Sinus Catarrh

Hutt News, Volume 15, Issue 9, 30 July 1941, Page 2

Sinus Catarrh

By H. K. ft D. W. Adatnson (OBteopatha). If you have not heard of the word Sinus consider yourself lucky because the chances are that you enjoy a moderate dfegree of health. On the other hand if the word has a familiar ring about it, it is more than likely that your health is Bomewhat below what it should be and consequently your knowledge of sinuses has beeh ground out in the [ school of experience. A school that is only too frequently both intimate and painful. Now sinuflfes are cavities or chan-. nels, of which there are hundreds distributed throughout the human body. Some act as air chambers, Bome as drainage channels and others again furnish the media for the transportation of lymph and other fluids. Those that are situated in the skull are of particular interest to many people because they are the seat of so much pain and Suffering. Every time one develops a cold In the head these sinuses tend to become inflamed and congested with a watery mucous which greatly adds to, or magnifies, the head symptoms which are characteristic of the common cold. Nearly all sinus trouble has Its origin in the common head cold but instead of subsiding with the cold and disappearing for another seasonal Visitation there is a tendency for the sinus to remain inflamed and congested long after the nasal chambers have ceased running. Then, the accumulative effectß of repeated colds produce a chronically congested state in the sinus, in which the watery mucous has been superceded by thfck gluey mucous. This sticky mucous, or phlegm, gums up 1 the drainage passages and the ef- ! fects of the congestion may extend | to any of the neighbouring struc- , tures including the eyes, ears, brain etc. Such reflexes are responsible for a great many functional disturbances in the related structures of which severe headaches, facial neuralgia, as well as optical and auditory symptoms, are the most common. Indeed, the origin of the reflex can invariably be traced to the sinus by the degree of or pain that la.produced when finger pressure is applied to the suspected area. It should now be fairly obvious that no treatment for such disorders can possibly be effective unless sufficient attention be directed towards I removing the cause of the reflex,i.e.

the congestion of the sinus. Of what avail is the swallowing of a pill or an opiate for the cure of this type of headache? The opiate may afford temporary relief from the pain by deadening sensibility, it is true, but so long as the congested sinus remains, there will always be the danger that the headache or other unpleasant symptoms will recurr at the first favourable opportunity, if not indeed, as soon as the immediate effects of the dfUg 1 have subsided. Constant repttttfon of drugging these nerves Into insensibility merely hastens the day when more drastic measures are forced upon the suffefer. One alternative is the surgeon's knife, and in desperation many cases seek relief by this means. It must be admitted that the removal of the offending sticky phlegm by this method often brings immediate relief and for a while at least, and perhaps for the, first time for years, the sufferer enjoys comfort and ease, but his freedom is invariably short-lived. A few short months, perhaps, or a year or two at most UNLESS THE REQUISITE MEASURES HAVE BBJEN TAKEN TO PREVENT THE SINUSES FILLING UP AGAIN, and fill up again they will unless this is done. Tthe alternative to surgery is a radical cleansing of the system by fasting, dieting, and general therapeutic measures to remove the mucous. In many extreme cases it may be found that both these measures are required.

Sinus trouble, as well as all other catarrhal disorders, has its origin in accumulations of mucous forming material comprising chiefly carbonaceous substances and tissues, waste or refuse, which accumulate as the result of the consumption of excessive quantities of sweets, starches, and fats. Of course they would not be retained in the body if the organs of elimination worked sufficient overtime, but these excretory organs of ours were designed by Nature to handle normal loads only. They possess a most elastic capacity as it is, but there is a strict limitation to their output, and their performance under normal loading conditions leaves nothing to be desired. No one would expect a 10 h.p. car to do the work of 40 h.p. lorry, yet thia is exactly what a considerable section of the public expect of their excretory organs. They pile in food and other stuff that is supposed to pose as food in amounts that are far in excess of the capacity of the body to digest and oxidise and far in excess of the capacity of the sewage system to discharge. That which cadnot be removed simply accumulates and these sinuses ot hollow spaces provide a most convenient dumping ground for it. Yes, dumping grounds for systema- , tic waste, or garbage.

What is true of sinuß catarrh is also true of catarrh In general. It Is the same old story of mucous producing refuse. It qhokes the respiratory tract and one of Its Bjrrap-

Toms may be represented by bronchitis. It clogs the alimentary tracts and leaveß a trail of mucous colitis, constipation and numerous other disorders. It collects in the intercellular spaces and the symptoms may range from neuritis to high blood pressure. In fact its healthdestroying possibilities are endless. Now it is only by a thorough understanding of the facts relating to the production and retention of this mucous making refuse that we can expect to make any headway towards preventing and curing these i disorders. Furthermore, you will; be • In posseMion of the key to practical- • ly all other health problems ew well.