And, so is the case with sinus.[break]
Any condition that blocks off the mucus drainage channels can cause sinus infections. Such conditions include colds, allergies, hay fever, non-allergic rhinitis, and nasal polyps (swelling), which are small growths in the lining of nose mucus drains.
There are four pairs of sinus cavities: Ethmoid (between the eyes) sinuses, frontal (forehead) sinuses, maxillary (cheekbones) sinuses, and sphenoid (behind the eyes) sinuses.
Symptoms of sinus may include trouble in breathing through the nose, headache, fever, fatigue, night cough, and running nose, aching behind the eye area, loss of sense of smell, tenderness in cheeks, sinus congestion, nasal discharge, or post-nasal drips.
The head of Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) department and Professor of Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), Dr Bimal Kumar Sinha, said that 25% of Nepalis suffer from allergic disorders or irritation in nose, such as sneezing, nose block plus nasal discharge. And many people are prone to cold allergy as well. After suffering from cold and cough, an individual is at greater risks of developing sinus infection because cold causes inflammation and swelling of the sinuses. While sinusitis and cold symptoms make a person miserable, they are a common problem, according to Dr Sinha. Therefore, people should avoid cold foods such as fish, meat, curd, milk, banana, and the like.
Most importantly, Dr. Sinha also points out that many people are allergic to milk and meat products. So, people in general avoid these items because they have a misconception that these products increase sinus problems. But the doctor points out that this is not applicable in everyone’s case. And he believes that restriction for food intended for these people is imposed by Ayurveda practitioners. Of course, we believe that Ayurvedic remedies offer long-lasting solutions, which allows our body to break up the mucus blockage and relieve the pressure quickly and effectively. But Ayurveda experts restrict patients to have certain foods, such as dairy products and meat, without concluding whether or not a person is allergic to such foods. Food allergies cause the skin inside the nose to swell, resulting in sinus headaches. But not all people are allergic to the same kinds of food. Food allergy differs from person to person.
According to Dr. Sinha, “Any food that can trigger the immune system through an allergic reaction is capable of causing sinusitis.”
And the fact is any food is equally capable of triggering allergic reactions. There is no one-to-one correlation between foods and symptoms or diseases. Therefore, to determine whether or not a person is allergic to certain kinds of food, proper blood tests must be done.
Problems occur and might worsen because of the delayed nature of food allergies. Allergic symptoms may show up hours or even a day later, after a food is well absorbed into our system. This difficulty is compounded by the fact that certain foods, such as dairy items and meat, are so prevalent in our diet that many people consume them nearly everyday. Therefore, connecting our symptoms to our eating habits is nearly impossible.
Dr. Sinha further said that allergies differ from person to person, thus people should carry out a proper checkup to determine whether they should avoid particular food items.
“One should avoid only those foods which one is allergic to,” said the doctor.
He suggested avoiding dust, smoke, pollution, airborne pollutants, including cigarette smoke and alcohol, which cause sinuses to swell. The condition is less likely to become chronic, and the infections regarding sinusitis will decrease.
“The concept that sinus infections are provoked by dairy products and meat items is mistaken,” concluded Dr. Sinha.
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