Sinus and nasal infections occur when fluids accumulate in your face’s air-filled pockets or sacs. Sinuses are essential in keeping you healthy by forming a thin layer of mucus that drains harmful invaders away from the body. These invaders likely to cause you to seek the services of an experienced sinus and nasal specialist Los Angeles are germs, dirt, dust, and other pollutants.
Common signs and symptoms of a nasal and sinus infection are runny noses, congestion, face tenderness, and dizziness. Furthermore, you can have bad breath, fever, ringing ears, and headaches.
Below are the tips you can rely on to remain safe from nasal and sinus infections.
- Regularly clean your hands
If you do not regularly keep your hands clean, especially during the cold seasons, you risk transferring viruses from the surfaces you touch to your nose.
Cold and flu viruses mainly thrive during the cold seasons and can therefore attack the membranes of your nasal passages.
Remember that the dry winter air can also make the mucous membrane dry. That can thicken mucus, causing sinus and nasal congestion and infections.
- Get influenza vaccine
The CDC recommends getting influenza (flu) vaccine yearly if you are older than six months.
A flu shot can protect you against the four flu viruses common during the cold season. Or, it can ensure you do not get seriously ill when you catch the flu.
- Keep yourself healthy
Keep yourself healthy by strengthening your immune system to repel bacterial attacks that can cause nasal or sinus infections.
You can strengthen the natural defense mechanism of your body by eating a healthy, well-balanced diet.
Also, keep fit physically by exercising and participating in physical activities.
- Avoid smoking
Smoking exposes your cilia to dangerous chemicals that can damage them, leading to mucus accumulating in the sinuses.
Cilia are hair-like projections lining the walls of the bronchus in your lungs. They are useful in moving debris and harmful microbes out of the airway.
Damaging the cilia promotes the invasion and multiplication of microbes that can cause nasal and sinus infections.
- Humidify your home
When the air circulating inside your home is too dry, the mucus in your sinuses and nose will not flow properly.
Without proper draining of your sinuses, they can become inflamed, and you may be prone to nasal congestion and headaches.
A humidifier can help moisten the air inside your home, preventing sinusitis symptoms, such as a dry throat and a stuffy nose.
However, remember that humidifiers can also cause the air inside your home’s environment to moisten excessively.
Excessive moisture in the indoor air can encourage the thriving of certain harmful fungi, which can trigger sinusitis.
You also can lessen your risk of nasal and sinus infections by keeping your windows closed, particularly during the early morning hours.
The higher pollen count in the morning can get into your home if the windows and doors are opened. Breathing in the air with many pollen grains can trigger nasal and sinus infections.
Contact Mani H. Zadeh, MD, FACS, today to schedule an appointment with a sinus and nasal infections specialist.
