What I have learned about this natural treatment to prevent Sinus infections.

I started posting about ‘Sinus’ flooding, on the Internet, in the 4th quarter of 2003, after two years of using Sinus floodings. Since then, as a result of feedback, and my own study, I have learned quite a bit about the effectiveness of Sinus flooding.

I feel that the flooding is most effective against germs throughout the easier to reach nasal passages, including turbinates and polyps, but least effective against germs in the difficult to reach sinus cavities.

I am not a doctor, so I can only post about my own personal experiences and interactions. I don’t know if a Sinus flooding with peroxide will help others as well as it helped me, or if it will make someone else's health worse. No one should try a Sinus flooding without first checking with their doctor.

From feedback and personal experience, the following symptoms improved due to Sinus flooding.

• Dark circles under the eyes.
• Pain above or between the eyes
• Headache pain
• Swollen neck lymph nodes
• Problems breathing through nose
• Achy sinuses
• Fatigue
• Film on teeth
• Brain Fog
• Discolored, thick mucus

  Note:Discolored, nasty, thick mucus is usually due to the buildup of bacteria in stagnant, pooling mucus, caused by swelling membranes, and polyps, as a result of allergic reactions or colds. If the Nasal Membranes are healthy and undamaged, they will resist infection from the increased bacteria.

I have read that antibiotics may kill a sinus infection, but they don't kill the germs that are within the infected mucus and debris. So, after a round of antibiotics, sinuses might be free from an active infection, but they are raw and damaged, AND surrounded by infected mucus and debris. As soon as the antibiotics are stopped, the nasty old germs, or new germs, are free to attack the exposed, injured sinus membranes, and the unfortunate sinus sufferer is headed for another miserable infection. In order to stop constant re-infections, the nasal or sinus membranes must be healthy and undamaged, so that they will resist bacterial, viral and fungal attacks.

How did I decide to do a Sinus Flooding treatment?

If any of the following symptoms:

• My nasal passages got stuffy, making it hard to breath through my nose
• I felt like I was getting a cold
• I became VERY sensitive to smoke and other allergens
• My asthma got worse
• I felt Sinus pressure and pain in one or both sides
• Over a few days my nasal passages continued to get more congested
• I got a thicker yellow discharge

  I have had thick, nasty, discolored mucus as a result of allergy problems, or colds, without having a Sinus infection. The longer my mucus remained thick and discolored, the more chances that I could get an infection. But, since my nasal membranes are healthy and undamaged, the buildup of bacteria in the thick mucus has not resulted in an infection.

• My sinus discharge contained some blood.

  An almost sure sign of damaged membranes, at risk for re-infection, is blood in the Sinus discharge.

These symptoms had either led to an infection, or continued to give me misery for long periods of time, so I would do a series of ‘upside down Sinus floodings’.

I've flooded my Nasal Passages about 70 times over the past five years. The result-------- I have not had to use antibiotics in the past five years. Every time I feel like my Nasal Passages might be infecting, I flood them with peroxide. The flooding, including prep, takes 15 to 20 minutes.

How I prepare a Sinus flooding to prevent re-infection

I buy a plastic 3 oz saline nasal spray for about $3. To empty, and fill again, I take the top of the sprayer between my thumb and my forefinger and firmly bend the top to the side. This lifts an edge a little bit so I can get my thumb’s fingernail underneath the lip, and twist the top off, and empty it.

I then fill up the empty saline nasal sprayer with a pinch of baking soda, a pinch of salt, and one part ‘common store bought’ 3% hydrogen peroxide and ten parts filtered water. I never exceed one part peroxide, to ten parts water! Peroxide is VERY irritating to nasal membranes. VERY! I then jam the head back down on the nasal sprayer, and make sure it fits well.

Mixture:

• 3% Hydrogen peroxide: One part.
• Baking soda: One or two pinches.
• Kosher salt or sea salt: One pinch.

  I buy a cheap, salt and pepper set. I use a drill to widen the holes in the tops, and I use them to add the baking soda and kosher salt to the mixture.

• Filtered water: Ten to forty times as much water as peroxide.

Hydrogen peroxide is VERY IRRITATING to the Nasal Passages, so I am VERY CAREFUL with how much peroxide I use. When I first started experimenting with the Nasal flooding, I used more than one part 3% peroxide, to ten parts water, and it really stung my Nasal Passages and made my Nasal Passages close up for several days. So I never use more than one part of peroxide to ten parts of water. NEVER!

The stinging of the peroxide seems to be worse for women. For those with sensitive Nasal areas, or those who want to start out with a milder solution, you might consider one part 3% peroxide to 40 parts water, and then increase the amount of peroxide, on subsequent floodings, as tolerated. Most of the feedback I've received from women said that one part peroxide to twenty parts water is much too strong and painful.

The Sinus Flooding process:

• I place a towel and a tissue nearby and then stand over my sink and point my forehead down into my sink.
• I forcefully spray the mixture into each nostril to force the antiseptic mixture around any swollen turbinates or polyps.

  After my Nasal Passages fill up, additional spraying may cause the mixture to come out the other nostril.

  I make sure that the container tip is firmly implanted in my nose so that it's difficult for the liquid to come back out of that nostril.

• If it stings, I wait for the stinging to subside and then repeat the forceful spraying, into each nostril, until the sprayer is empty.
• I keep my head down for a few minutes to let the mixture seep into all areas.

  A lot of the mixture can foam out of my nostrils, down my forehead, and into the sink. A little messy. I keep my eyes closed so that it doesn't drain into my eyes.

• I lift and tilt my head upwards, while it's over the sink, and let my nose drain.

  The discharge can look pretty bloody, foamy and nasty. Since my nasal membranes have healed, there is much less foam and NO blood.

• I then stand up and use the tissue to clean my forehead of foam and discharge.
• I don't blow my nose for a few minutes.

  This allows the mixture a little longer to do its job with my head in an upright position.

How I Protect My Eustachian Tubes And Middle Ear From Damage

This type of Sinus irrigation seems to be safe for me. In over 70 ‘upside down Sinus floodings’, I have not gotten any of the mixture in my Eustachian Tubes or Middle Ears. If I would try it in any other position, like on my back, I would be nervous about the mixture getting into my Eustachian Tubes. Here's why:

• The Eustachian Tubes are on both sides of the throat, near the back of the throat.
• They are somewhat across from the nostrils.
• The Eustachian Tubes lead directly to the middle ear.
• If I do a flooding incorrectly, by lying on my back, and then flood my nasal passages with peroxide, there would be a possibility that the opening to the Eustachian Tubes would be covered by the peroxide.
• Any cough, swallowing, yawn or chewing action could open the Eustachian Tube and allow liquid to flow in, not only clogging up the tubes but possibly allowing liquid to flow into the middle ear, either which would cause all kinds of problems!

Someone posted that he tried the Sinus flooding on his back, in order to get the mixture deeper into other areas of his sinuses, and now has to deal with liquid in his Eustachian Tubes and middle ears. I wish him a full and speedy recovery.

In order to avoid the possibility of the peroxide mixture going into my Eustachian Tubes, and then possibly into my Middle Ears, I avoid breathing through my nose while my nasal passages are filled with liquid.

What I Experienced During My Sinus Flooding Treatments

Even diluted to one part peroxide to twenty parts water it can sting quite a bit, especially if my Nasal Passages are raw or damaged. I just grit my teeth and tolerate the stinging, and after a little while the stinging starts going away. Sometimes the flooding causes me to sneeze. When I have to sneeze, I lift my head up, so that I will be in a more comfortable position to sneeze. Then, I continue with the flooding.

The flooding used to produce a lot of foam. Sometimes there was a mix of blood with the foam. Sometimes the floodings produced very little foam and a lot of bloodish water, indicating a possible infection. Currently I get small amounts of foam and NO blood, which indicates that my nasal areas are healthy.

There was usually no additional discomfort, after a flooding, unless I used too much peroxide. Others, though, have said that they have experienced long bouts of sneezing, or feelings like they were catching a cold for up to three days after a flooding. Now that my sinuses are doing so well, one part peroxide to ten parts water hardly irritates my Nasal Passages.

Injured human cells or blood cells, protect themselves, from the harsh peroxide, by producing an enzyme called catalase. Catalase converts the peroxide into pure, safe oxygen bubbles (the foam you see) and water, which can also kill germs.

Healthful, unbroken skin has little catalase, and usually doesn’t convert hydrogen peroxide into oxygen foam and water. That’s why you won’t see much foam if you pour peroxide on your unbroken skin.

Foaming means to me that the peroxide encountered injured areas in the Nasal Passages, indicating the possibility of infection or damaged membranes. The foaming of the pure oxygen, plus the antiseptic mixture, could then kill many germs within the injured areas. Repeated floodings would continue to help flush out the injured areas, and, over time, allow them to heal and prevent further damage from re-infection.

There are actually some germs which are resistant to hydrogen peroxide. So, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda, might not always kill all of the harmful germs within the Nasal Passages. Also, depending on your doctor's advice, it might be a good idea to use a suitable antibiotic along with the ‘upside down Sinus flooding’.

If a flooding does not produce much foam, then it might not have been able to reach areas damaged by infection.

Additional Sinus Flooding Comments.

After seven months of infrequent floodings, I was able to go months without doing a flooding, probably because my nasal areas were healed and healthy and no longer prone to infection. What a great relief to not have to use antibiotics several times a year!

Until my Nasal Areas were totally healed the discharge continued to be somewhat thick and yellow, with some occasional blood. Now that my Nasal Areas are healthy the discharge is relatively clear. The exception is that, when I have an allergic reaction, or cold, my sinuses will still swell, and the discharge will be thick, nasty and discolored. But, it hasn't led to another infection.

The Sinus flooding seems safe and effective for me, but I don’t know if it would make someone else’s health better or worse. I am not a doctor. Those who want to try this procedure should check with their doctor first.

The three most important things you should do to improve Heart Failure, High Blood Pressure and Immune System Diseases.

After thousands of hours of research and decades of personal experience, I have found three keys to improving Heart Failure, High Blood Pressure and Immune System diseases, such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibomyalgia.

Heart Failure, High Blood Pressure, CFS and Fibro, all get progressively worse because Immune System hormones get over-produced and attack the muscle cells of the heart and all of the other organs and glands, including the nervous system. If only there a natural way of "calming" the over-active and over-reactive immune system, then less medication would be needed, and the diseases would stabilize, and the poor sufferer would feel much better and have a higher quality of life!

Heart meds like Beta Blockers, Renin Blockers, Ace Inhibitors, Calcium Channel Blockers, Angiotensin Blockers, etc., all try to block or inhibit the over-production of immune system hormones. Drug companies have spent $billions trying to block or inhibit the over-production of immune system hormones.

I've greatly improved my health by finding natural ways to calm my Immune system! I am sure that MILLIONS of chronic disease sufferers would benefit greatly by implementing exactly what I have learned from fighting and beating heart failure, high blood pressure and my own immune disorders for 25+ years.

So..... here is what I have learned! The three most importants things you can do is: Avoid Immune System triggers (common everyday things) that cause Immune System over-reactions; eat a healthy, balanced diet; and do plenty of physically demanding exercise!

"If you save just one life, it is as if you have saved the entire world."