Continuous Sinus/Allergie Problems Every Month?

Get a Neti Pot for clearing out the sinuses. That helps with any allergins in the air. Available at a good health food store (got mine at the Fruitful Yield) Alos, try taking her off dairy for a month, when I was her age I had headaches & sinus probs for several years until I went off dairy, bingo, the problems stopped. After sometime I found I could do some dairy on occasion, for me it was too much of an irritant to consume regularily.

Has she been tested? Has the allergist prescribed some drugs? My sons get nose spray and tablets to take. One of them had their medicine stop working and we just switched.

The mold has been really bad and gets worse when we have rain. One of my sons has 2 prescriptions and uses eye drops to help. He gets headaches and his eyes itch really bad.

Elizabeth had great suggestions for dealing with outside allergies. Showering before bedtime helps lots and so does keeping the windows closed.

Look into a nepti pot or sinus irrigation. Sounds gross but really works. You can find a nepti pot at almost any health food store. It works with water and sea salt, the water goes into the sinus cavities and the sea salt works on the irritation from allergies. Completely natural, no side effects and it really works!!!

Just a thought......I have talked to a number of people that swear by the neti pot sinus rinse.

I tried the Neil Med’s "bottle" that they sell in any drug store and I've cut down on my sinus problems by 80% and I've been using is for about 4 months every day. The "bottle" form of the neti pot is a lot more convenient. This whole thing is very strange to me, putting water up your nose......but it doesn't hurt at all. In some cultures using the neti pot every day is as common as brushing your teeth!!

I also take oregano oil in pill form that you can get from a health food store, which has helped too. I used to live on Sudafed and sinus pills and now take it very rarely.

L., my son had chronic sinusitus (every 4-7 weeks), very likley due to his allergies. Our allergist suggested he do Neil Med nasal rinse each morning and evening to keep his sinus' clear and keep mucus from. The rinse solution is saline so no meds or side effects - very safe. He started this regiment about 2 years ago and has not had a sinus infection since. Neil med can be bought at Walgreens, CVS or online at their web site. there is an adult size and a child size. Hope this helps. Good luck!

B.

You may ask your doctor about a referral to an ENT. There may be something else going on. As an adult, I have gone through recurring sinus infections, etc. and it's NOT fun at all. Even though she may have allergies, she also may have something else going on at the same time. Good Luck!

You might find some helpful information in the following books, and you could probably find them in your local public library, or through inter-library loan...

http://www.amazon.com/Lendon-Smiths-Diet-Plan-Teenagers/d...

http://www.amazon.com/Prescription-Nutritional-Healing-Z-...

http://www.amazon.com/CHILDREN-Americas-nutritional-expec...

Best wishes,
J.

I would call the allergist and let them know what is going on. Sometimes they can adjust the meds over the phone. She may also need a nasal spray added. I have 3 kids on non stop allergy meds and we seem to finally have it figured out. Also if she went through a growth spurt this may affect her dosage.
G.

I went to a naturopath and they tested me and my husband for allergies and once we found out what they were our allergies decreased dramatically...Also bee pollen is really good for allergies...Good Luck..Let me know if you need any additional info..Also last note: Too much DAIRY is really bad for people with allergies...

probiotics and more probiotics, and a neti pot...also your allergies over react when your immune system cant keep them in check. That usually means its distracted by something else. you need to figure out what that "something" is...I would look into food allergies and sensitivities. Good luck

Did he test her for food allergies? Yeast can cause anyone to get reoccurring infections.. Really take a hard look at you families diet. Maybe see someone who specializes in natural medicines.

Sounds like she has allergies. She may need more medicine from the allergist. Did you have her tested? Mold has been awful this year, and even with meds, my family is still suffering.

You should see if she is allergic to mold and then get her some meds to use on top of whatever you are currently using. Use the A/C instead of opening windows, she should always shower after being outside, and perhaps get an air cleaner for her room.

I know it's a lot, but she obviously has some pretty bad allergies and the best medicine is non exposure.

Hey L.,
My son has allergies and asthma as well and has been on flovent since he was 8 months old. It works great, but I really want ween him off. Some of the things I have done to speed up the process have been finding a good accupuncturist/herbologist that can work with him homeopathically. At this age, they don't do accupuncture, but they can do massage, cupping and pressure point. The herb remedies that my accupuncturist back in Chicago recommened for Ben worked awesome.
I strongly believe that the body is trying to tell us something when we suffer any kind of ailments. I try to keep our diets really clean (organic fruits, veggies and animal products) and seek out alternative ways to help the body cleanse itself of whatever the problem is.
My sister is a colon hydro-therapist and says that a good majority of the ailments we suffer are due to poor nutrition and digestion. I would recommend food combinding (sticking to a 80-20 rule which is to eat 80% veggie and 20% protein (OR) grain), at every meal. This can be kinda difficult with small kids, but I managed to do it with Ben for about 9 months straight and his condition has improved immensely. I also give him pro-biotics. Sometimes I make my own from packets I purchase off the Body Ecology website. www.bodyecology.com or I get Flora Life Buddy Bear Chewables (wholefoods), or a freeze dried multidopholis powder that I put into his yogurt before bed. Most of all though, I try and keep sugars at a minimum- for a while anyway. He would get green apples, blueberries and pineapple as those are the least sweet of all the fruits. I started bringing them back in slowly when he started getting a bit better.
I can always tell though when are diet is too acidic though, cause we all start getting the sniffles. Its an ebb and flow and sometimes I do better than others- ya know how it goes. :) I hope that helps!
blessings,

Since your daughter is 14, her body is going through a lot of hormonal changes and that can lead to changes in allergies. Seasonally, she can be more affected by them. Since we have had sooo much rain, mold could be a culprit. However, diet can greatly affect a person. Even if you don't detect a food allergy, I would consider it and an easy way to determine if she has a food allergy is to remove that food from her diet. I witnessed this with two people who are very close to me.

My sister for years suffered with major sinus problems, terrible headaches/migraines, severe fatigue,etc... which began in her teens. Every few months lead her to another round of antibiotics. She is also a cheese-a-holic. Two years ago, her doctor suggested that she remove dairy from her diet for 2 - 3 weeks. What you crave can actually be your culprit. Amazingly, she felt so much better after 2 weeks and, now, two years later, it has had a dramatic improvement on her life.

Secondly, gluten allergies are becoming more prevalent. Someone I know had a young, teen-age daughter who was debilitated with severe migraines and sinus concerns for 5 months. She could barely lift her head off a pillow when they hit. She has dealt with headaches, on and off, for years but nothing like this. She received chiropractic care, had CAT scans, MRI's, medicines, vitamins but nothing worked. An amazing number doctors later, she saw a nutritionist/allergist who diagnosed her with a potential gluten allergy. That was 5 months ago. She is totally off gluten. She "cheated" after her diagnosis, as teens would, then realized that her headaches would return. It's great to see her healthy again.

Medication does help but to determine the underlying cause of her concerns would really help your child. Even seeing if there are any changes that you can make to your home (i.e. having a home hepa filtering system attached to your furnace or buying a better furnace filter, having hardwood/tile floors, keeping all pets out of her bedroom-if you have any). I have bad allergies and there is nothing like it when they are under control. I have to work hard to keep it that way! Neti-pots are great but I know I have a teen and she is challenged in doing the technique. However, at the very least, if her allergies hit, have her gargle with warm/hot water, with Kosher salt (it has to be Kosher or Sea salt because table salt has too many chemicals) and a tiny pinch of baking soda. Make the water as hot as she can tolerate and gargle for 30 seconds. I just pop a little dish in the microwave. You can even buy one of those bulb syringes and this will create your own neti-pot. Do the nose part, first, then gargle second - encourage her to do it 3 - 4 times a day if she is symptomatic.

Good luck.

I would also recommend a sinus rinse, as someone else already did. This has been great for my husband, who really suffers from allergies. Another idea is to get a Hepa filter for your daughter's room. This clears out the allergens in her room and has made big difference for my husband. There is a store in Morton Grove that sells them in different sizes. I think the combination of the meds, the Hepa filter, and the nose rinse (in addition to the other great suggestions I saw) should help.

Allergies are a sign of a weak immune system. I treated the symptoms for 7 years with my son, then figured out I need to find the cause. The immune system is worn down with chemicals in foods and sugar. IT is built with vitamis, minerals and protein. It took about 6 months and consisten, regualr taking of vitamins and a complete change in diet and his symptoms were gone. Contact me if you want to know more

Lynne, I suffered with chronic sinusitis brought on by allergies from about age 11 into my forties. I had my sinuses x-rayed & washed, saw an allergy specialist, an eye, ear nose & throat doctor, chiropractors & acupuncturists.
About 10 years ago I was able to resolve the problem with the help of a hypnotist recommended by a therapist. Uncovering the emotional connection & releasing negative thought patterns was the key to interrupting the cycle of illness. Teen years are very stressful & stress & fearful thoughts can eventually weaken the immune system. I learned relaxation techniques & discovered just what I needed to do to restore my immune system. These tools will allow her to manage her stress levels all through her life.

I used to suffer with severe seasonal allergies which led to me having sinus frequent infections. My allergist recommended NeilMed's sinus rinse. I wasn't that excited about the idea at first, but about a year later my father-in-law was singing it's praises so I thought I'd give it a shot. WOW! It's amazing! It does take some getting used to, but it's now been a few years since I have taken any medication for my allergies or had a sinus infection. I used to use Singulair and Nasonex EVERY day. For the first couple of years I did the rinse once a day, but now I only do it now and then most of the year and regularly during the Spring (when I used to be affected the worst). Good luck with whatever you and your daughter decide to try!

I would bet you she's got an upper neck issue. I see a NUCCA chiropractor who SAVED me from terrible headache issues. My first adjustment made my sinuses drain, it was truely amazing. His practice is out of Paletine, it's called Giffen Spinal Care. I love this doc and have taken my mom & sister to him as well as my own son. The initial consultation is free and he can tell you right away if he can help or not just by putting a level on your daughter's hips to see if she's out of alignment. It's very gentle process, no cracking bones like a normal chiropractor. It may be a very simple and inexpensive solution to her problem.

I hope you'll call Dr. Giffen, he really is a great doctor.

Good luck to you and your daughter. Drop me a note if you have questions. I really do swear by what this man has done to help me and my family.
D.