Sinuses – All Season Solution
We all have them but are unaware of their existence. Until, that is, they become blocked and inflamed and very painful. Most of us would have had our own experience of sinusitis, or inflammation of the sinuses. This usually happens during or just after a cold, and it doesn’t matter whether its is a mild or severe dose that affects you. Your nose becomes blocked; there is an ache in your face that gets worse when you try to clean the blockage by blowing your nose. Allergy sufferers are also very prone to sinusitis and very similar symptoms during allergy season.
So, what are sinuses? The sinuses are cavities in your skull. They are air pockets located inside the bones in the skull. There are four sinuses, they are lined with very fine hair like projections called cilia. The function of the cilia is to move mucus which is normally produced in the sinus) towards the tiny hole (the ostium) about the size of a pinhole that provides drainage for the sinus. Unfortunately, that hole is located at the top of the largest sinus, and as a result the drainage may be poor.
The main function of sinus is to act as a sound box when you speak, much in the same way as the body of the violin resonates and adds to the sound made by the bow on the strings. Witness the change in your voice when you get a cold and the sinuses are unable to work properly.
Sinuses are connected to the nasal passages by a single small and narrow opening. And here lies the problem. When you get a cold, or if you suffer from nasal allergies, the tissues of the nasal passages, known as mucus membranes, become inflamed and swollen, leading to a blocked nose and the opening to the sinuses becomes blocked.