Sinusitis can be divided into acute (a result of allergy, infection by bacteria or virus) and chronic. Acute sinusitis is easily diagnosed because the offending allergen can be demonstrated, as can also infection. In the latter situation the nasal secretions are discolored yellow, green or brown. Acute sinusitis is brief, lasting no more than 3 weeks and is very responsive to antibiotics, antihistamines, cortisone nose drops/tablets and decongestants.
Chronic sinusitis is a different story. It can last a lifetime. Causes are not obvious and usually not determined. The nasal secretions are white or colorless. Response to treatment is poor. In our further discussion, unless specified otherwise, the term sinusitis will refer to chronic sinusitis.
Alternative terminology
The term sinusitis is often interchanged with rhinnitis. However, rhinnitis refers specifically to that part of the nose from the nostrils to the back of the nose, whereas sinusitis refers to the symptoms coming from the nostrils to the upper part of the bronchial tree. Sinusitis is thus a looser term.
Turbinitis refers to inflammation of the turbinates, the three protrusions coming from the lateral walls of the nose. This term is even more specific. These terms can only be used by doctors because only they are familiar with the anatomy. They use these terms because they believe inflammation is sourced from there.
Perrenial refers to continuous, year in and year out as opposed to seasonal. This term is often matched with sinusitis or rhinnitis.
Vasomotor refers to the neurological control of the diameter of the blood vessels supplying the nose and sinuses. Dilatation is associated with increased secretions, stuffiness, headaches and pain. It also aggravates asthma. This term is also matched with sinusitis or rhinnitis.
A diagnosis of perrenial sinusitis, vasomotor sinusitis, perrenial rhinnitis or vasomotor rhinnitis is often given to satisfy the patient. In reality the doctor is saying he has no idea what the cause is and any treatment to follow is likely to fail.
Epidemiology and Morbidity
There are currently over 37 million sufferers of sinusitis in USA alone. Sinus sufferers account for the greatest number of doctor visits per illness. Large sums of money are spent on medications, treatments and allergy shots which don't work. Sinusitis accounts for much lost time from work especially when associated diseases such as asthma and recurrent colds are taken into account.
Applied Clinical Anatomy
The sinuses are large air sacs in the bony structure of the skull located around the nasal passage. The maxillary sinus, the largest, communicates with the nasal passage through which all the secretions flow. The other sinuses are called the frontal, ethmoid, and sphenoid sinuses. Infection here can cause headaches.
The bony walls of the sinuses are lined with a special membrane consisting of cells producing sticky mucus. Other cells have hairs or cilia which vibrate. These cilia move the mucus in the direction of the exit. The mucus acts as a conveyor belt moving trapped contaminants such as pollen, dust, bacteria and virus ultimately to be swallowed. This membrane is called the respiratory membrane, for it lines the whole of the respiratory tract. When the ciliary cells are damaged by infection, allergen reaction or cigarette smoke, hairs are lost. Until they re -grow, which they will not unless the environment is kind, there will be a functional blockage of mucus flow. Blockage at any level presages infection, just like a stagnant pond. Infection causes further damage, prolonging recovery. Stagnation of mucus in the respiratory tract in its minimal form will mean constant stuffy runny nose. In its most severe form, bronchiectasis, partial lung resection of that cavity filled with pus is required.
......................................................................................................................................................................................top
Applied
Clinical Physiology
There has been much debate on the purposes of the sinuses.. Besides that already
mentioned, the removal of pollutants, the sinuses are involved in the humidification
to all incoming air delivered to the lungs. Air is also warmed to body temperature.
The sinuses also lighten the skull. Voice production also require the presence
of the sinuses. The autonomic nervous system controls the blood supply to
the sinuses and the bronchial tubes. These same nerves also control the diameter
of the bronchial tubes as it innervates its musculature. Inappropriate contraction
of this musculature produces asthma, which is triggered by any irritant. Thus
sinusitis will aggravate asthma. These same nerves are also part of the emotional
expression, which is why we talk about exercise and emotional induced asthma
and sinusitis. For this same reason lack of sleep often precipitates sinusitis
and asthma.
Applied Pathology and Investigations
The standard investigation, besides laboratory blood work for lowered immunity
and allergy testing is X-Rays and CAT scans. To this may be added MRI. Sadly,
all these expensive investigations do not help in making a definitive diagnosis,
or treatment. This is because sinusitis is a functional problem, not an anatomical
one. True, one does see a swollen membrane and even polyps. Who is to say
that the polyps are not just exaggerated swellings. Even if they are removed
or dealt with by cauterization, the underlying problem has not been dealt
with.
Treatment
Has been standard for decades. It focuses on the use of antihistamines, decongestants,
anti-inflammatory agents, anti-allergy agents and HI blockers (blocking the
release of histamines) orally or topically. Drugs often have side effects.
Allergy desensitization is effective for seasonal sinusitis (hayfever). Surgery
is effective for nasal polyps, mechanical obstruction as in post fracture
deformities and foreign bodies. All treatments for sinusitis are expensive.
Costs can exceed $1000 annually. This would not be a problem if treatments
were effective. However, they all fail to bring the patient to a happy functional
state. Most folks with partial improvement end up accepting their sinus condition.
A more recent innovation is the local use of isotonic saline (0.9% salt solution),
packaged of course, sold under brand names at exorbitant cost. This definitely
helps though no one has offered any explanation.
What is post traumatic
sensitivity (PTS)?
PTS refers to the hypersensitive state of all
tissues after injury. When a limb is injured, a minor brush, part of
every day activity, causes extreme pain and dysfunction. In the bowels after
a bout of food poisoning, eating normal food brings on diarrhea and abdominal
cramps. After bacterial/viral infection of the sinuses, exposure to normal
temperature/humidity changes brings on sinus symptoms. In all of these situations
the original cause of the injury is no longer a factor but PTS is present
and can prolong the problem for years. Most health care workers have not acknowledged
the presence of PTS in the sinuses, explaining their jumping on the bandwagon
of non existing causes such as fungal and yeast infection.
What is relationship between SINUCLEAR™ and PTS?
PTS in
the sinuses refers to
a state of heightened sensitivity after injury,
usually by infection or allergy. Only rest can restore normal sensitivity.
It is easy to rest the limbs and the bowel. How does one rest the nasal passage?
By presenting filtered air, 100% humidified at close to body temperature.
This air as it passes through the nasal passage does not need to be altered
before it enters the lungs. The SINUCLEAR™ does just that. It presents filtered 100% humidified
air at 30-34 °C. which when breathed 8-10 hours every 24 hours for 1-2-3 weeks,
rests the sinuses enough to restore it to normal sensitivity. A room
humidifier can not do the job. It barely raises the humidity, yet it is enough
to promote the growth of housemites, a major allergen.
What
is the relationship between PTS, influenza, asthma, allergy, recurrent cold
symptoms, bronchitis and sinusitis?
The presence of PTS will aggravate asthma because the nasal passages
and the bronchial tubes have the same surface lining. Too often, folks have
a diagnosis of recurrent colds, sinusitis, allergies, influenza, bronchitis,
lowered immunity, when the underlying diagnosis is PTS. Improvement does
not take place despite drugs and antibiotics but does improve dramatically
after a vacation to the tropics (warm temperature, high humidity, change of
allergens, removal from emotional stress.) The SINUCLEAR™ would effectively replace a tropical visit.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................top
HOME ABOUT
US REVIEW
SINUCLEAR
TREATMENT
PROFILES CONTACT
US ORDER
