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Page 13
| Sinus Headaches |
| In a condition called acute sinusitis, a viral or bacterial infection of the upper respiratory tract spreads to the membrane which lines the sinus cavities. When one or all four of these cavities are filled with bacterial or viral fluid, they become inflamed, causing pain and sometimes headache. The particular cavity affected determines the location of the sinus headache. Chronic sinusitis may be caused by an allergy to such irritants as dust, ragweed, animal hair and smoke. |
| The sinuses are bony cavities behind, above and at each side of the nose and opening into the nasal cavity. They act as a sound box to give resonance to the voice. Like the nasal passages, the sinuses are lined with mucous membranes, which react to infection by producing mucus. This incapacitates infecting bacteria. Because the openings from the nose into the sinuses are very narrow, they quickly become blocked when the mucous membrane of the nose becomes swollen during a cold, hay fever or catarrh, and then the infection is trapped inside the sinus. Chronic sinusitis may occur if one or more of the drainage passages from the sinuses to the nose becomes blocked. This can cause a dull pain across the face, temples, around the eyes and head. |
| The herbal approach to these problems can be both indirect and direct. The indirect approach regards upper respiratory disease within the context of the person's health. Sometimes, the overproduction of mucus is an attempt by the body to discharge waste material which is not being properly eliminated by the bowels, kidneys and skin. In such cases, the herbalist may prescribe bitter tonics such as gentian to encourage regular bowel movements, diuretic herbs such as dandelion leaf which encourage kidney elimination of retained fluids and waste materials, or diapho- |
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