Does anyone have any suggestions for nasal congestion & runniness?

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86
I have mild mast cell issues, and histamine probs. I've found rutin and royal jelly work. Royal jelly daily, rutin if I'm having a flare. Also, When I was having big time histamine issues, I soaked my feet in footbath w/ calcium and Vit C, which help draw out histamine. good luck.
Hi @ahmo - could you tell me more about what type of royal jelly you use, and in what form you use it? Is it a topical application or is it something you take orally?

Thanks!
 

BeADocToGoTo1

Senior Member
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536
Hi @BeADocToGoTo1 - you've certainly noted a lot of environmental and dietary factors to consider. Many things are negative, but she is positive for a few items. Notable positive ones include:
-the use of plastic water bottles
-we probably have several minerals in the bathing water, but we haven't installed filters in the showers yet
-she tested equivocal for SIBO and was on an herbal antibiotic for several months. Her equivocal level decreased to a lower equivocal level, but without symptom improvement though...

Of course there are likely many other possible root causes of the congestion and runniness, but it can be a signal from the body of an irritant or overloaded immune system. Many of the sprays will attack symptoms but not the underlying root cause. Looking at all the possible insults (some may not be that obvious) the immune system has to constantly battle to lower the overall burden and calm the immune system is worth pursuing.

Water Quality

Water quality is often overlooked as possible causes of microbiome dysbiosis, allergies, skin issues, airway irritations and many chronic health issues. Tap water is shockingly bad in most of the US with poor treatment, and additional toxins added in the form of chlorine, fluoride and ammonia. Minerals are not the problem, it is often the added chlorine and ammonia that causes airway and skin irritations (you are breathing in chlorine!). They are toxins. Certainly drinking it is unhealthy and will impact your microbiome, but many overlook the contact with skin, eyes, lungs, throat during showering and bathing. A shower filter is cheap and takes a few minutes to install. Well worth it. A few of my neighbours noticed quick improvements for them and their children by adding filters for bathing. Drinking from plastic water bottles and you are 100% ingesting plastic particles and leached chemicals. Even US tap water has the highest level of plastics in it these days. This is a hit on your whole immune and digestive system every single sip you take. Also be careful with RO water, but that is a different discussion.

Plastics

You cannot completely avoid it, but to lower the insult to the immune system by lowering as much contact with plastics as possible is a good thing. You always hear about BPA, but you ingest plastic particles as well as other leached chemicals like phthalates, BPF, BPS, PFC, or PVC. BPA-free is a marketing gimmick and does not mean healthy plastic!! Plastic bags for groceries and vegetables (e.g. replace with cloth ones), straws for drinks (e.g. replace with a glass one), to-go drink containers, food and drink can lining (every aluminum can has a plastic lining), etc. Also, non-stick pans, fast food wrappers, such as the anti-grease paper contain awful chemicals (e.g. PFC, PFOS,PFOA). Another reason to avoid eating out when you are struggling with health.

Food and SIBO

Just one anecdotal example but I had months if not years of stuffy nose, sniffling, post-nasal drip, throat clearing. This ended up being the result of silent reflux (i.e. without classic heartburn pain issues) and poor water quality irritating the lining of esophagus and throat. The silent reflux in turn was caused by SIBO and Candida overgrowths. The SIBO and Candida overgrowths were in turn caused by poor food quality (even though I always thought I ate healthily!) and too many carbs in the diet (Hence my HbA1c question). It also did not help that I was not breaking down food properly (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, SIBO, leaky gut) and subsequent malabsorption and nutrient deficiencies. Hence my many questions to very closely and honestly look at everything that goes into the mouth.

Hope this helps.
 
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767
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I only suggest this as an add on to some other treatment, not on it's own.

"Sinus Plumber" or some nasal spray that has capsicum in it. Or eucaliptus. Capsicum is far better.
It gives a burning feeling in the nose so be cautious the first time you try it. It is reasonably priced and available over the counter and helps me survive the days when antihistamines are not enough.
 
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31
Some great ideas here, and a few more I can add via my experience, being a chronic sufferer of sinus disease most of my life. I know this thread was started for general sinus drip and inflammation. But since the discussion is about sinuses, I'd like to contribute. After seeing countless doctors and trying 1000's of products, IMHO probiotics are the answer. But there is still so much we (as in research) don't know. BTW, I tried L. Sakei probiotic and it did not work for me, proving not everything works for everyone. I can go on and on about sinus treatments, but here are my most current and promising ones:

One particular probiotic I found effective for sinus infections, is DE111. DE111 is a trade name for Bacillus Subtilis. I'm using this product, although there are others on the market with same strain:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076S29HQH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Here is the article that inspired me to test this product for chronic MRSA, staph being a common bacteria found (and likely the cause) of many chronic sinus infections:
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-pers...ch-reveals-probiotics-potential-against-staph

What I discovered is, RE111 works as good or better than Rx antibiotics or smart silver, without the long term negative consequences. And the potential added benefit of re-establishing a healthy sinus biome. Like other topical sinus treatments, this probiotic also requires 2-3 times application per day to be effective.
As I do when testing other probiotic caps, I break open and mix the powder with sterile water to create a paste, then apply into sinus cavities with long Q-tips. I find these helpful to get deep into sinuses: https://www.amazon.com/HTS-101K0-Wo...words=long+q+tips&qid=1578160402&s=hpc&sr=1-4

For occasional use in treating sinus issues, you also can't beat the new generation of smart silver. The smart silver made by Bio Nativus is equally as good as the one originally made by Desbio, but much cheaper and easier to get. Buy the 30ppm version and use a sinus spray applicator.

Another psuedo probiotic which has long term promise, I'm also testing both for my sinus and gut: https://humanlongevityfilm.com/product/restore-for-gut-brain-health/ The doctor who is marketing this product has some relevant points about why it works, although claims it will take 6-9 months before change can be observed. Dr Zach Bush has a few Youtube vids to learn more. To me it's worth the risk of investment with users already posing positive feedback here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01DVACA1C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
This product is also sold in sinus spray bottles.

Lastly, if there are gut issues like SIBO, all bets are off to resolving sinus issues, regardless of what you do. Fix the gut first. And it's worth noting, unresolved sinus infection can develop into a gut infection from the infected sinus drainage. This sets up a cyclic loop of worsening sinus and gut conditions. Typical symptoms are loose stools, bloating, gas, and stomach discomfort. I have gone in circles trying to resolve sinus issues, only to find out my gut was sabotaging all efforts. Unfortunately, most of the commercial soutions for SIBO are ineffective. I have tried many of these often expensive herbal preparations for SIBO, which claim it take months to get full results. That is simply hogwash. There are Chinese medicine preparations that work far more effectively, and often clear infections in a matter of days. The point is, resolving gut issues can oftentimes clear up stubborn sinus problems. It's a 2 way street.
 
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