Why children do not need antibiotics for sinus infections

Each year in the United States, over 200 million prescriptions are written for antibiotics. Antibiotics can be disease fighting tools for bacterial infections, however for viruses such as cold and flu they may be worse than useless. According to the CDC, antibiotics don’t work for sinus infections, most coughs and bronchitis, sore throats not caused by strep, or for runny noses. Unfortunately, the public does not totally understand the proper use of antibiotics. These misunderstandings are more important than ever with the rise of drug resistant bacteria.

Recently the respected British medical journal The Lancet published the research of Dr. Jim Young of the Basel Institute for Clinical Epidemiology which summarized numerous clinical trials on sinus infections and antibiotics. Amazingly, Dr. Young and his Swiss colleagues discovered that 15 patients with sinusitis-like complaints would have to be given antibiotics before an additional patient was cured. In an interview with Web-MD, Dr. Young put it this way: “We found that overall, you would need to treat 15 patients … for one patient to benefit.” If Dr. Young is correct, 15 out of 16, or 94% of patients do not get well with standard treatment. The study was so news worthy that both CNN and the BBC aired segments breaking the story worldwide. In their report, the BBC quotes study co-author Dr. Ian Williamson who said, “Antibiotics really don’t look as if they work.”

Not only do antibiotics not work for colds, coughs, and sinus infections, they also put kids at risk for side effects. Common side effects of antibiotics include rash, diarrhea and stomach upset, and fungal infections. Each year, more than 140,000 people are rushed to the emergency room from adverse reactions to antibiotics. Sadly about half of these prescriptions are unnecessary. Still, when asked by a concerned parent, doctors will prescribe antibiotics for viral infections almost 2/3rds of the time according to a 1999 study published in the journal Pediatrics. Conditions where antibiotics are prescribed unnecessarily for kids include sinus infections, coughs, and some ear infections. In fact according to a recent study, using antibiotics for ear infections can increase the likelihood of getting another ear infection!

Nova Sinus Center offers a new way to treat sinus pain, pressure, and congestion without antibiotics. Our REST treatments are safe and effective for folks of all ages. Naturally!

-Dr Jake Felice, Sinus treatment specialist at Nova Sinus Center

Are biofilms why your chronic sinus pain won’t go away?

Stages of biofilm attachment and development

Most of us have experienced the slime covering rocks in streams or rivers. These slippery substances are biofilms. Biofilms occur in human sinuses as well. For people suffering from allergies, sinus pain, pressure, and congestion, the warm and wet regions of our sinus cavities make a perfect places for biofilms to adhere.

What exactly are biofilms? Biofilms are multilayered bacterial populations that protect themselves with a sugar matrix which helps them stay attached to sinus surfaces. In human sinuses, the slimy matrix of biofilms helps the bacteria survive and reproduce by protecting them from antibiotics, and our immune system. This is one reason why conventional antibiotics are ineffective at treating sinus infections. It is also why sinus troubles seem to return again and again even after many types of conventional treatments.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), biofilms cause up to 70% of bacterial infections in the Western world. Many naturopaths predict that when fully understood, the biofilm perspective of microorganisms will have a revolutionary effect on the treatment of bacterial infections such as sinusitis, bladder infections, and cardiovascular disease. In the current era of antibiotic resistance, the concept of biofilms is fast becoming critical information as modern antibiotics and nasal sprays have so little to offer people with chronic sinus troubles.

Nova Sinus Center’s ‘REST’ treatments are a new way to treat sinus infections as they help to directly eliminate biofilms. REST treratments can be helpful for anyone who wants to stop feeling “wired and tired” on sinus medication, as well as people suffering from allergies, sinus pain, pressure or congestion.

-Dr Jake Felice Sinus treatment specialist at Nova Sinus Center

So you think you’ve got H1N1 “swine flu”?

OK, so you’ve got a cold or flu. The symptoms are the same as any other flu you’ve ever had. Maybe this one’s a bit more severe and you wonder if you’ve got “swine flu.” Tip: the severity of your symptoms is not a reliable indicator of the type of flu you may have. A lab test is required to tell for sure if you’ve got H1N1.

Will your doctor’s treatment change by knowing? No. As with any other flu, your trip to the doctor will end with a lukewarm advisement for bed rest and fluids. Nothing is more frustrating than spending the time and money for a doctor to tell you to just “go home and get some rest.”

The CDC is not advising H1N1 testing or antiviral drug treatments (Tamiflu, Relenza) for the general population at this time. The best defense against H1N1, they advise, is proper hand washing and avoiding folks with flu-like symptoms. But what can you do if you do get sick?

A trip to see a primary care naturopathic doctor (ND) at Nova Sinus Center will not only give you peace of mind but will shorten the duration and severity of any flu (including H1N1). How? By using an effective, soothing, and natural treatment to slow down viral replication inside of airway cells.

REST, or Respiratory Suite Treatment, will shorten the duration of any flu – including H1N1. How? By slowing down viral replication inside of airway cells.

You may be surprised to hear that “antiviral” drugs do not actually kill viruses. In fact, there has never been (or will there likely be) a true virus-killing drug. Viruses mutate rapidly and they’ve developed a crafty way to reproduce. The best a drug treatment can do is slow down the machinery that a virus uses to make copies of itself. The REST treatment does something similar – naturally. And it does so without the high risk of drug resistance, expense, and side effects of antiviral medications.

While many doctors are asking their patients to “stay home” and are slow to prescribe antivirals except for the most severe confirmed cases of H1N1, Nova Sinus Center offers an effective, soothing, and natural treatment you can use anytime. Don’t stay home. Get in for a REST treatment today.

Killer bees from Africa, Pacific coast tsunami’s, and asteroids on a collision course with Earth – no doubt, we’re disaster junkies.

While there are some groups at higher risk for developing H1N1 complications – be sure to check out the CDC website for the most up to date info – most Americans will simply “get the flu” and never know if it was H1N1 or not.

My best advice to both current and new patients is: Don’t just stay home and “get some rest” – Give your flu a REST with a treatment at Nova Sinus Center.

 

How nasal sprays create a vicious cycle in sinus infections

Nasal decongestant sprays such as Afrin and other decongestant sprays are frequently used to treat nasal congestion, sinus infection, and allergies.  These sprays are safe and effective when used as directed.  However, a quick look at the instruction pamphlet of these sprays shows the following message: “Do not use for longer than 3 to 5 days. Longer use could cause damage to your nasal tissue and lead to chronic congestion. If your symptoms do not improve, see your doctor.”

What most people don’t know is that drugs in these sprays such as phenylephrine, neo-synephrine, oxymetazoline, and xylometazoline can create damage to the sinus tissues after only 5 days.  Each time the spray is used, the medication squeezes shut the blood vessels of the nose, just like a tourniquet to a leg squeezes off blood to the foot.  This “chemical tourniquet” lasts about 12 hours before it wears off.

Frequent use longer than 5 days starves the nose of oxygen and nutrients.  Eventually, the nose develops edema and even physical damage.  This is called “rhinitis medicamentosa”.  To fight this “chemical tourniquet” our bodies start to try to increase the blood flow to the nose to fight against the damage.  The increase in blood results in even more severe nasal congestion and obstruction (rebound phenomenon).  A vicious cycle is created, forcing the patient to keep using more and more spray to get rid of the symptoms.

This addiction occurs with nasal decongestants and not with steroid and other types of nasal sprays.  Like any addiction, the withdrawal process is unavoidable and can be truly miserable for the patient.  Nova Sinus Center specializes in relieving sinus pain, pressure, and congestion naturally without the use of addicting nasal sprays.  Unfortunately, the discomfort of withdrawal will be experienced by all sufferers of rhinitis medicamentosa, however our REST treatment protocols are a gentle and soothing way to blunt the severity of this withdrawal period.  Once healed, REST treatments also provide a healthy way to maintain healthy sinuses throughout cold, flu, and allergy seasons.

-Dr. Jake Felice, Sinus treatment specialist at Nova Sinus Center

Do I have a sinus infection?

Congestion , sinus pressure and headaches can make you feel miserable, and they could signal a sinus infection.   One of the most common complications of a cold or flu is a sinus infection, also known as ‘Sinusitis’.  Symptoms of sinus infection include fever, facial pain, headache, pressure, cough, congestion and nasal discharge.  Patients with an increased risk of developing chronic sinus infections are those who’ve recently had a cold or flu, those with a history of sinus problems, patients with weak immune systems, those with asthma and allergies, smokers, the elderly and children.  Sinus infections need a physical exam to properly diagnose the illness.  Schedule an appointment at Nova Sinus Center if you develop any of the symptoms of sinus infection.  Our REST treatments include a physical exam as well as a soothing treatment that get you back on track fast.

-Dr. Jake Felice, Sinus treatment specialist at Nova Sinus Center

Why are sinus problems so hard to treat?

Why are sinus pain, pressure, and congestion so hard to treat?  This video shows the intricate nature of the turns and spirals of our nose and sinus cavities. These turns and spirals combined with the warm moist nature of the nose make an ideal breeding ground for bacteria and biofilms to grow and resist antibiotic and other natural treatments.

With it’s specially designed REST treatments, Nova Sinus Center offers a new way to treat sinus troubles.

-Dr. Jake Felice, ND; Sinus treatment specialist at Nova Sinus Center

UW ENT Grand Rounds March 25th, 2009

6:30 am – Patricia Oakes, MD, Acting Instructor, Neurology “Chronic Headaches and Facial Pain”

In one of the UW meeting rooms where OTO-NHS Grand Rounds are held there is a fire door with a sign that reads, “Do not block.” It seems each Wednesday morning, a folded side-lying table creeps further and further in front of this emergency exit. This morning, it was completely blocking the way out. Fantasies of 20 residents and faculty tripping over each other to get out as fire licked at the main entrance flickered in my mind as I sat and gazed into the texture of the table. I began thinking this is an interesting metaphor for what happens in the nose and sinus passageways. 

The emergency exit can be compared to the rhinosinus outflow system known as the ostiomeatal complex. This is the point where the frontal and maxillary sinuses normally drain into the nasal cavity. Obstruction here produces inflammation of the affected sinuses and is routinely treated with anti-inflammatory drugs and endoscopic sinus surgery. One of the great benefits of the REST treatment offered at Nova Sinus Center is that it promotes clearing of the ostiomeatal complex by supporting muco-ciliary drainage. When this emergency exit is clear, flow from the sinus ostia (openings from the sinuses into the nose passages) is enhanced. REST combines this benefit with microbicidal and biofilm reduction leading to prevention or resolution of ostiomeatal blockages. Next week, I think I’ll take some initiative and move that table out of the way.  

Dr. Patricia Oakes was on hand today to present some pearls on headache of neurologic origin. She reviewed the ICHD-2 (International Headache Classification, 2ed) and placed special focus on migraine identification and differentiation of migraine from headaches of sinus origin. Dr. Oakes presented a study that concluded 86% of patients who thought they had sinus headaches actually had migraines. Despite Dr. Oakes’ admitted potential for diagnosis bias, this study was a real eye-opener for me. She went on to present differential diagnosis including the more dangerous causes of headache like stroke and artery dissection. In the end, I discovered a more refined appreciation of the causes of headache and when neurologic consult is indicated.