1. Cope Using Home Care Techniques
For mild cases of sinusitis, you'll be able to manage the infection using over-the-counter medications in combination with home care techniques. These include the use of expectorants as well as proper nasal drainage methods to speed up your body's expulsion of the infectious bacteria.
Expectorants thin mucus and help keep your lungs free and clear. You can combine them with cough-relieving medicines if a bothersome cough is among your symptoms. Ask your doctor or your pharmacist for assistance in selecting a regimen of over-the-counter drugs.
To keep your sinuses drained, you should drink lots of water, as this thins out your mucus and allows it to pass through your nasal cavities more quickly. Some people prefer to drink plenty of hot tea throughout the day as well, but you should limit your caffeine intake, as caffeine is a diuretic which will dehydrate you in the end.
A few times a day, you should also boil some water and inhale the steam vapors by placing your head over the top and trapping in the steam by covering up with a towel. You can also add a menthol agent such as Vicks VapoRub to the water, if you like, to open up your air passageways even more.
2. Keep Your Sinuses Open
Since inflammation often interferes with your ability to drain your sinuses, your doctor may prescribe a steroid compound to help you manage your condition more effectively. These drugs have anti-inflammatory properties which will allow for the unimpeded flow of air and drainage of your sinus cavities.
These drugs can also prevent sinus infections from developing, if you're particularly prone to them during allergy season. If you act early to keep your drainage passageways open and working, you'll avoid a potentially harmful buildup of mucus in your sinus cavities.
3. Manage Sinus Infections With Medicinal Treatments
Doctors can be reluctant to prescribe antibiotics to treat sinusitis, since less aggressive approaches often work just fine. However, if you have a serious case that you're struggling to cope with, you might be given an antibiotic to kill the bacteria that have welled up in your nasal cavities.
Nasal sprays and decongestants can also be used, as directed by your doctor or pharmacist, to keep the drainage flowing. These products are available in both over-the-counter and prescription strengths. Sometimes, fungal growths are to blame for sinus infections, in which case an anti-fungal medication will be recommended. However, you'll have to undergo testing to pinpoint the cause of your sinusitis.
4. Surgery as a Last Resort
If continued treatments and antibiotics fail to clear up your problem, you might have obstructive mucosal disease (OMD). OMD can be corrected surgically.
The surgeon will seek out and remove any nasal polyps you have and seek to straighten your nasal septum so that you can breathe better and your nasal cavities will drain properly. After surgery, you might be given a refillable prescription for nasal steroids and you'll treat any later flare-ups using antibiotics.
