Written by: Denise Douglass-White

Doctor of Medical Qigong (China)

Oh no, not a sinus infection!  Hard to breathe through your nose? Got that heavy, mucousy, plugged and ‘rubbed raw’ nose feeling? Are you totally distracted by pressure in your face or throbbing pain? Nose feel totally closed off?

What’s going on in there that makes us feel so miserable?

A sinus infection is an inflammation or swelling of the tissues lining the sinuses. Normally, sinuses are happily filled with air.  When they are healthy they are coated with a thin layer of mucosa.  When sinuses get irritated, the unhappy mucous membranes of your nose, sinuses and throat become inflamed and narrow. Chinese medicine and Western medicine describe this as a stagnation (of the mucosa).  It creates an unhealthy environment where fluid and germs (viruses, bacteria and fungi) can grow and cause an infection.

Know your body.

Our sinuses are located around the nose and forehead. There are 4 pairs of them.

 

 

• Frontal sinus (in forehead)
• Maxillary sinus (behind cheeks)
•  Ethmoid sinus (between the eyes)
• Sphenoid sinus (deep behind the Ethmoidus)

The sinuses found behind the cheeks and between the eyes are the ones most commonly plagued by infections.

What causes a sinus infection?

Most cases of acute sinusitis are caused by the common cold. Acute or chronic sinus infections might also be caused by a bacterial or fungal infection. Conditions such as allergies, nasal polyps or tumors, a deviated nasal septum, tooth infection and regular exposure to pollutants like cigarette smoke put you more at risk for a sinus infection.

Treatment.

How does Medical Qigong, one of the 5 branches of Chinese Medicine, treat sinus infections?

 

If you have been diagnosed and suffer from recurring sinus infections, Medical Qigong may be able to help you break that cycle.

 

1.      A patient completes an extensive medical history and the appointmentwould begin with the doctor’s review of that information.  Chinesemedicine seeks the root of a problem and looks at the person as a whole and for any symptoms that might be related to one another.

 

2.     A person reclines, fully clothed, on a cushioned table and the doctor performs a physical and energetic exam. The patient’s job is just to relax. 

 

3.     The doctor balances the general internal systems of the body (similarly to acupuncture, only without needles).  This helps the body’s systems to be restored to a more natural self-healing state.

 

4.     Next, the doctor will specifically balance the flow of vital energy within the sinus areas themselves.  Energy is emitted into the distressed sinus areas. Specific charted points on the body are also tonified, to boost the systems of the body that support the sinuses and the breathing airways.  Often a patient will feel a pleasant warmth, vibration or tingling sensation.

 

5.     This treatment helps to calm and open up the sinuses and nasalpassageways so the patient is better able to breathe.  Typically a     patient will feel blocked sinuses begin to flow and drain.  The improvedcirculation to the area helps the body to more easily discharge toxins andsupport the cells.

 

6.     Prescriptive self-healing exercises may be given to a patient to help them keep the circulation to the area open and unblocked.

 

Treatment Goals.

 

• Reduce sinus inflammation
• Keep nasal passages draining
• Eliminate or reduce underlying causes
• Reduce the number of sinusitis flare-ups

 

Foods to avoid if you have chronic sinus problems.

Chinese Medicine notes some food factors that may predispose a patient to sinusitis.  Eating too many greasy or fried foods, drinking your beverages with ice and eating cold foods over an extended time, might weaken some of the systems of your body and predispose you to chronic sinus problems.

Be well my friends!

 

BIOGRAPHY

Denise Douglass-White is licensed in China as Doctor of Medical Qigong. Medical Qigong is one of the 5 branches of Chinese Medicine.  She has traveled and studied in China. She has helped teach classes to people learning to become Medical Qigong Doctors, and also helps teach introductory classes in Medical Qigong to people wanting to improve their well-being, both in the United States and internationally.  Denise has been practicing professionally for 15 years. She loves treating people with sinus infections because most often the results are very obvious and immediate for the patient,“They can breathe much more easily after treatment”.