Try the following measures to help reduce congestion in your sinuses:

Apple Cider Vinegar
Mix 1-2 tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar in a glass of water and gulp the mixture at once. Use it 3-4 times a day for 4-6 days. Improvement occurs often in 1 hour, latest in 1 day. If you don’t notice any ease of the sinus infection after 2 days, stop taking the remedy.

Another simple possibility is opening the Apple Cider Vinegar bottle and just inhale (through your nose) the vapor coming out of it. It is able to open up the sinus passages immediately. Don’t overuse it.  The acidic vapor may damage the mucus membrane.

Most of the people desire warm onto the congested sinus area. You may use a hot-water bottle, an infrared lamp, a warm flannel or simple blow warm air from a hair-drier.

Apply a warm, moist washcloth to your face several times a day.
Do it first thing in the morning, and then as frequently as it feels right for you.

Hot Steam Inhalation
Inhale steam 2 – 4 times per day (for example, sitting in the bathroom with the shower running).

Drink plenty of fluids to thin the mucus
The fluids should be water, tea, and fruit juices.  You definitely don’t want to drink any sodas, colas or other carbonated beverages.

Honey
Honey is very effective in killing bacteria in all its forms, especially the drug-resistant biofilms that make treating chronic rhinosinusitis difficult, according to research presented during the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation.

The findings may hold important clinical implications in the treatment of chronic rhinosinusitis, which affects 31 million people each year in the United States alone, and is among the three most common chronic diseases in North America.

Source: Science Daily September 23, 2008

Dr. Joseph Mercola’s Comments at Mercola.com
Going back to basics, and using natural therapies that do not add to the problems caused by overuse of antibiotics, is clearly a major leap in the right direction.

Traditional antibiotics are increasingly ineffective against many microbes, to the point that the Centers for Disease Control has stated, “nearly all significant bacterial infections in the world are becoming resistant to the most commonly prescribed antibiotic treatments.”

The return to honey as a natural healing therapy makes sense. Honey was a conventional therapy in fighting infection up until the early 20th century, at which time its use slowly vanished as penicillin took center stage.  But today, a fair number of studies exist to reconfirm its medicinal benefits.

One thing to remember here though, is that not all honey is appropriate for medicinal use. The antibacterial activity in some honeys is 100 times more powerful than in others.

The Extraordinary Healing Properties of Manuka Honey
In July 2007, the Food and Drug Administration gave Derma Sciences, a New Jersey-based manufacturer of wound-care products, clearance to sell Manuka honey wound and burn dressings as medical devices in the U.S. (The dressings, called MEDIHONEY Wound & Burn Dressings can be found online from medical supply stores. Amazon.com also sells them.)

The Manuka honey approved for medicinal use has been shown to have special anti-infection, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties.

It’s also effective for killing the bacteria Helicobacter Pylori, which can cause stomach ulcers. 

What is the Unique Manuka Factor (UMF)?
Manuka honey is rated according to its “Unique Manuka Factor,” (UMF). It is so called because no one has yet been able to discover the unique substance involved that gives it its extraordinary antibacterial activity.

Honey releases hydrogen peroxide through an enzymatic process, which explains its general antiseptic qualities, but Active Manuka honey contains “something else” that makes it far superior to other types of honey when it comes to killing off bacteria. Hence, the UMF number is the standard description for the antibacterial strength of the honey.

To get its rating, a sample of the honey batch is placed on a plate with a bacterial culture. The area where the bacterial growth stops is then measured. This area is compared to a similar area produced by a solution of phenol and water. The UMF number refers to the equivalent percentage of phenol in water, so, for example, honey with a UMF rating of 10 has the same antibacterial strength as 10 percent phenol.

A rating of UMF 10 or higher is recommended for medicinal use.

Use raw honey in a pinch
If you’re in a pinch, using raw, organic honey is also acceptable. But avoid using the processed or refined honey generally found in the supermarket. “USA Grade A Honey” has over 75 percent probability of being force-fed and regurgitated high fructose corn syrup, flavored, and colored, honey. Due to its pH and lack of naturally occurring enzymatic, antibacterial or anti-microbial characteristics, this type of honey can do more harm than good.

Hot Compresses and Poultices
To encourage drainage of mucus apply hot compresses or poultices to your sinuses. They are really old home remedies used by our grandmothers for sinus infection. You may use different aromatic oils (e.g. eucalyptus oil) in hot water, but the best natural cures are using GINGER (Zingiber officinalis) or black MUSTARD (Brassica nigra). Both stimulate the circulation strongly and help decongest stuffy nasal passages.

Spray with nasal saline several times per day.
Inhaling steam and squirting salt water into the nose to flush out thick mucus are among the methods that may provide relief.

Use a humidifier
If you use a humidifier, be sure to use purified water so you minimize the amount of mineral residue.

An online home remedy resource
If you are interested in more ideas about alternative treatments for sinus infections from Christina’s home remedies, click here to learn more.

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