How To Cure A Sinus Infection The Natural Way!

What are the Best Remedies for a Sinus Infection?

From runny nose, stuffy nose to allergic sneezing fits, congested sinuses, splitting headaches and nausea from blocked sinuses I’ll show you useful home remedies to cure even the most hardcore sinus infection.  

Whether you suffer from food intolerances, you have Candida or you simply caught a cold – the natural remedies on this page should sort your nose out in no time.

Quick Overview of my favourite Home Remedies for Cold or Flu-like Symptoms:

1. Nose Oil Drops
2. Oil Pulling
3. Eucalyptus Steam Inhalation
4. Salty Nose Douche
5. Ginger, Cinnamon & Pepper Tea
6. Applecider Vinegar
7. Cold Fighter – Soup
8. Veggy Immune Boost Juice with Horseradish
9. Anti Sinus Infection Tea Blend
10. Hot & Cold Treatment
11. Upside Down Yoga Stance & Deep Breathing
12. Sinus Pressure Point Massage – Acupressure
13. Chinese Herbs & Acupuncture

Let’s Take a Closer Look at each Sinus Infection Home Remedy:

Nose Oil Drops

For antibacterial drops mix sesame oil, mustard oil with double the amount of almond oil. 2 x daily place one drop into each nostril and sniff it up – Works a treat! It’s not my invention – got it from this nifty nutrition book here which has a ton of valuable advice on ayurvedic health principles and home remedies.

Oil Pulling

Alternatively mix almond oil (50) with red thyme (1), tea tree (1) and cinnamon oil (1) for some extraordinarily poky antifungal action! Keep this bottle in the fridge. Whenever you feel you are coming down with something mix a few drops of this mixture with a tablespoon of sunflower oil and swish it around in your mouth for a good 10-15 minutes before you brush your teeth or drink anything in the morning. Always dilute it with sunflower oil as it burns like mad otherwise! Also take great care not to swallow it, as it draws out germs and toxins. Brush your teeth afterwards and rinse your mouth out.

Top Tip for Clearing Your Blocked Nose: Dip the tip of a cotton ear bud into the diluted thyme mixture and gently stick it up one of your nostrils, hold the other one closed and breathe as much as possible through that nostril. Letting the essential oils clear your nose. After 30-60 seconds take a fresh cotton bud and repeat the procedure with your other nostril. Don’t worry if this makes you sneeze – that’s a good sign ?

Eucalyptus Steam Inhalation

This is a very easy to do home remedy. Simply add 2-3 drops of eucalyptus essential oil to water that has just been boiled, place your head over it, cover it, don’t burn yourself and inhale for about ten minutes. Chamomile flowers work nicely for this, too  – more calming, whereas Eucalyptus helps the drainage of the excess mucous by thinning it.

For best results do this 3-4 times a day. Preferably not last thing at night – it can make your nose run or cause sneezing or sinus pain until the loosened up stuff had a chance to be eliminated.

Nose Douche/ Rinse with Saline (Salt) Solution

One of the simplest treatments of sinus infection is to rinse your nose with a diluted salt water solution, which cleans and disinfects the nasal pathways.

In a sense this works similar to those saline nasal sprays you can buy, but obviously deeper. So called Neti Pots are specifically made to help you with this nose douche. Alternatively just hold one nostril closed and sniff up some of the salt water through the other nostril. The solution automatically runs back down your throat so you can spit it out rather than swallowing it.

Use table salt or sea salt (1/2 teaspoon dissolved in a glass of lukewarm water) and taste it beforehand to make sure its not so potent that it makes your eyes water.

Effective and quite quick once you get the hang of it.

Read on to Find Out How Your Sinus Infection is Affected by What You Eat!

Diet plays a big part in the development of a chronic sinus infection.

Food items which are difficult to digest and are consumed on a regular basis (like dairy and wheat for instance) will lead to the development and retention of Phlegm. This can predispose you to getting a sinus infection on a regular basis.

That’s one of the reasons in the treatment of yeast infections/ candida why you are advised not to eat any dairy and foods that could trigger an allergic response. So make sure you up your veggies intake instead.

What Foods Should You Avoid Whilst You Are Ill?

Dairy – for the reasons outlined in the paragraph above.

So milk, cheese and yogurt are off the menu I’m afraid. But since you are reading this, chances are you are following a form of Candida Diet in which case those foods are not allowed anyway. Except small amounts of yogurt (preferably sheep’s yogurt) or feta cheese occasionally.

Fried foods & rich & creamy sauces – they put an enormous strain on your digestive system.

What Food Helps to Soothe Your Sinus Infection?

Cold Fighter – Soup

Armed with this nutrient rich, comforting soup an infection has no chance!

Just the antiseptic powers of garlic alone make this soup ideal to prevent or combat colds and reduce nasal congestion.

And it works in just the same way to alleviate the symptoms of a sinus infection caused by candida.

How Do You Make It?

Peel and chop some potato, leek, onion, garlic and root ginger. Simmer the vegetables with some dark mustard seeds, cayenne pepper (or black pepper) and turmeric (kurkuma) in yeast free stock for 20 minutes. Sprinkle some fresh parsley over before serving for some added vitamin c kick to speed up your recovery.

What Drinks Help the Healing Process?

Ginger, Cinnamon & Pepper Tea

If you suffer from one sinus infection after the other then this tea is a real god sent!
It not only tastes lovely and smells christmassy – it also is a superb digestive aid and ultra soothing for IBS type lower abdominal symptoms.

How Do You Make It?

You can make this heart-warming concoction by boiling a few slices of fresh ginger root and a pinch of cinnamon and black or cayenne pepper in filtered water. For about 4-5 mins.

Boil for at least 20 minutes if you want to alkalize the water, which would further boost your healing – watch out though – the longer it simmers, the hotter (as in spicier) it gets. For extra candida fighting powers you could add a few cloves if you’d like.

Top Tip: For a super quick version of this sinus infection remedy just use ground spices in a tea sock or just boil ginger in water ?

Apple cider Vinegar

Drinking diluted natural apple cider vinegar is one of the best things you can do for your health on a regular basis. One of its many health benefits is that it thins the blood – which is really handy when your nose is blocked – since this might well enable you to breathe more freely and loosen the nasty mucous. The extra vitamin & mineral boost in it doesn’t do you any harm either…

Carrot Apple Ginger Juice

Now this is one of my favourite juices of all times – seriously it is that good! All you need is a few organic carrots, 1 green apple (braeburn or cox orange work best), 2 celery sticks, a thumb size piece of fresh ginger root (optional: juice of half a lemon).

Refreshing, rejuvenating, detoxing!

And with the added ginger zing this is also the perfect drink if you have a sinus infection. You only need to be careful in the initial stages of the Candida Diet as you wouldn’t be allowed this juice due to its high fruit sugar contents.

Veggy Immune Boost Juice with Horseradish

In that case you could try a Vegetable juice instead. Be sure to add some Horseradish as this stimulates the digestive system, promotes sweating and clears the nasal passages so you can start to breathe more freely.

Anti Sinus Infection Tea Blend

One of the simplest yet most effective home remedies to alleviate the symptoms of a stuffy or runny nose is a mixture of loose freshly brewed Nettle & Mullein Tea. It tastes sweet & pleasant (not like you’d expect a herbal tea to taste like).

And it really helps to cleanse your system and clear up your sinus infection much quicker. Drink it preventatively or on when you’re starting to feel a bit under the weather. I buy both herbal teas separately and then mix them as and when needed. Generally I order mine online from this online health shop here, but I’m sure you can get it near you, too.

Top Tip: Drink loose Nettle tea as a restorative beverage mid morning or in the afternoon. It’s not fermented so it is much better for the flora in your digestive system than black or green tea.

What else Helps to Clear Your Head?

Since Sinusitis is an inflammation of the mucous membranes of the sinus cavities inside the skull and around the eyes, a Sinus Infection unfortunately tends to come with a splitting headache and the whole area around your nose being really sensitive to touch.

This can last for days if not weeks – if you are unlucky, since it is very easy once the nasal pathways are clogged up to also get a bacterial infection that can then spread to your throat or ears.

So key in treating a sinus infection is to sort it out as quickly as possible before the germs get a chance to get a foothold.

Hot & Cold Treatment

Another good sinus infection home remedy is the following: Prepare a bowl with very warm water and a bowl with ice cold water, each with a flannel in it. Then lie on your back with your head raised and put the hot flannel on your face so it covers your nose & forehead area. When the heat sensation is gone put it back in the warm bowl and apply the cold flannel. Rinse repeat a few times, ending on the warm flannel. The idea is to improve circulation to relieve the headache radiating out from the sinus infections.

Upside Down Yoga Stance

Stand with your legs hip width apart and let your upper body and head hang down with your arms at your sides, hands towards the floor. Relax your back and shoulders and focus on breathing slowly and deeply through your nose into your belly. This makes your blood rush to your face which in turn makes the pressure in your sinuses almost unbearable initially, stay with it. Just for 1-2 minutes. When you slowly come back up again the pressure will go back down and generally the pain gets less and the nasal congestion is partly removed. So you can breathe better and it will help your headache to subside.
I would not recommend doing this if you are so ill that your nose is completely blocked! Only on the brink of a sinus infection.

Sinus Pressure Point Massage – Acupressure

To Relieve Sinus Pain in the Forehead:
Massage the point above your nose between your eyebrows with your index fingers. And move the tips of your thumbs along your eyebrows towards your temples. Repeat a few times with increased pressure.

To Soothe Sinus Pain Around the Eyes:
Poke your index fingers underneath your cheekbones right below your eyes and massage that point with circular movements slightly upwards. This is an effective oriental sinus infection remedy.

Chinese Herbs & Acupuncture

In China treating Sinusitis/ Sinus Infection has a long tradition.

When the sinus pain symptoms are acute then acupuncture is used to clear the mucous from the nasal cavities and to balance the flow of Lung energy. An important focus of the Chinese Sinus treatments is to cure the underlying weakness in the body’s energy which allowed the invasion of the virus/ bacteria.

3 Simple Things You Can Do to Help Prevent a Sinus Infection

• Avoid blowing your nose! That’s right. When you blow your nose there is so much pressure created in your nasal pathways that germs can easily get catapulted up into surrounding areas, causing inflammation. So little and gentle does it.

• It goes without saying but wash your hands and disinfect doorknobs, computer keyboard, mouse, kettle handle – all those areas that you come in contact with constantly.

• Breathe deeply! Learn a basic yoga routine to strengthen your respiratory organs like lungs, bronchial tubes, sinuses… It makes a big difference! Where there is good circulation and plenty of fresh oxygen a sinus infection cannot get a foothold. And even if you happen to catch a virus – the helper cells in your bloodstream will mop the onslaught up in no time at all.

OTC Medication for Sinusitis

Nasal Sprays containing steroids are a bad idea because they make the lining inside your nose thinner and more vulnerable. They often contain other ingredients as well that provide temporary relief but are no permanent cure for a sinus infection. And with all the remedies above you don’t even need to rely on over the counter medication any more. Result!

Do you get a sinus infection a lot? It might be worth checking if you have an underlying candida imbalance in your body.

A Brief History of My Nose Trouble

Having had recurring health issues with my nose from a young age Sudafed was my best friend. I also took plenty of Gelomyrtol capsules. These are eucalyptus pills that dissolve into your bloodstream from your intestines (you can bet I did a nice bit of damage to my friendly bacteria by constantly popping those pills just to help my blocked nose!) I developed terrible belly ache (which I now view as first signs of IBS and leaky gut!) and only stopped it a few years ago.

I also took antihistamines for days on end because I believed my sneezing attacks and blocked nose were due to an allergic reaction to dust mites (yeah right – yeast mites more like ?

It was only when I adopted a yeast & sugar free diet that I started experimenting with home remedies to finally sort out my constant sinus trouble – and the rest they say is history!

I have not had a single sinus infection for 3 whole years – Yay!!! (NB: Only 2 days after writing this blog post I got hit by the flu and actually came down with a sinus infection of all things – The Irony of it! Anyway, apart from feeling immensely sorry for myself I managed to write down a 21 Step Health Routine that helped me to recover in a matter of days.)

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All the tips on this page are based on my personal experience and are not meant as treatment advice. Please get qualified advice before following in my foot steps.

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