Homeopathic Remedies for Sinus Infection

A buildup of mucus and congestion in your sinuses is often a precursor to a sinus infection, a painful infection that may follow a cold. The infection can be caused by bacteria or virus, or occasionally a fungus. Homeopathic remedies can help relieve sinus pain and pressure, help the body expel the infected mucus in the sinus passages and strengthen the immune system. If a sinus infection does not respond to homeopathic remedies after a few days or if your condition worsens, see your health care provider.

Using Homeopathic Remedies

• Homeopathic remedies are safe to use. If you are taking prescription medication, however, or under a doctor's care for an ongoing condition, you should talk to your doctor before taking any additional medications, even over-the-counter ones. The usual dose of a homeopathic remedy is one to three of the 30C potency or strength pellets allowed to dissolve under the tongue every two to three hours until you see relief or for a maximum of three doses. Generally, if there has been no response to a homeopathic remedy after three doses, you need to choose a different remedy. There is no one single remedy for a sinus infection; choose the remedy that matches the majority of your symptoms. The wrong remedy will not hurt you; it just won't help you.

Kali Bichromicum

• The first choice for treating sinus infections is Kali bichromicum. The symptoms that respond well to this remedy include pain that is either between the eyes, above one eye in the forehead or centered in the cheeks. You may be producing nasal discharge that is yellowish green and stringy. You may be having trouble smelling things and your nose feels stuffed up. You may be coughing up phlegm that is so thick it is hard to expel. When you touch the bones of your face or scalp, they feel tender although pressure seems to lessen your pain. Moving around and being cold makes you feel worse. You feel better when you are warm or drinking hot tea or soup.

Pulsatilla

• While warmth makes some people feel better, you may find that you feel better in cool air. This is an indication that you may respond better to pulsatilla. Moving around, bending over and even lying down may make your head feel worse. Nasal discharge in people who respond well to Pulsatilla is usually thick but not stringy, and yellow or green in color; your nose probably runs more when you are lying down then when you are standing. Your eyes may be red and teary looking.

Other Remedies to Consider

• Some remedies are best used at the onset of an illness, while others are more helpful for a disease state that seems to be lingering. Hepar sulphuricum is one of the latter. If your sinus infection pain has concentrated between your eyes and just won't seem to go away, try taking Hepar sulphuricum. This is also a good choice if cold and motion make you feel worse, or your scalp feels sensitive. If your sinuses are so infected that your teeth hurt, try Mercurius. It is a good choice for those whose nasal mucus is green, thick, possibly tinged with blood and smells foul. Mercurius is also the remedy of choice if you feel hot and sweaty one minute, then cold the next. Which side of your head hurts worse? If the right side of your head hurts worse, try Silicea. If the left side is more painful, try Spigelia. Another way to choose between these two remedies is that heat and pressure on your sinuses usually make you feel better if Silicea is the right choice, while cold compresses or splashing the face with cool water mean you would do better with Spigelia.