Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
Try this easy method for the prevention of sinus problems and infection using therapeutic probiotics before bed to maintain tissue health and flora balance in the nasal cavities.
When on vacation or traveling for work, many of us eat lower quality food and stay up later than we normally would at home. When your eating/sleeping schedule gets mangled due to travel plans, sinus problems can quickly crop up. The symptoms cause discomfort and misery especially if flying is part of the itinerary.
The next time you are planning to go out of town, try this easy way to prevent sinus problems to keep you breathing freely.
Doctor’s Tip on Preventing Sinus Problems
Most folks don’t realize that beneficial flora strains, also known as good bacteria, seek to dominate and protect every tissue of your body, not just your gut! There are plenty of beneficial bacteria in your mouth, throat, nasal passages, and ears too.
When you get a sinus infection, the balance of good bacteria to bad (pathogenic) bacteria – including candida – becomes imbalanced. This means that the pathogenic strains take over with lots of mucus and possibly even an infection the result.
To prevent this from happening, after brushing and flossing your teeth at night before you go to bed, empty a probiotic capsule into your mouth, swish it around in your mouth, and swallow.
It is very important to not drink anything – even water – after you do this.
Enough probiotic residue will be left in your mouth after swallowing. The good little critters will migrate while you sleep all through your nasal passages, guarding the roost and helping to make sure no pathogens have an opportunity to start plugging up the works.
This important tip is suggested by an MD based on the clinical experience of Dr. Natasha Campbell-Mcbride. She suggests it in her groundbreaking GAPS book. (1)
Therapeutic Grade Probiotics for Clear Sinuses
Be aware that not all probiotics are of the same quality and hence will not have equal effectiveness in preventing sinus problems. If a probiotic needs refrigeration, for example, don’t buy it. Probiotic cultures should be hardy enough to be shelf-stable with no refrigeration necessary. Think about it. If a probiotic can’t survive at room temperature, how in the world will it survive the digestive process to make it into the large intestine intact to help rebalance bacterial populations?
When choosing a probiotic, consider that a wide variety of strains should be present.
These brands of therapeutic strength probiotics are tested for quality. I have also personally vetted them.
Already Have an Infection?
If you already have a sinus infection and need help, consider this idea.
Use a ceramic neti pot (I like this one) plus your probiotic of choice to help heal a sinus infection fast with no antibiotics. It is important to always use filtered water in a neti-pot, by the way.
The key is harnessing beneficial microbes to beat back the pathogens (viruses, bacteria, fungi like C. Albicans) and re-establish balance in the sinus tissue as quickly as possible. Note that some strains of probiotics thrive better in the ear, nose, and throat tissues than others. As a result, it is best to use oral probiotics for this purpose, although any probiotic will certainly be helpful for healing.
This green juice recipe known as a “power shot” might be helpful to your recovery too.
Reference
(1) Gut and Psychology Syndrome: Natural Treatment for Autism, Dyspraxia, A.D.D., Dyslexia, A.D.H.D., Depression, Schizophrenia, by Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride MD
Thanks Sarah – Though spending time with my nieces and nephew is always the best, I returned yesterday feeling a cold coming on, so this was a very timely post. I did this protocol last night and the cough I had is much improved and I can breathe a lot better.
Hoping to nip this cold in the bud. Hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving!
Hello Sarah,
I read on your web site where you wrote about how to check our fingers and look for lines on them and what to do about the condition because our fingers should be smooth. This was a few weeks ago and now, when I look in this websites’ archives I cannot find it. Please direct me where to find it under what title?
thank you,
Geri
It’s the Adrenal Fatigue post. If you do a search on adrenal fatigue, you will find it.
Hi Sarah,
What about Garden of Life Primal Defense? This is the probiotic that Nourishing Traditions recommends (at lease in the edition that I have). And they have 5 billion CFU per capsule, whereas Biokult has only 2 billion CFU per capsule. Primal Defense also consists of all the strains that are recommended by Dr. Campbell. I just think it’s more economical overall.
I am also considering MegaFlora from Megafood. It claims to have 20 billion CFU per capsule (sounds a bit over the top), but it doesn’t have all the strains required by Dr. Campbell. Yet, the good thing is it doesn’t contain maltodextrin — an additive that both Biokult and Primal Defense have.
Carrie
I take Primal Defense Ultra, and I think it works well – but see my comment below about trying this method with it! :-O Hopefully it’s just me, though!
I have the capsule ready for my husband tonight and explained what he needed to do before bed. He responded, “Why can’t I just snort it?” I didn’t have a decent reply except: “Why would you want to?”
I guess he could be asking to snort worse stuff.
That might really burn to do that LOL!
Hi Sarah,
Do you know if the chewy tube is truly safe for infants to chew on? It says that it is free of many things and FDA approved (not that I put one iota of trust into that approval!). I have a soon to be teething little one! Thank you, Sarah
Sarah, I am still on a cloud from the Weston Price conference! As a healthcare professional, I have been to a LOT of conferences/seminars and I have NEVER gotten such an incredibly eye-opening quality and amount of information, in my LIFE! I am so grateful that you helped so many of us know about it and get there! (Also, Kathy at Weston Price was SUPER helpful!) Anyway, this info on the probiotics is so needed for folks like me, who are trying to unlearn the “medical routine” of fighting off disease. My daughter just got over a possible strep infection, and I fought like crazy not to take her to the doctor, but after 4 days, family pressure forced me to.. It has been a learning experience, as the doctor said that apparently I was doing everything right, except I needed an antibiotic! Came home, went to your blog and voila! There was the article on strep! My courage is increasing daily! I am sad that most of my peers won’t even let me discuss an alternative; it is as if they think that is disloyal? Nothing ever changes, if you can’t let your mind look at the possibilities?! Anyway, I appreciate you!!! Hope your Thanksgiving was filled with sweet memories!
Hey Sarah,
In another blog regarding allergies you wrote:
“Exclusive eating requires a constant demand for the same types of digestive enzymes over and over which eventually leads to digestive exhaustion, food addictions, and biochemical disruptions.”
I find that since I’ve been learning I eat a lot of the same food, pastured meats & eggs, butter, fermented foods etc.. the variety isn’t necessarily there anymore, is this something to be concerned about with the above statement?
Happy thanksgiving 🙂 even though I’m in Australia!
I need to know the context of that statement. Which blog are you referring to?
Shelf-stable…? So then Klaire Labs and Udo’s are a poor quality? In my health food store, BioKult is also refrigerated. Help! More info, please!
BioKult does not need to be refrigerated. Can’t speak for the other brands. Perhaps call the manufacturer?
I should try this because I often have a plugged nose at night and have to breath through my nose, which I no is really bad for you. I have never had a sinus infection though, thank god.
ooops I meant breath through my mouth!
Hi, I just commented about my husband having something similar, his is a dairy/lactose sensitivity. See above ^
Thanks, Lisa 🙂 But I am dairy free right now and have been for almost 15 years. Pasturized dairy gives me acne. Hopefully going to do GAPS soon to see if I can at least get rid of the dairy allergy and be able to handle raw/fermented dairy.
As I read your email about this post, I noted that the automatically-inserted Google ad underneath the teaser was promoting Flu-shots at our local Jewel-Osco pharmacy! 🙂