Appropriately Treating Sinusitis

with an Antibiotic Alternative

By Steven R. Frank

  

In order to understand the problem of chronic sinusitis, a little background is necessary. Sinuses filter the air we breathe and they are our first line of defense to trap airborne pathogens like viruses, bacteria and fungus. There are always fungus, bacteria and viruses in the sinuses and always will be. An “infection” occurs when the number of these pathogens gets so high that the immune system cannot keep them in check.

This point varies from individual to individual, and it is at this point when the number of microbes has grown to a level where the symptoms produced from the exotoxins they create and tissue damage they produce are problematic. The result is tissue inflammation, general malaise, toothaches and headaches associated with pressure and drainage problems.

The reason antibiotics are a very poor solution is quite simple. Fungus can grow on the surface of the sinus mucosa with relative impunity. Antibiotics do not kill fungus. Bacteria grow on the surface of the fungus and are thereby protected from the reaches of the body’s immune system.

Treating this condition with systemic (orally administered) antibiotics produces high levels of antibiotics throughout the patient, from the head to the toes, with resultant problems in digestion and subsequent yeast infections. The antibiotics don’t however, reach the bacteria that are isolated by the fungal layer in the sinus passageways and will not harm the fungus at all. This is an ineffective means for treating a sinus infection.

What is needed in this situation is the direct application of an active agent that is both anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-bacterial. This agent must be applied directly to the pathogenic over-growth, and this indicates application on the air-side of the sinuses. This can be accomplished simply by spraying the active agent intra-nasally while inhaling so the antimicrobial fluid follows the same path the invading pathogens follow. It will land on top of the colonies and kill them directly.

Another approach is to use an antimicrobial agent in a neti pot. A neti pot is simply a small container with a nozzle that fits in the nostril. The pot is filled with fluid and poured through one nostril where it circulates through the sinuses and out the other nostril.

The entire sinus cavity can be coated or soaked with antimicrobial fluid. This tremendously attenuates (reduces) the population of growing microbes in the sinuses without circulating the active agent throughout the bloodstream and the entire body.

With the nasal spray technique, it’s very important to realize that bacteria and fungus can double in numbers every 20 minutes. Since the reach of the spray is rather limited, it’s important to kill as many pathogens as possible. This means re-spraying every 20 minutes so the attenuation rate exceeds the rate of replication. The other issue is that the body’s natural defense to excessive pathogens in the nasal area is to increase mucos-al flow.

Normal mucosal flow is on the order of 1 liter per day. This will carry anything that’s been sprayed or has landed on the nasal mucosa out of the region in a very short time. In order for a nasally-administered antimicrobial agent to be maximally effective, it must be re-administered every 20 to 30 minutes.

Neti pots provide a thorough soaking, since the fluid can be trapped in the sinuses by the user for 5 to 10 minutes at a time, and this procedure need only be performed a few times per day in order to see dramatic results.

Simply flushing the sinuses with saline using a neti pot only removes the rather loosely-held planktonic bacteria and fungus and does absolutely nothing to kill the growing population. Trapping and holding a powerful anti-microbial in the sinuses for 10 to 15 minutes twice per day is quite simply the most effective means of bringing this type of infection under control.

The antimicrobial agent that seems to support this killing of virus, fungus and bacteria is an enhanced silver-colloid solution. The amount required to accomplish this treatment is generally 10,000 times less than the amount required to produce signs of argyria. Additionally, most of the liquid is not ingested when a neti pot is used, it is released out the other nostril after a 5 to 10 minute containment. There are a number of purvey-ors of weak silver-colloid solutions on the web. Some are available in nasal spray bottles.

Clinical and laboratory studies have demonstrated a mixture with polysorbate 20 aids in the penetration of the bacterial cell walls and that 30 to 40ppm concentration is necessary and sufficient. Other studies have indicated that colloids which have been compounded to reach high concentrations perform more poorly even though they expose the patient to a higher dose. A  couple of good all-around products for this course of treatment are Super Neti Juice and Sinus Relief from Nature’s Rite.

References

eshpande RB, Shukla A, Kirtane MV. Allergic fungal sinusitis: incidence and clinical and pathological features of seven cases. 

J Assoc Physicians India. Feb 1995;43(2):98-100. [Medline]

Loury MC, Leopold DA, Schaefer SD. Allergic Aspergillus sinusitis. Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. Sep 1993;119(9):1042-3. [Medline].

Marple BF. Allergic fungal rhinosinusitis: surgical management. Otolaryngol Clin North Am. Apr 2000;33(2):409-19. [Medline].

Marple BF, Mabry RL. Allergic fungal sinusitis: learning from our failures. Am J Rhinol. Jul-Aug 2000;14(4):223-6. [Medline].

Ponikau JU, Sherris DA, Kern EB, et al. The diagnosis and incidence of allergic fungal sinusitis. Mayo Clin Proc. Sep 1999;74(9):877-84. [Medline].

Managing Sinus Health: Clearing sinus infections without antibiotics, Frank, Steven R. Nature’s Rite press.

Super Neti Juice Vs. antibiotics: internal microbiology testing; Klearsen corporation 2005, on-line http://www.natures-rite-remedies.com/holistic/pdf/supernetivsantibiotics.pdf

Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Nature’s Rite Sinus Relief to Treat Chronic and Acute Sinusitis: a randomized, doubleblinded, placebo-controlled trial  Breeana K. Saffell, B.A., Mark J. McNamara, B.A., Steven R. Frank, B.A., and  Gary B. Clark, MD ,December 1, 2005

http://www.natures-rite-remedies.com/holis tic/clinical_study/sinusitis-clinical-study.pdf

Patent 6,454,754 Respiratory infection treatment device, Frank; Steven R. November 21, 2000

Patent 6,749,597 Respiratory infection treatment device, Frank; Steven R. September 11, 2002

Steven Frank is a natural products designer and herbalist with Nature’s Rite, LLC. Visit: www.MyNaturesRite.com. He has been researching improvements in natural healthcare for more than a decade and has numerous patents in areas of antisepsis and herbal products. He can be reached at stevef@naturesriteremedies.com