wide range of heart conditions like rare tumors of the heart, heart valve diseases, muscle damage caused by heart attacks and pericarditis due to too much pericardial fluid.
- Tilt-table tests – These tests are helpful in assessing patients who might be suffering from syncope or postural hypotension caused by dysfunction of the autonomic nerves. When undergoing this test, the patient lies on an examination table and given intravenous infusion while his blood pressure and heart rate is evaluated. Afterwards the table is tilted upright for 1/4 to 3/4 of an hour. Blood pressure and heart rate are observed every minute or so. The aim of a Tilt-table test is to reproduce postural hypotension. The doctor usually prescribes epinephrine (Isuprel or adrenalin) intravenously to cause postural hypotension.
Nawei’s Acupuncture Clinic
559 E. Pikes Peak Ave. Suite 212
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
Phone: 719-632-7103
http://acupuncturechinanawei.com/