Frontitis: symptoms and treatment at home

Many do not consider frontal sinusitis as a serious disease, confusing it with sinusitis or a common cold. But inflammation of the mucous membranes of the frontal sinuses in the absence of treatment can result in very serious consequences, since in their anatomical location they are adjacent to the eye sockets and the brain. It is necessary to know what symptoms accompany frontal sinusitis, and start treatment at home only when you are 100% sure of the diagnosis. But first, it would be nice to understand why and how this disease occurs.

Causes of frontal sinusitis

Most often, an untreated viral or infectious disease becomes the cause of frontal sinusitis. Pathogenic microorganisms penetrate the frontal sinuses of the nose, actively multiply on the mucous membranes and provoke their inflammation, which results in edema. The narrow canal that connects the frontal sinuses to the nasal cavity is completely blocked, and normal air circulation is disrupted.

In the absence of oxygen, even more favorable conditions are created for the reproduction of anaerobic bacteria. The inflammation intensifies, and pus begins to accumulate in the sinuses. The fluid exerts increasing pressure on the irritated nerve endings of the mucous membranes, and a pain syndrome arises, which intensifies when pressing on the frontal sinuses, tilting or turning the head sharply.

Often, frontal sinusitis is of a non-infectious nature and can be triggered by the influence of negative external or internal factors:

frequent and severe allergic reactions with edema and profuse mucus production;
violation of air circulation due to curvature of the nasal septum, resulting from injuries and operations or congenital;
a sharp drop in immunity caused by severe hypothermia, stress, vitamin deficiency, a recent illness or operation;
chronic respiratory diseases leading to atrophy and impairment of the protective functions of the mucous membranes;
getting into the nasal cavity of small foreign bodies that provoke active inflammatory processes.

In order to understand how to treat frontal sinusitis at home and whether it is possible at all, it is necessary to undergo an examination and establish the primary cause of the disease. Therefore, a visit to the doctor is worth making, even if you are a supporter of exclusively natural methods of treatment.

Symptoms of the disease

It is much easier to recognize acute frontal sinusitis than chronic, as its symptoms are pronounced, especially in adults. The first to signal a possible inflammation of the frontal sinuses is a rather severe headache in the middle of the forehead. During the day, it can decrease and increase, depending on external conditions and physical activity. With pressure on the forehead or a rapid tilt of the head downward, the pain becomes sharp, radiating to the orbit and temporal bone.

Also, acute frontal sinusitis is accompanied by:

profuse nasal discharge, which can be transparent or colored yellow or green (when an infection is connected);
severe swelling and redness of the nasal mucosa;
noticeable redness in the inner corners of the eyes;
swelling of the upper eyelid from the side of inflammation;
loss or severe decrease in sense of smell;
pain in the eyes, lacrimation, photophobia;
nausea, vomiting and other symptoms of intoxication;
general weakness, decreased performance, irritability;
morning cough, feeling of a lump of mucus in the throat;
an increase in body temperature from 37.2 to 39 and above.

The chronic form of the disease may be indicated by a persistent, mild, unproductive cough, which is caused by constant irritation of the back wall of the larynx with mucus flowing down it. Often, such patients have a slightly elevated body temperature of 37.0-37.2. In the morning, occasionally there is a causeless swelling of the eyelids and superciliary arches.

Sometimes the manifestations of chronic frontal sinusitis are attributed to allergies, fatigue and other reasons and do not pay attention to them. As a result, complications may arise, many of which can pose a threat to life: infectious meningitis, blood poisoning, multiple abscesses, purulent conjunctivitis, osteomyelitis, etc.

With the spread of inflammation through the respiratory organs, bronchitis, tonsillitis, pneumonia develop. The chronic form of frontal sinusitis can provoke bronchial asthma.

Pros and cons of folk remedies

Treatment with folk remedies has its pros and cons, which you should think about before making the final decision to abandon traditional drugs. The pros are undeniable:

completely natural remedies and no side effects;
narrow focus of action, other organs and systems do not suffer;
strengthening and active stimulation of the body's immune defenses;
simplicity and availability of the tools used;
the effectiveness of the methods has been tested by more than one generation.

But the disadvantages are also obvious. The main one is a significantly lower response rate compared to drugs. What an antibiotic can cope with in 2-3 days can be cured with folk remedies in a week, and this is with strong immunity. That is why in severe forms of the disease, time cannot be lost and it is necessary to be treated with medication.

The process of preparing some folk remedies is quite laborious and sometimes takes several hours, or even days. And they cannot be stored for a long time, since they do not contain preservatives and such "medicines" quickly deteriorate.

You can still prepare for an exacerbation of chronic frontal sinusitis in advance and stock up on alcohol or oil tinctures. With an acute form, it is not always possible to quickly get everything you need.

Treatment of frontal sinusitis with folk remedies is possible only when there are no large accumulations of pus. It is almost impossible to cope with the purulent form without antibiotics. Home treatment in such a situation will only play into the hands of the disease, allowing it to develop further and cover all new areas.

With polyposis frontitis, treatment at home will only allow you to remove the exacerbation and prepare for the operation, which is the only way to radically solve the problem. If the polyps are not removed, then the disease will constantly worsen at the slightest influence of negative factors.

In fact, even according to doctors, the best results are obtained by a reasonable combination of correctly selected traditional medicines and methods of traditional medicine, in which they reinforce each other's action, while strengthening the patient's immunity. And it is certainly mandatory to use modern diagnostic tools that allow you to accurately establish the causes and features of the course of the disease.

Home remedies

The simplest thing that can be prepared quickly at home is nose drops. It is desirable that they have anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Here are some proven folk remedies:

beet juice - in pure form or diluted in half with water;
onion juice - freshly squeezed, strained and diluted in half with honey;
cyclamen root juice - in its pure form causes a burning sensation, dilute a little with water;
Kalanchoe juice - irritates the mucous membrane, provoking a sneezing reflex;
potato juice - an excellent decongestant, instill not diluted;
black radish juice - pure or mixed with honey, anti-inflammatory effect;
camphor oil - has an anti-inflammatory and vasoconstrictor effect;
sea buckthorn oil - very quickly restores damaged mucous membranes;
fir oil - 2 drops per 1/2 tsp. olive - has a powerful antibacterial effect.

Such drops are used in the same way as pharmacy ones: 3-5 in each nostril several times a day. The minimum course of treatment is 7-10 days, you can continue up to 3 weeks. Rinse and cleanse the nose thoroughly before instillation.

But just drops cannot solve the problem. In order for the mucus in the nose to be thinner, it is necessary to provide the body with sufficient water. It is better if it is a warm herbal tea, since this way you can also get additional bonuses: warming up the nasopharynx, restoring the vitamin and mineral balance, cleansing the back wall of the larynx from mucus.

You can buy ready-made herbal preparations at the pharmacy - fortunately, today their choice is simply huge. Some people prefer to use one type of plant or compose their own compositions from several herbs.

The main thing is that you are confident in the quality of the raw materials, so you should not buy plants from the market, collect in the city or near busy highways.

A useful help for the body will be a decoction of chamomile, rose hips, dried raspberries, currant leaves. You can brew sage, thyme, horsetail, coltsfoot, elecampane, calendula. The broth should not be too strong, and the amount of liquid drunk should not be from 1 to 1.5 liters per day. In the absence of allergies, you can add honey and a slice of lemon to tea.

Home treatments

Treatment of frontal sinusitis at home should begin with regular rinsing of the nose - at least 3-4 times a day. This will remove the accumulation of mucus from it and create unfavorable conditions for the multiplication of microbes. For rinsing, it is best to use a saline solution (1 teaspoon of sea salt in 200 ml of warm water). Decoctions of herbs are suitable: eucalyptus, calendula, chamomile, celandine.

An excellent effect is given by steam inhalations, which can be done without a special apparatus. You can breathe over the potato steam (boil the potatoes in pieces with the peel, and drain the water).

Inhalation with the Vietnamese balm "Zvezda" added to the water is useful - it contains menthol and camphor oils and quickly facilitates breathing. You can dissolve the essential oils of coniferous trees in water - eucalyptus, tea tree oil. Enough 1-2 inhalations a day for 7-10 minutes. After them, you cannot immediately go outside and you must avoid drafts.

If you are sure that there is no pus in the frontal sinuses, warming up will significantly speed up the healing process. It can be done with the help of available tools: a sock with salt or sand, paraffin wax, heated stones, hard-boiled eggs, a blue lamp. The main thing is that it should be dry heat. The duration of the procedure is 10-15 minutes, it is better to do it at night.

Such an integrated approach allows you to quickly cure acute frontal sinusitis at home and do without a puncture of the frontal sinus - an unpleasant procedure that is used to treat an advanced disease.

But it must be remembered that if on the 4th-5th day of home treatment the condition does not improve or signs of its deterioration appear, self-medication will have to be stopped immediately. In such a situation, only a qualified doctor can decide how to further treat frontal sinusitis.