Why Dizziness Occurs with Sinusitis
Sinusitis symptoms are often vague and non-description ranging from pressure over the nose to dizziness. Sinusitis dizziness is the most frustrating and unusual complaint, as it is difficult to treat and is not very common. The connection between dizziness and acute sinusitis is unclear but revolves mainly around spatial connections.
The sinuses are small air pockets inside the facial bones around the nose, forehead and cheeks. They are lined by specialized respiratory cells with long like projections called cilia. This structure allows the sinuses to act as a filter, cleaning the air being breathed. If this process breaks down or damage is done to the sinuses, inflammation can occur. With the Eustachian tube in close proximity to these sinuses, any sinus inflammation has a chance to spread into the Eustachian tube, which is a passageway to the middle ear that houses the vestibular apparatus. Irritation of the vestibular apparatus gives us the symptom of sinusitis dizziness.
Dizziness is described as feeling unsteady or lightheadedness. It basically means that the brain cannot pinpoint the body’s spatial orientation. Thus this symptom can be the most debilitating of all the sinusitis symptoms.
If you are experiencing dizziness with sinusitis, most likely your middle or inner ear has been affected through the Eustachian tube. This is one sign that suggest you should see a doctor to make sure there is no major ear infection (acute otitis media) which will definitely keep a sinus infection around. If you have had a sinus infection for over a week and the symptoms of dizziness, most likely you have an inner ear infection.
Your doctor may suggest antibiotics if you due have an ear infection. I have found great success in using garlic mullein ear drops. The garlic is extremely antibacterial and the mullein helps move the fluid stuck in the middle ear causing the irritation. If after 2 days of using a garlic ear drop and the symptoms have not returned, most likely an antibiotic is required. As always consult your local physician before making any medical decisions.
Ginger is also a fabulous way of treating sinusitis dizziness. Its medicinal properties include increasing blood flow and as a mucolytic. This increase in blood flow brings more immune cells to the area of infection giving a greater chance of fighting it off, as well as rising the local temperature which inhibits bacterial growth and helps thin out mucus. Taking a good ginger tea three to four times a day should suffice. Expect to sweat after drinking a good Ginger tea. If you do not, the tea was not potent enough.
Of course the best way to avoid this sinusitis dizziness is to prevent it in the first place. Finding the cause of your sinusitis problems is always the first step at prevention. The most common causes of acute sinusitis are an upper respiratory tract viral infection and allergies. Very often the allergies are to foods. The number one food that I have found to contribute to sinusitis is dairy products (excluding eggs). They have a tendency to stimulate the body to produce mucus and it is the excessive build up of mucus that promotes sinusitis.
For 1 month try removing dairy products from your diet. There are many dairy alternatives out there now as dairy allergy is extremely common. Most likely you’ll experience a significant reduction in sinusitis symptoms.
Dr Walter Johnson is a sinusitis expert. For more information on sinusitis dizziness visit http://www.curesinusproblems.com