Sinus Infection Symptoms - How Can I Tell If I Have A Sinus Infection? - Nurse's Guide

Sinus Infection Symptoms - How Can I Tell If I Have A Sinus Infection? - Nurse's Guide

Thousands of people suffer from acute or chronic sinus infection symptoms every day and don't know they can do something to relieve their symptoms naturally. The old sinus infection treatment approach of antibiotics is seldom used anymore and likely shouldn't be.

Most sinus infections are actually fungal infections so antibiotics will do nothing to help them. Home treatments of sinus infections for sinus relief are much better.

Often people think they have a cold because the symptoms are similar.  I've had patients tell me they have a chronic cold.  Actually they most likely don't have a cold and are suffering from a sinus infection.

One of the first signs or symptoms of a sinus infection is an irritated throat.  You may think you're getting a sore throat.  There is one easy way to tell if it's a sinus infection, sinusitis or some other sinus problem.

Warm up a cup of water and add half of a measuring teaspoon of salt.  Gargle gently a few times, then over the next hour or two see if your throat feels any better.  It's surprising how simple this is and yet it works most of the time for throats irritated by sinus drainage.

This is kind of a backward approach. Treating the symptoms first to see if it's a sinus infection.

Another symptom you may have is a sinus headache.  Often people will get a sinus headache before they realize they have a sinus infection. The headache can often be confused with a migraine. One should attempt to stop this headache as soon as possible to avoid it getting a grip on you.

Another symptom of sinusitis is pain or pressure around the eyes or forehead.  If you bend over it will hurt or throb.

A sure sign of a sinus infection will be a yellowish nasal discharge.  It can also be greenish but if it's yellow you can pretty well bet that it's a sinus infection.  This mucous will drain down your throat and irritate it and you may not be aware of it.  It can cause an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach.

Sinus infections are systemic not just localized.  You may feel tired or unusually fatigued.  It may affect your smell and taste. And you may experience bad breath.

A lot of fluid moves through the sinus cavities every day. When sinus blockage happens, the natural mucous hardens and fluid will drain down into the throat.  Antihistamines will dry out and harden the mucous so they're generally not a good idea, but check with your doctor if you take them for another reason.

You want to moisten the sinuses not dry them out. There are some good natural sinus home remedies that work a lot better than the old sinus medicines and can actually cure you and even help stop sinus infections in the future.

copyright©2008 Helen Hecker All rights reserved. No permission is given to copy or reproduce this article in any way or in any form.