The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Brenda (Columbus, Ohio) on 09/30/2015
★★★★★
Tried the 2 tbls coconut, vinegar (didn't have ACV) 2 tbls honey, dash of cayenne pepper, added quarter of raw onion and mug of hot H20 for sinus pain. Pain left quickly, w/in a few minutes. Woke up with sinus pain this AM. Not much mucus, pain was worrisome. Raw coconut Vinegar has 17 amino acids, minerals, vitamin C, broad spectrum B vitamins and has nearly neutral ph. It works faster for me for acidic stomach or indigestion. I use it with water for first morning beverage often. I get it at health food store.
Hydrogen Peroxide, Sea Salt
Posted by Dwight (S. Florida, US) on 12/19/2014
★★★★★
I mixed sea salt and hydrogen peroxide and squirted in each nostril to try to relieve my stuffy sinuses. The solution is very uncomfortable and it remains in my sinuses until I repeat the process about 3 times.Only then will it start to come back out the same nostril and if I keep it up some will eventually come out the opposing nostril. It just seems to get soaked up there.
Wheatgrass
Posted by Audrina (Los Angeles, Ca) on 07/21/2014
★★★★★
Wheatgrass (the juice powder) works miraculously well for clearing out sinuses! I feel relief immediately when I drink it, and if I keep drinking it everyday I have discovered that I can even eat foods like wheat and dairy that formerly made me stuffy. Wheatgrass does not have wheat. Make sure you don't take too much too soon, though! When I first tried it I took too much - 1 tablespoon and got very stuffy. I guess it was detoxifying stuff. When I cut back and started with just 1/4 teaspoon, my sinuses immediately cleared up. Now I can take 1 tablespoon, no problem. If you have chronic sinusitis or allergies that affect your sinuses, wheatgrass could be your cure! As an added bonus of taking wheatgrass, my hair is stronger and fuller than ever and has a very smooth texture.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil, Baking Soda
Posted by Doddie (Georgia, Usa) on 03/14/2014
★★★★★
2T ACV, 2T Olive Oil, 1/4t baking soda in 8 oz warm water, was the only ingredients I did have. Been suffering from chest congestion and hacking up phlegm for 6 days. Relief from the coughing, congestion, within the hour! My nose drained and 2 hr later it is still working. Unbelievable! The worst thing I have ever had to drink down in my life (and I am good at drinking horrible tasting stuff for medicinal purposes) . I had use the last of my honey before I got sick. This really does work, and I did manage to drink it down. I will try the ACV, honey, baking soda, cayenne pepper, and lemon juice the next time. The coughing stopped almost immediately. I had to post because it worked so well!!
Kimchi
Posted by Samantha (New York, Ny) on 07/30/2013
★★★★★
Kimchi for sinus infections/congestion: I have just recently discovered after adding other fermented foods to my diet like fermented veggies & sauerkraut that KIMCHI works wonders at clearing up sinus congestion!! It's a must try!!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Suntater (Danville, In) on 05/26/2013
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar for Sinus Congestion: Just a side note, my grandfather drank a glass of apple cider vinegar and honey every day as a daily preventative. I remember him staying home from work for only one day with a cold when I was a kid, and I even lived with him for awhile.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Rosie (Artesia, New Mexico ) on 05/15/2013
★★★★★
I was having such a hard time breathing so I googled home remedies and came across this one using ACV. I heated 6oz of water, 2 tblsp ACV and 1 tblsp honey on the stove and drank it warm. It was actually not bad tasting and worked great. In a matter of minutes I could breath. I will definitely do it again.
Camphor
Posted by Hippocrates (Odin, Missouri, U.s.a.) on 04/28/2012 9 posts
★★★★★
Hello all, I have suffered from sinus problems my whole life. This often leads to headaches caused by the sinuses being inflamed. I love to sleep with a fan for the sound, but this causes them often, so I must not. Drinking milk before bed does the same, so I must not. As does certain times of year, temperature too low in the house, humidity changes, smoke, etc, etc.
One thing I found helps lessen the pain is the "nose bullets" as I call them. Tubes you stick in your nose and inhale the vapors. They contain Camphor/Menthol. They do not "cure" a sinus headache, but lessen the pain. Heating up some "chest rub" in a jar does the same, but it is not as portable. Also, rubbing the "chest rub" onto your forehead helps soften the pain. I use Neti pots but add 1 teaspoon or less of Xylitol and several drops of hydrogen peroxide per each pot full to the standard salt/baking soda powder that is out there.
I post these not as medical advise, but something that has worked for me to make living with sinuses more bearable.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Brenda (Manning, South Carolina) on 01/23/2012
★★★★★
I've gone through sinus surgery and suffer at least once a week with congestion and running. Got bad tonight that I could not breathe thru BOTH nostrils. I am pregnant so I can not take anything. I drank 6 oz of warm water with 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar and one tbsp honey. Warmed it in the microwave for 20seconds. After about 5 minutes, I can breathe thru left nostril. Right one is still blocked but I'm happy to have at least one to breathe from!!!
I do know that cutting sugar and caffeine will help. A nutritionalist also said that milk/dairy is mucous forming. Can't live without all three! I also learned thru study that continuous decongestants will actually worsen congestion. Hope this helps everyone because it is miserable not being able to breathe!
Anise
Posted by Shorty (Austin, Tx) on 11/07/2011
★★★★★
Another thing that works for congestion is a spice called "anise", you boil the seeds and drink it with honey & lemon. my mom swore by it when we were younger & I used it for my infant kids since it was hard for them to cough up the mucus.
I need to use it myself for I have been suffering from nasal congestion/mucus & acid indigestion. That combination makes it hard to breathe freely, and sleep.. I wish you a speedy recovery.
Cayenne
Posted by Nathan (Pittsburgh, Pa, Usa) on 10/30/2011
★★★★★
To relieve lingering sinus congestion due to allergies, I tried the method of snorting small rice sized amounts of cayenne powder.
Like Veejay25 said, there is about 30 seconds of fairly intense burning. For me, however, the burning continued for approximately 30 minutes after taking the powder. After the intense first few minutes, it gradually lessened. The pain is nothing that an average person could not tolerate. There was also about 6 to 7 minutes of intense sneezing, watering eyes, and nose blowing. If you plan to try this, make sure you have about 10 or 15 minutes to recover.
My sinuses cleared slightly, though not completely. I should stress that I did not have a severe sinus condition, so better results could probably be achieved during treatment of a worse condition.
One question to consider is the potential for cayenne to damage the nasal cavity if used chronically. Of course we should all realize it would never be recommended to use many (not all) of the remedies on this site for extended periods due to the lack of scientific research on long term side effects.
Red Pepper, Ground Pepper
Posted by Red9979 (Miami, Fl) on 09/06/2011
★★★★★
cayenne pepper might work better, but I did not have any at hand, decided to take a facial vaporizer, that has the nose attatchment, to the water, I added crushed red pepper and ground black pepper, smelled it for about 15 minutes, at medium or high setting made me sneeze instantly, did not burn and cleared me but then again I do not have chronic sinus. I guess for chronic sinus or bad infections with headaches and sinus pain- the cayenne would be more powerful .
but if your desperate enough and do not have it at hand, try my method might work for you.
General Feedback
Posted by Debbie (Melbourne, Australia) on 06/11/2011
Larry you write: "My alternative physician suggested using betaine HCl instead of ACV to alleviate my nasal congestion, thereby not ingesting vinegar that fungus thrives on".
The above is NOT true. Vinegar does "not" thrive on fungus. I totally cured by toenail fungus by ingesting ACV (and doing nothing else). I had it for many years and even took tablets years ago to cure it but nothing worked until I drank the ACV.
Knitted Hat
Posted by Dianec (Los Angeles, Ca, United States) on 01/31/2011
★★★★★
Hello I submitted the sinus help regarding accupressure and sinus rinse about a year ago! For a week now I have had very little problem with my decade long sinusitis nightmare. While the accupressure and sinus rinse helped this is what is working for me about 100%. I HAVE BEEN WEARING A WARM CAP ON MY HEAD DAY AND NIGHT AND I HAVE NOT HAD ANY PROBLEM WITH MY SINUSITIS! I'M NOT KIDDING! So far the draining, spitting, and post-nasal drip have stopped. It seems keeping my head warm keeps my sinuses normal! Try it and see if it works for you! Such a simple thing has me back to normal.I have been wearing a large green knitted cap that covers my entire head.Thanks Diane
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Jml (Denver, Co) on 11/26/2012
★★★★★
Thank you for the ACV remedy, it was helpful! ACV in water also works for heartburn. Sinus problems, among many other illnesses, are fungal related and the eating of grains and sugars definitely exasperate it. It's not that grains in themselves are bad, it's because many of our grains these days because of the way they are stored are contaminted with mold and fungus and most of the fungi are not tested in our food supply. For anyone who's interested there's a great site where you can read or listen to more info on the subject... The website is knowthecause.com and the man's name is Doug Kaufmann - he's been researching the fungus link to disease for over 30 years. Many have been healed of various illnesses by going on what's called the 'Phase 1' diet. It's basically a diet that eliminates sugar and grains and believe me it does make a major difference! I have veered away from it the last few months and my sinuses acting up again was the price I paid. Needless to say, I plan to get back on the diet since it's the only thing I've found that really makes a difference.
In any event, hope people will check out the site, there's tons of good information and it will definitely help you - it's been a lifesaver for me! Stay healthy!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Angela (Gautier, Mississippi) on 10/23/2012
apple cider vinegar is great. But lets get to what has caused your problem. "your bottom line"your bottom line is your PH balance. Most of everyone started in april. What do you think you all did in april that was the same?ate easter bunny candy. Lol yep thats what I said. you lowered your bodies PH from eating to much candy/sweets/carbs.=acidics.and that goes for you halloween candy eaters also, cooler weather means we start indulging on sweeter items. Cause we arent going to the beaches any more, so we dont have to worry about a little pooch belly.
Your bodys PH is best around 7.4 when you eat those delious sweets you lower it to around 6.8 you start felling sluggish/slow/fatigue.you eat a few more the next fe weeks, days which lowers it to about 6.5 right here you start getting sick. Now what you have done is made a perfect place for bacteria, infections to live, fungus... Etc. So now what do you do?stop eating sweets? but you love them?
ok you have to put in your body a 70/30% ratio of alkaline/acidic foods every day. Small piece of meat or no meat at all, with lots of veggies, instead of that coke, drink water. Sweeten that tea a little less and do more activity. If you sit in front of the computer all day like me, you do not move enough to be able to endulge in to many sweets. If your active your body can burn some of it off. So now that your sick what do you do? the apple cider vinegar will help. I like to put a little alcohol in my ears when I feel like I have a infection or water in them. Not much just a little. And after one night of 1 drop or 2 in the ear the next night I use a little oil just so it doesnt get dried out. That hurts too. Dry nose, saline salution squrted up in there about 3 eimes a day for a week and use a little vaseline on a qtip to just lightly coat the insde of your nose so it doesnt dry out so quick. When I throw myself into that acidic sugar days and get sick, I put about half teaspoon of baking soda in water drink it just before bed. Its ok to drink water afterwards but nothing else. It kind of kicks it in gear so to speak. It also works for acid refux which most of the time is caused by too much sweets. Lol they also sell PH strips online cheap. I dont know what stores sell them. But they come in handy. I hope I helped ya'll. remember your bottom line is your PH balance no matter the illness type even cancer.
Apple Cider Vinegar Steam
Posted by Beck (Tuskawilla, Florida) on 01/02/2010
★★★★★
I found home remedies with acv and thought it worked great. For those who can't handle the taste try steam inhaling to clear the congestion. For a simple and quick session, I filled a small pan with half water and half acv and boil on the stove. Once it comes to a full boil turn off the stove and just breathe in the steam. My husband thought I just worked a miracle on him with this simple procedure. Good luck!!
Cayenne
Posted by Pat (Hoschton, Ga) on 08/01/2009
★★★★★
I have been a chronic sinus sufferer for years. when I get bad and have to clear up in a hurry. I find a shot of tobasco sause opens sinuses as soon as you drink it. but I wouldnt advise it if you have an stomach ulcer. works every time for me.
