Anna came to us because she was complaining about not being able to get rid of her “cold”. Every winter it was the same problem: temperatures would fall, and then all of a sudden she would wake up in the morning with the feeling that she could not breathe. She would try to blow her nose but nothing would come out. Sometimes it would seem to go away, but it would eventually come back with a vengeance, with the feeling that something was stuck in the back of her throat, and pressure behind her cheek bones.
The doctor did not find any viral or bacterial infections, which meant that we were dealing with an inflammation of the sinuses. There are different sinuses in your head (see image on the left for a visual of the different cavities).
The other potential source of sinusitis is a hidden dental infection, which is why it’s a good idea to visit your dentist regularly–yes, even if you hate going there!–to check and make sure that everything is fine.
Adding to this are the environmental and food allergies and sensitivities you might have that can create the perfect condition to lower your immunity and create some inflammation that can spread to the sinuses. Naturopathic doctors are great at helping you work these out and getting your gut health back on track.
So what about Anna, you ask? Well, we did some Osteopathic work on her digestive tract to lower the potential inflammation from there, then worked on her diaphragm to improve its capacity for
pressure regulation (which would help the aerian sinuses), and then finally worked on her face. Each sinus is connected to different bones in the skull, and improving a sinus’ function improves its ability to drain properly.
As a teen, Anna remembered falling on ice while skating and hitting her face. This likely lead to a restriction between two important bones for the maxillary sinuses, causing problems later on for her, feeling stuffed up.
After restoring some balance on the left side of her face, her sinusitis improved dramatically.
Some patients ask us if they can come in when they have a cold, and the answer is yes: sometimes we can even help you to feel like your head escaped from the fish bowl!
If you’re perpetually feeling under the weather like Anna, consider booking an appointment with me, Osteopathic therapist Chloé Sardin, here.