According to MSNBC, allergy season is starting earlier and lasting longer due to the milder winters that much of the US has experienced recently. This is bad news to those who are very prone to chronic sinusitis and sinus infection.

Sinus infections typically begin with allergies or cold that cause mucus production and sinus inflammation. The build-up of mucus causes blockage and the enlargement of the sinus membranes entraps the mucus. The mucus then settles into the pockets in the sinuses providing an environment for pathogens to thrive. With sinusitis or sinus infection, you may experience one or more of these symptoms: painful pressure around the forehead, eyes, and cheeks, sore throat, fever, headache, and stuffy nose.

A recently released study shows that antibiotic use for sinus infections does not work! The results reveal that people who’ve been suffering from a sinus infection for a week (but not as long as 28 days) who took antibiotics had more or less the same miserable results as the group treated with placebo. James Gill, head of the Delaware Valley Outcomes Research, practicing physician and reporter from the Science News suggested that, “even with the right antibiotic treatment, treatment of sinus infection often fails because the bacteria ‘are stuck into closed spaces’ in the sinuses which the drugs are unable to reach.”

The good news is that TCM or Traditional Chinese Medicine works much better in treating sinus infection and congestion via the use of Chinese herbs and acupuncture in Edina than drugs. Patients with sinusitis and sinus congestion come into the clinic usually already having difficulty breathing through their nose. After getting acupuncture treatment that targets the Bitong acupoint (which means “opening up the nose”) they are able to breathe freely once more, even after a single session. Certain other acupoints can be used to facilitate mucus drainage. When you get a sinus infection or a head cold, it is important to take the prescribed herbs and receive acupuncture early on. This is to help drain out the mucus before pathogens increase and generate the worst symptoms. In Chinese medicine, herbs such as angelica root (Bai Shie) and dried ginger (Gan Chiang) are commonly used to treat sinus problems. They work exceptionally well in clearing up the sinuses at the beginning of a head cold.