Many people do not believe me about this.  If you eat dairy of any sort, that means cream in your coffee, milk in your cereal, cheese, cottage cheese, any type of dairy, stop eating it and see if your sinus headaches go away or are relieved.

Dairy is a common food allergen.  Lactose intolerance is a popular phrase these days and they even sell milk that has the lactose removed.  That is not enough for many people.

It is not the SUGAR in the milk that causes the problem, it is the milk proteins.  Our digestive system does not make the enzymes we need to digest the type of proteins found in dairy.

Cow’s milk is really designed for baby cows.  When you eat a food that you cannot digest fully, you can easily develop an allergy to it.  If you eat a food often, you are more likely to develop an allergy to it, even if it is healthy food.

I am not saying stop eating dairy products forever.  It is very difficult to completely change your diet.  There are other options.

NAET – Nambrudipad allergy elimination technique.  This technique can reduce or eliminate your reaction to different foods or allergens

Take enzymes that help you digest your food better.  If you digest your food better, you are less likely to have an allergic reaction such as excess mucus.  You can use digestive enzymes for this.  There are broad spectrum digestive enzymes that will help you digest all your food better.

Vegetarian enzymes start the digestive process in your stomach.  This takes a big burden off your digestive system.  You would want to take a digestive enzyme formula that is high in protease, that is the enzyme that digests protein.  It is the protein in the milk that causes so many problems.

In order to evaluate enzyme formulas, you should look at the units, not the milligrams.  This product has very high levels of the necessary enzymes, as well as added ginger root to digest protein.

Sinus headaches can be caused by many things.  Allergies are a common cause.  When you have allergies to something, either seasonal or food allergies, your body reacts by making mucus to protect itself from the thing you are reacting to.  If your body makes a lot of mucus, you will have a runny nose.  If your body does not make a bunch of mucus, it can have a blockage in your sinuses to protect you from breathing in too much of the allergen.

Common causes of sinus headaches in my experience:

1. Allergies
2. Sinus Blockage
3. Food Allergies – especially dairy, as it causes an increase in mucus production in many people
4. Mold allergies – If there is mold in your environment, it is toxic and can sometimes grow in your sinuses also

Sinus infections are caused by bacteria building up in the sinuses. You have allergy symptoms such as profuse mucus and the mucus builds up in your sinuses and stays in there long enough to grow bacteria. The common symptom of a sinus infection is profuse sinus discharge. It is usually yellow, green or brown if it is infected.

Sinus infections can be dangerous because the bacteria that is in your sinuses can drain down your throat and go into your lungs to cause a lung infection or pneumonia. This is probably rare, but it is a possibility. If you have a sinus infection, you should consult your health care practitioner.

Sinus infections can be frequent occurrences if you have sinus blockage or a lot of allergy symptoms. The bacteria can remain dormant in your sinuses, just waiting for the next sinus blockage to help it grow. Some people have poor sinus drainage that makes them more susceptible to sinus infections.

If your sinuses can stay open with proper drainage, you are less likely to get an infection.  Chinese herbal remedies for sinus problems can be used to relieve sinus blockages.  The herbs can open circulation in your sinuses to relieve pressure.

If my patient already has an infection, I give him/her herbs that relieve infection, such as andrographis.  I personally have had great results using andrographis for infections and colds/flu.  It is a very popular herb used in Chinese medicine to treat bacterial problems anywhere in the body as well as colds/flu.

Planetary Herbals makes a very good quality andrographis.  I love all the herbal remedies they carry.  Their herbs are formulated by an acupuncturist and I feel they are some of the best quality and best formulations you can buy.  I use Andrographis – Full Spectrum.

I use this formula for sinus problems. Often patients have allergies as well. If you have allergies as a cause of your sinus problems and do not treat the allergies, your sinus problems will usually not be relieved. There are many herbal remedies for allergies. Dr. Shen Allergy Formula This is a classic herbal remedy used in Chinese medicine to treat allergy symptoms.

Dr. Oz recommends the use of Neti pots for sinus problems.  He recommends using warm water in the Net pot and thoroughly rising your sinuses.

There are also herbs to use in the net pot.  I personally would try the Neti pot without herbs first.

I would use Chinese herbal medicine for sinus problems first.  In my opinion, it is important to treat the inside first.  Chinese herbs can boost the immune system and treat the underlying immune deficiencies that cause allergies.

If you have a sinus headache more at home than outside of the home, you might suspect dust mites. Dust mites and their allergens are one of the top causes of sinus headaches and sinus problems.

Dust mites are a natural part of your house. They live off your your skin cells. They tend to congregate where you sit the most, such as a favorite chair. They are also very plentiful in your bed.

Some people say that after 7 years or so, your bed has almost doubled in weight due to dust mites or dust mite excrement.

The dust mites themselves are an allergen, but often the biggest problem is their feces. It is very important to kill the dust mites with natural products and clean regularly with a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter.

If you use a vacuum cleaner with no HEPA filter, all the dust mites and dust mite poo will be thrown back up into the air to cause more allergies and sinus.

I have done a lot of research and found a natural product that kills dust mites. Dust Mite and Flea Control

This is a type of boric acid powder that is very safe. You can put the powder in a spray bottle and spritz in the areas that have a lot of dust mites.

You can also put the powder in your carpet shampoo machine and distribute it all over. If you can keep the dust mites under control, it can relieve sinus headaches.

They say that allergy and sinus problems that are worse in the morning are more likely to be caused by dust mites.