Surviving Sinusitis

I want to thank those who participated in the recent survey I sent out. I value your wonderful feedback and I will do my best to cover the topics you requested.

On 15 January I was asked to share my testimony and speak about the health benefits of water at a women's retreat hosted by Delaine Blackwell of Joy of Abiding ministry (www.joyofabiding.org). We gathered at a beautiful snow-covered mountain retreat called The Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove in North Carolina (http://www.thecove.org/). This was a very special experience that I will treasure for a long time. The next Joy of Abiding "Advance," as it is called, will be held in mid-February, 2012. If you want to get away for 24 hours to fellowship, enjoy the majestic beauty of God's creation and just receive from the Lord, this would be the place to go!

Now let's get right to it! This month we will look at how you can survive sinusitis.

WHAT IS SINUSITIS?

Sinusitis is an inflammation of the sinuses that can be any one of the four paired cavities in the facial bones of the skull that connects with the nose. When the sinus cavity becomes blocked by excess mucus production from an infection, it causes pressure on the surrounding tissue around the socket. This can cause tremendous pain and discomfort.

The two types of sinusitis are:

Acute Sinusitis - Involves a sudden, severe inflammation of one or more of the sinuses and lasts less than three weeks.

Chronic Sinusitis - The duration of symptoms is longer than three weeks and can significantly interfere with your daily life.

Fifty percent of sinusitis cases are caused by bacterial infections. Other causes are viral and fungal infections, inhalation of irritants such as dust, tobacco smoke, food allergies, hay fever, stress, and chlorinated water from swimming pools.

SOME SINUSITIS SYMPTOMS

· Earache

· Fever

· Bad breath

· Coughing

· Nasal congestion

· Mucus discharge from the nose

SOME THINGS TO TRY

· Include sufficient amounts of water in your daily diet. The body needs as much fluid as it can to remove the toxins it is fighting.

· Avoid wheat and dairy (mucus forming foods)

· Add lots of fresh fruits and vegetables to your diet

· Avoid foods sprayed with pesticides

· Eat fruits high in vitamin C (guava, papaya, strawberries, kiwi, cantaloupe, orange, grapefruit)

· Include Essential Fatty Acids (nuts, seeds, cold-pressed olive oil and oily fish such as Alaskan or red-sockeye salmon)

· Tea Tree Essential oil, 2-3 drops in the bath or eucalyptus oil.

· A good quality pro-biotic

· Avoid sugar in any form as sugar impairs your immune functioning and encourages bacterial growth

· Freshly extracted vegetable juices

GRILLED PEPPERS WITH CHICKPEAS AND BLACK OLIVES

4 red, yellow or orange peppers, halved and seeded

1 garlic clove, peeled, chopped

Olive oil to brush

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

¼ cup chopped black olives

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Brush the outside of the peppers with olive oil. Heat a grill pan to very hot. Place peppers skin side down on the pan. Cook until the skin begins to wrinkle, remove from heat and allow to cool.

Mix together chickpeas, olives, garlic and parsley together. Add olive oil and mix well.

Cut the peppers into thick slices, add to the chickpea mixture and serve on a fresh bed of mixed greens.

RECOMMENDED SUPPLEMENTS

AIM Garden Trio- (BarleyLife, a powder of young barley plants; Just Carrots, a carrot powder; and RediBeets, a beet powder), provides us with an optimum nutritional base and is necessary to maintain whole body health.

AIM LeafGreens - an ultra-cold filtration combining barley, bean, pea and spinach leaf concentrates with broccoli sprouts to provide a daily serving of whole food nutrition. Contains the phytochemicals quercetin, kaempferol, and sulforaphane.

AIM Florafood® - a powerful combination of three friendly bacteria - Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bifidobacterium Longum. Florafood helps maintain the healthy balance integral to good health.

AIMega AIMega - an organic seed oil blend that delivers an important source of healthful and essential omega-3 and -6 fatty acids, plus omega-9. EFAs are the main structural component of every cell membrane and are necessary for cell growth and activity.

Olive Leaf Extract - (I recommend Barlean's Olive Leaf extract) found at vitamin and health food stores or in stores that cater to health and nutrition. Olive leaf Extract is amazing in its ability to assist in clearing up a sinus infection. The usual dosage of olive leaf is between 500mg and 1,000 mg per day. It acts like a natural and safe antibiotic and an immune-enhancer.

SPIRITUAL HEALTH

"The path you choose is the path you use. When you walk the path of intimacy with the Lord, He fills you with His peace, security and hope. This is not a path of quick fixes; rather, it is one of trust and endurance. Traveling a path without God is like walking in the country on a moonless night. Or, it is like running through a city during the day-blind-folded." -90-day Devotional Infusion by Boyd Bailey.

Yours in healthy living,

Lere Robinson