5 Ways To Treat Sinusitis With Vitamins

The bones that surround the nasal passages have hollow cavities known as sinuses. Sinusitis occurs when the lining of the sinus passages gets inflamed and swollen due to excess mucus.  There are various causes that contribute to acute or chronic sinusitis like bacterial, viral or fungal infection, allergies etc.

Symptoms include nasal discharge, nasal congestion, fever, bad breath, facial pain, tooth pain, post nasal drip, reduced sense of smell and taste, and severe headache.  Most often doctors prescribe antibiotics.  Currently this practice is being questioned because the maximum cases of sinusitis are viral and do not respond to antibiotics.  Another major concern among doctors nowadays is that overuse of antibiotics is causing an increase of antibiotic resistant bacterial strains.

Strengthening the immune system is a better strategy for counteracting the underlying infection. Taking vitamins and minerals will improve your sinus health, reduce sinus inflammation and help you feel better. The following vitamins and minerals can help to combat sinusitis inflammation.

Ways To Treat Sinusitis With Vitamins

1. Vitamin A

Vitamin A is regarded as anti-infective vitamin as it helps in building up proper immune function, supports the mucous membrane lining and also improves the production of white blood cells.

Studies reveal that vitamin A can prevent mucus accumulation and ease nasal congestion, repair the sinus passage that has been damaged and also decrease inflammation, thus lowering the risk of chronic sinus infection. Taking vitamin A supplement for a week can speed up the healing process and improve your condition.

The recommended dose for an adult person per day is 25,000IU. The food sources from which you can obtain vitamin A are sweet potatoes, egg yolks, spinach, kale, mozzarella cheese, apricot, carrots and milk.

2. Vitamin C

Vitamin C is an excellent antioxidant that enhances immune function and protects your body from viruses, infections, toxins and allergies that can trigger sinusitis. Clinical studies show that vitamin C can reduce the severity and duration of respiratory infection.

It reduces inflammation and swelling of the nasal passage and can also bring relief from facial pain and sinus headache. Taking Vitamin C with bioflavonoid can help to shrink the swelling of sinus membrane and reduce permeability and speed up the healing process. Vitamin C also helps to fight chronic sinus infection.

The recommended dose for vitamin C supplement is 1000mg four times a day. The best food sources for vitamin C is oranges, pineapples, guavas, mustard greens, red hot chili peppers, kale, cauliflower, papayas, kiwi, bell peppers, Brussels sprouts etc.

3. Magnesium

Magnesium is an important mineral for improving immune function, and repairing the sinus passage that has been damaged. The mineral is excellent for reducing the nasal congestion by removing the excess mucus from the sinus passages and accelerate the healing process.

Magnesium aids in fighting bacterial, viral and fungal infection and also lowers the chances of chronic sinusitis.  Food sources for magnesium include pumpkin seed, black beans, sesame seed, squash seed, watermelon seeds, peanuts, wheat germ, oyster, broccoli, whole grain cereal, tofu and soy milk etc.

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4. Vitamin E

Vitamin E, which is a fat-soluble antioxidant, improves the immune system response by protecting you from pollutants that block the sinus and from infection and virus that inflame and irritate the sinus by concentrating in the immune cells. Some excellent source of vitamin E are Brussels sprouts, sunflower seeds, mayonnaise, olives, blueberries, almond, broccoli, sweet potatoes, hazel nut, papaya and spinach.

5. Zinc

Zinc is an excellent mineral for boosting immune system functioning. It provides your body protection against free radicals that causes and aggravates sinusitis. Zinc has the ability to repair the sinus cavities by reducing swelling and inflammation of the cavities. Clinical trials have proven that zinc effectively fights against the upper respiratory infections. Food sources of zinc include sesame seed, squash seeds, watermelon seeds, peanuts, oyster, lamb and wheat germ etc. These vitamins and mineral can ease the symptoms of sinusitis and avoid serious complications.