★★★★☆
A point of interest here - I had a CT scan done when I was not currently infected, and it came back showing my sinuses were clear - no obvious physical malformations. I tried acupuncture and chinese herbal medicine as opposed to surgery, which did work well to stop infections from taking hold once they started, but was very expensive and never stopped infections from beginning in the first place.
I then did my own web research and tried a host of nasal rinse with essential oil combinations. Grapefruit seed extract, Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Oregano, Lavender, and/or Hydrogen Peroxide - just throwing the kitchen sink at it. A nasal rinse with a few drops of GSE and/or a capful of Hydrogen Peroxide did stop infections, but never seemed to address the underlying nasal inflammation (in fact, you can see an old write-up of mine under the "Grapefruit Seed Extract" portion of this site). I've been antibiotic-free going on a year and a half, but still not symptom free by any means.
In my case, there are two distinct processes going on: 1. ) Chronic Inflammation; 2. ) Infection. While it seems I can stop an infection early, I haven't found a remedy to reduce the inflammation and prevent infections from beginning. In my case, I believe my problems start with my sinuses becoming inflamed with some environmental allergen, and as the inflammation progresses, bacteria gets trapped and then starts a new infection. I got the following remedy from a Health Food store in Sedona, Arizona - a gentleman there who was apparently very familiar with aromatherapy treatments was recommended to me by a friend. He is a fellow sinus-sufferer, though not quite to my level. He recommended aromatherapy Rosemary oil specifically for it's anti-inflammatory properties, weak Green Tea (anti-microbial), and himalayan sea salt in a neti pot for a sinus rinse.
Brew up a quart of green tea and let it fully steep with one green tea bag. The himalayan sea salt is prepared as follows: whether in rock or crushed form, place a large amount (maybe a quarter-cup) of salt in a mason jar and fill it with water (tap, in my case), and let it sit for several hours. The idea (and research this on the web if you like) is that the water will dissolve the salt up to a maximum saturation of 26% salt in a liquid solution. Basically, it becomes a salt-water brine. Add 1 drop of rosemary oil (2 if particularly congested), 2 tablespoons of the salt brine to a neti pot and then fill it with the weak green tea. Adjust the amount of salt brine in the rinse get it to a concentration that is comfortable for your sinuses - I find that a bit on the salty side is more comfortable. Rinse as you would normally, but at least twice a day. I've been on this regimen for a week after getting my tell-tale sign of a new infection - blood-tinged yellow mucus. The bleeding stopped within a day, the mucus is now clear, and the inflammation I'm typically used to is well below what is typical. My sense is that if I can find a method to get the inflammation under control, I'll be on my way to fully healing my sinuses. I'll report back in the coming weeks with my observations.
