Your sinuses serve as the first line of defense for your respiratory system.
Your sinuses are a connected system of small air-filled cavities in the skull that are lined with soft, pink tissue called mucosa. Normally, the sinuses are empty except for a thin layer of mucus that protects your nasal passages from external agents, like pollutants or pathogens. Your sinuses act as a filter which prevents environmental toxins (including smoke from wildfires), allergens, viral and bacterial infections and other harmful substances from reaching the lungs.
Your sinuses and the nasopharynx pathway that connect your nose to your mouth, are lined with mucous membranes to preventing pathogens from crossing from your external environment into your body. Within our nasal cavity we have tiny, hair-like structures called cilia that line the inside of the sinuses. These cilia move back and forth to push mucus around. This is how mucous gets from these cavities into either the back of the throat or to the nose where it can be blown out.
When you inhale airborne nasal irritants – like mold, smoke, dust, pet dander, chemical fumes or strong odors (perfumes, paint, insecticides and so on) – it irritates, the mucosal membranes of the nasal cavity, sinuses, and throat.
This irritation triggers swelling and inflammation which blocks the sinus openings and prevents mucus from draining properly. The pockets become filled with thick mucus, bacteria or fungus, causing the tissue to swell. This blocks drainage into the nose preventing fluid from escaping, which makes it difficult to breathe through your nose.
Symptoms of Sinus Inflammation
The sinuses make up the upper part of your respiratory tract from your nose into your throat. Any sinus-related issues that lead to restricted, congested or inflamed nasal passages can contribute to breathing difficulty or inflammation around the face, including:
- Runny nose
- Nasal congestion
- Sneezing
- Burning and/or itching inside the nose
- Partial or complete loss of smell
- Puffy face or facial pressure
- Watery eyes and eye redness
- Sore throat or cough may arise in the event of post nasal drip
- Severe cases may even result in headaches, fatigue, asthma attacks, chronic sinusitis, ear infections and even toothaches from surrounding nerve impingement.
Essential Oils for Sinus Inflammation
Giving your sinuses a rinse can help clear out toxins, by flushing out irritants and thinning excessive mucus that may congest the nose. Essentials oils can easily travel into the small holes to loosen mucous and promote drainage.
Elisa Song believes nasal irrigation may help prevent viruses. “This is because after exposure to a virus, the influenza virus tries to invade and multiply in your nasal passages for at least 1-2 days before you develop any symptoms. Nasal irrigation can wash away viral particles before they have the opportunity to take hold, and thereby prevent many infections from happening in the first place!”
Sadly, most nasal care products are not naturally sourced. They’re made from ingredients that are harmful to the mucosa and the good bacteria that are there to protect you.
Sinus Support™ is sourced from natural ingredients designed to both naturally clear and open the nasal passages and supports the relief of sinus pressure from chronic sinus infections and/or sinus issues to supports clearer and easier breathing. Sinus Support™ blend helps clear the blockages that could be lining the walls of your nasal passages and throat.
Sinus Support™ works as local decongestants that break up mucus, stimulate drainage of the nose and sinuses and relieve head pressure. Essential oils are also antimicrobial, to help resolve infectious organisms such as bacteria, viruses and fungus in the sinuses and nasal cavity.
Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus): It helps open the breathing passages and is excellent to use when treating asthma, laryngitis, sore throat, colds, and other respiratory illnesses. It is also very useful in meditations when you are suffering from a cold or other respiratory infection. It helps open your breathing so you can keep your mind clear and focused.
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia): Lifts mood and helps balance mood swings, normalizes emotions, brings deep relaxation. May help support irritability, moodiness, shock, fears, insecurity, restlessness, depression, nerves and stress.
Peppermint (Mentha piperita): Has anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties, which help support the relief of pain and sinus inflammation. Peppermint is also known to prevent biofilms and the viral load that can contribute to sinus inflammation. Research touts the antibacterial and anti-biofilm properties of Peppermint essential oil, noting that Peppermint essential oil “significantly inhibited the formation of biofilm, and inactivated mature biofilm.” Most interestingly, Peppermint seems to prevent microbial growth by affecting the permeability and integrity of the cell membrane which allow Peppermint essential oil to break down biofilms.
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris ct Thymol): Helps stimulate white blood cells to support immune system. Research from Japan tested the effects of essential oils against numerous bacteria and found that thyme essential oil had the highest activity against the pathogens that were studied.
How to Apply
Applying 2 – 3 drops of Sinus Support™ and/or Histamine Balance™ to a Q-tip and swabbing the inside of the nasal passages 2 – 6 times daily can help with nasal irrigation. For optimal effectiveness, you can leave the Q-tip in the nasal passage for up to 20 minutes. Try to relax and focus on breathing through the nose. This increases the speed and coordination of the cilia so they can more effectively remove the allergens and other sinus irritants. This technique can significantly reduce the risk of sinus infections or dramatically improve symptoms and improve the time to recovery.
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