Acupuncture is the ideal complimentary therapy to relieve symptoms of Sinusitis. Please read on for more information.
What is Acupuncture?
Acupuncture is ancient Chinese practice that employs the use of needles on the skin to restore the body from symptoms of illness, injury and disease.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is founded on the principle that energy channels (meridians) run all over the body nourishing tissues with energy. When blocked, the energy is obstructed and prevented from nourishing the tissues, which may result in poor states of physical, emotional and mental health.
What is Sinusitis?
Sinusitis is the term used to describe an inflammatory condition of the sinuses, which are small airspaces within the bones around the eyes, cheeks and forehead.
Everybody has four pairs of sinuses that have small openings that connect the nasal cavity. The nose and sinuses are both lined by the same type of membrane, and when the latter is working efficiently, airflow is accommodated, as is the mucous that drains from the sinuses into the nose.
When any of these cavities becomes inflamed, the drainage process is inhibited thus creating the ideal environment for congestion and infection, resulting finally in Sinusitis
Common causes of Sinusitis include:
- Bacterial infections, which often result from cold and flu
- Allergies, especially to air-born allergens and certain foods
- Hayfever
- Inhalation of harsh chemical fumes
- Minor anatomical abnormalities
Sinusitis may be acute or chronic, depending on the length and frequency of the Sinusitis episode itself. Acute Sinusitis often follows a respiratory infection and only lasts a few weeks, whereas chronic Sinusitis often lasts for two months or more. Chronic sinusitis can truly make ones life miserable, as symptoms are more severe and debilitating, preventing the person from participating in everyday life.
Symptoms of Sinusitis
- Blocked or runny noses and blocked airways
- Thick green/yellow mucous discharge from the nose
- Congested feeling in the head
- Post-nasal drip (discharge at the back of throat originating from the nasal passages)
- Loss of smell and taste
- Fatigue
- Swollen/sore throat
- Throbbing headaches
- Touch and light sensitivity around the eyes, jaw and nose
- Puffy, dark bags or rings beneath the eyes
- Toothache (rare)
Causes of Sinusitis according to Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Acupuncture treats Sinusitis based on presenting symptoms. If acute, the symptoms are treated by regulating Lung energy flow and clearing phlegm. If the phlegm is yellowish in colour, heat points are addressed to help the body clear the heat. When a person is symptom free, the acupuncturist may look to strengthen lung energy (to prevent the entry of pathogens) and the spleen energy (which is Traditional Chinese Medicine is seen to produce phlegm which is then stored in the lungs).
Other diagnoses that are often associated with acute and chronic Sinusitis conditions include:
- Dampness in the lung/spleen
- Heat in the lung
- Damp heat in the lung/spleen
- Disturbance in the large intestine channels
- Deficient Lungs
- Qi stagnation
How does Acupuncture benefit symptoms of Sinusitis?
Acupuncture relieves symptoms of Sinusitis through the use of needles on the skin that stimulate points to relieve both superficial symptoms and the root cause of the Sinusitis itself.
The Acupuncturist will needle points mainly on the face, arm and lower legs to stimulate a body systems and organs into action, including the lungs, adrenal glands, immune and nervous system, the latter which is responsible for blood circulation to the sinus cavities.
Whilst some Sinusitis sufferers may experience short-term pain with the treatment, most experience immediate relief after a session of Acupuncture. Congestion clears, smell improves, and the pain diminishes to just to name a few.
Acupuncture points for Sinusitis
An Acupuncturist will employ the use of needles on the skin to stimulate points associated with:
- Liver-Gallbladder constitutional types with heat rising
- Sinus congestion
- Water metabolism problems
- Common cold symptoms
- Digestion problems caused by a postnasal drip
- Phlegm obstruction
- Common cold symptoms
- Sores in the nose
- Heat
- General infection
If you are interested in trying acupuncture for Sinusitis, please speak to a professional Acupuncturist or TCM practitioner for more information.
Find out about other effective natural sinusitis treatments.
Originally published on Sep 24, 2010
