Sinus Infections and General Upper Respiratory Yuck

A friend emailed me this morning for help. He and his family had the winter ick a few weeks ago. Now he’s got what sounds like a very painful sinus infection. In the past, he’s mentioned that he gets sinus infections often.

Here’s what I suggested.

1. Garlic. As much garlic as he can stand to eat, both raw and cooked. Garlic tablets work, but the real thing works much better. When I was in my early 20’s I developed antibiotic resistant pneumonia while in the hospital for bronchitis and asthma. Garlic did what the antibiotics of the time could not. I suggest starting with two or three raw cloves every couple hours, and adding garlic to everything you eat. Garlic is an effective antimicrobial. Scientific studies on garlic have shown that it is as effective, and even more effective in killing microbes than some modern antibiotics. Garlic is my go-to herb for any kind of upper respiratory infection. It also gives many added benefits.
2. Colloidal Silver nasal spray. CS is another natural antibiotic. You can buy it in most herbal shops, and organic food stores, and on-line. There are even a few run of the mill grocery stores that carry CS now. Personally, I make my own because it’s easy and inexpensive. Yes, you will read on-line about people who took colloidal silver and tuned blue. But, those stories are nothing but scare tactics from people who decided to make their own, but didn’t follow the directions or have any kind of understanding of basic chemistry. Properly made, colloidal silver will NOT turn your skin blue. It is, however an incredibly effective antimicrobial.
3. Vitamin D. Sometimes it sounds like Vitamin D is my answer to everything. But, that’s because it’s so vitally important to health. Researchers estimate that 90% of the American population is seriously deficient in Vitamin D, and that deficiency contributes to most of the health concerns Americans face. I recommend that everyone get tested for D levels at least once a year. (I will fully admit that while I recommend the test, I don’t get tested myself.) I also recommend that most people take 5000 IU of Vitamin D each day, along with a good daily multi vitamin that contains magnesium, calcium and zinc to aid the body’s use of that D. At first sign of illness, I suggest using the Eisenstein Protocol and taking 50,000 IU of Vitamin D. Then, reducing that by 5,000 IU each day until you’re back to your typical supplemental dose.
4. Probiotics. The human body contains as much bacterial cells as it does human cells — most researchers say there are MORE bacterial cells than human cells. Current thinking is that the body essentially has two immune systems. There’s the immune system everybody learned about in high school biology, and there’s the gut. Proper gut bacteria is essential to good health. When you take any kind of antibiotics they kill both the bad bacteria and the good. Antibiotics can’t tell the difference between the two microbes. That means you have to be diligent in replacing the good bacteria, otherwise the harmful gut bacteria will take over your gut. Plus, beneficial gut bacteria manufacture a couple of nutrients the human body needs. You can buy probiotics, but fermented veggies are better. They contain more beneficial bacteria that get through the stomach and into the gut than do store bough probiotics. We’re talking things like sauerkraut and kimchi. Again, I regularly make my own sauerkraut. It’s easy to make and tasty. I haven’t made kimchi, but it’s on my list of things to learn.
5. Do NOT use those hand sanitizing gels you see everywhere. They are part of the problem causing microbes to become resistant to antibiotics and antivirals. The sanitizing gels advertise that they kill 99% of microbes. That means that the strongest microbes survive and go on to reproduce and mutate. That makes stronger microbes that have mutated to be resistant to microbe killers. I suggest the simple solution of washing your hands often with regular soap or a simple baking soda solution. Baking soda dissolves the chemical bonds that keep dirt and microbes on your skin, causing the particles to simply be washed away.
6. Avoid sugar, dairy and grains. Sugar causes inflammation inside the body. That inflammation compromises the immune system and negatively impacts gut bacteria. Dairy creates mucus, which, if you have sinus problems, you already have enough of. Grains convert to sugar in the body and cause the same problems as sugar.
7. Diluted hydrogen peroxide in a neti pot or other sinus rinse. Some people use neti pots to rinse the sinuses. It’s used to clear a stuffy nose, or treat a sinus infection. Diluted food grade hydrogen peroxide can be used as a topical anti-microbial.