1. Home
2. Blog
3. how-to-cure-cold-and-sinusitis-problems

<< Go back to blog

How to Completely Cure Cold and Sinusitis Problems

Your run-of-the-mill cold is a virus that affects your upper respiratory system. If not treated, it can develop into a sinus infection, called Sinusitis. Sinusitis problems occur when the nose, mouth, throat and lungs become inflamed, trapping mucus, allowing for the growth of harmful bacteria. Whereas a cold can pass in a couple days or weeks, acute or chronic sinus infections can last a few weeks to several months, with symptoms coming and going. Determining proper treatment can be difficult because symptoms for a cold or sinus infection can be very similar. Once you get a stuffed up and runny nose, learning how to completely cure cold and sinusitis problems can really help speed up the recovery process.

Antibiotics cannot be used to treat a regular cold, but over-the-counter cold medication and rest usually helps. If you have a sinus infection caused by bacterial buildup, antibiotics can help ease the symptoms. However, your doctor will most likely recommend a standard decongestant or antihistamine to manage your symptoms rather than give you any kind of antibiotic, unless the sinus infection is severe. Steam from a hot shower or humidifier can also help open airways and dislodge mucus to help you breathe better. There is no one solution on how to completely cure cold and sinusitis problems, but with enough time and treatment, the symptom­s will subside.

What Causes A Cold or Sinusitis?

A cold occurs when a person gets into contact with one of many kinds of viruses affecting the respiratory system. The virus is then spread from person to person through interaction with infected surfaces or through the act of sneezing or coughing. Sinusitis happens when the symptoms of a cold or allergies blocks the sinuses to create an environment for bacteria to grow and multiply. People with a deviated septum or a history of nasal polyps are more likely to develop a sinus infection making it difficult to completely cure cold and sinusitis problems. Those with asthma or other diseases with breathing symptoms can also develop chronic sinus infection due to the recurring irritation and inflammation of the nasal passages.

Cold and Sinus Infection Symptoms

We all know that feeling when we get a cold, the symptoms are undeniable. The nasal congestion, the coughing, sneezing, sore throat, runny nose, sniffling, and subsequent headaches accompanied with fatigue leaving us feeling rundown. These symptoms make it difficult to completely cure cold and sinusitis problems, but with time, the mild fever and body aches tend to slowly subside through rest and treatment. If you have a cold for more than 10 days, it is likely that a sinus infection will develop. Those with sinusitis problems will have very similar cold symptoms, but can be differentiated by the following additional symptoms unique to a sinus infection:

• Localized pain around the eyes and nose
• Thick and yellow mucus
• Cold symptoms that get progressively worse
• Reduce sense of taste and smell
• Bad breath and a sour taste in the mouth

Like a cold, sinusitis problems may subside over time without any treatment. However, this may take significantly longer without any medication to completely cure cold and sinusitis problems.

Cold and Sinus Infection Treatments

There are many over-the-counter medications that can help completely cure cold and sinusitis problems. There are all-in-one cold solutions like Buckley’s Complete if you have a wide range of annoying symptoms. You should also use products for specific issues, like Dristan Nasal Mist or Otrivin for fast-acting congestion relief, as well as Advil for headaches and other body pains. It is most important to clear your sinuses with a nasal decongestant or by irrigating your nasal passages with a mixture of distilled water and salt in order to breathe better while sleeping. A combination of cold medicines, staying hydrated, and getting a lot of rest should resolve cold symptoms within a few days.

You cannot completely cure cold and sinusitis problems, but by reducing symptoms using cold medication, our immune system should be able to eliminate the remaining virus. If left untreated, bacteria can develop and turn into a sinus infection which will require a course of antibiotics such as Amoxicillin in order to treat. When faced with a sinus infection, the recommended treatments are like a cold, but will require more effort to fight. Talk to your doctor to determine the severity of your sinusitis, and they will prescribe you the necessary antibiotics and treatment regimen. If for some reason you are not responding to treatment, you may be a good candidate for balloon sinus dilation surgery to widen your sinus passages in order to breathe better and reduce symptoms.

The best way to prevent a sinus infection is to deal with the initial cold right away and rest as much as possible. For more information on how to completely cure cold and sinusitis problems and for the best remedies, visit our website.

References:

Treating chronic sinusitis – InformedHealth.org – Can surgery help? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279484/

<< Go back to blog