subject: Why does Sinusitis Produce Mucus? [print this page] Why does Sinusitis Produce Mucus? Why does Sinusitis Produce Mucus?
The way that you body eliminates mucus from your body is very important. The body has a natural way of getting rid of toxins before they go to your lungs, by carrying them in mucus to the back of the throat for expulsion. Sinusitis mucus is a problem because there is too much mucus and it does not get carried out the way it should. The body produces mucus normally as a means of cleansing the nasal passages, but in the case of sinusitis, your body can create too much mucus. This can happen as a reaction to a cold or allergy, where your body is producing more mucus to address the irritation, or your body may not actually be creating more mucus, it just feels like it because the mucus that is created is not flowing out the way it should.
Mucus production is one of the biggest problems when it comes to your sinuses and sinus infections. The clearer that your nasal passage is, the better off you will be and experience less symptoms of sinusitis. On occasion, our bodies produce too much mucus and it begins to clog up the sinus cavity. It gets worse and worse as it builds up, since it creates a cycle where the newly created mucus cannot drain properly. The hair like projections in our nasal cavities (cilia) are not able to do their job of filtering, causing the debris to become lodged in the small tubes of the sinuses. The cilia are responsible for the removal of debris such as: allergens, chemicals, dust and dirt. The reason for this is so that the air is cleaned properly before it gets to the lungs. Once the cilia become paralyzed they are unable to sweep the debris to the back of the cavity to be naturally removed by clearing your throat, coughing, spitting and swallowing.
When the debris remains instead of being flushed by the mucus, it can cause a bacterial infection that can become very troublesome to treat. Just because the mucous membranes become irritated and swollen doesn't mean that they stop producing mucus. This is actually worse because it won't drain and bacterial or viral infections will now have a breeding ground and this causes these types of infections. The amount of time that the mucus spends dormant in these air filled spaces will depend on how bad the infection becomes.
Another factor to be aware of is that the production of mucus differs from person to person and case to case. A common cold is, for the most part, the major cause of sinusitis mucus and the resulting infections. This happen when a cold lasts too long and mucus becomes infected due to the bacterial growth. Acute sinusitis usually lasts for less than a month, whereas chronic sinusitis may never go away unless treated properly.
Using some home remedies may help temporarily to relieve some of your sinusitis mucus. You can try to massage the areas in your face that are bothering you. Natural herbs can also be of some use: eucalyptus, ginger, garlic, and lemon balm have been successfully used in herbal teas to treat the symptoms of sinusitis. These herbs can be homegrown and make very tasty teas. They work wonders for inflammation and congestion.
Another popular cure for sinusitis mucus is to mix salt and warm water and add this to nasal passage to irrigate and loosen the mucus that is not budging. Clearing your airway by any means possible will help to give you a great deal of relief. But remember that in any type of treatment, even if it is natural or herbal, you really should seek the advice of a specialist.
Herbal remedies are an excellent first step in addressing your sinusitis mucus, but sometimes, they may not be sufficient to relieve your problems if they have progressed too far. Then it may take surgery to fix your sinuses.
