Sinus Infections - Causes that You Didn't Know About

Sinus infections can be painful and extremely bothersome. Seeming like an extreme cold in some cases, sinus infections hit the people prone to certain allergies more than others. Many people have struggled with sinus infections all their lives, and have been told that the reasons are allergies, genetics and some other physiological conditions. However, there are causes of sinus infections that you probably don't know of (and the doctors won't tell you).

One very common cause of sinus infections that is overlooked is ice-cream. Yes, the "harmless" ice-cream that is so common. The problem does not lie with the natural ingredients of ice cream. So if you are eating natural home-made ice-cream, you're probably at no risk of sinus infections. However, the problem might lie with the flavorings and preservatives that are added on to the commercial stuff to bring a more "natural" flavor to it (seriously, how do they get around calling it natural?). Here is a list of ingredients as noted in the book 'Fast Food Nation' in a typical Burger King Strawberry Milkshake:

amyl acetate, amyl butyrate, amyl valerate, anethol, anisyl formate, benzyl acetate, benzyl isobutyrate, butyric acid, cinnamyl isobutyrate, cinnamyl valerate, cognac essential oil, diacetyl, dipropyl ketone, ethyl acetate, ethyl amyl ketone, ethyl butyrate, ethyl cinnamate, ethyl heptanoate, ethyl heptylate, ethyl lactate, ethyl methylphenyl-glycidate, ethyl nitrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl valerate, heliotropin, hydroxyphenyl-2-butanone, a-ionone, isobutyl anthranilate, isobutyl butyrate, lemon essential oil, maltol, 4-methylacetophenone, methyl anthranilate, methyl benzoate, methyl cinnamate, methyl heptine carbonate, methyl naphthyl ketone, methyl salicylate, mint essential oil, neroli essential oil, nerolin, neryl isobutyrate, orris butter, phenethyl alcohol, rose, run ether, y-undercalctone, vanillin and solvent.

All these chemicals are designed to present you with a natural seeming mouth feel and taste by varying the taste and texture. While all of this is legal, it is definitely not helpful to the customers. Next time, think about what you're putting in yourself before you eat ice-cream at Baskin Robbins and McDonalds.

Well, anyway. Let's say you did get sinus infection and you went to the trusty doctor, you would more likely than not be recommended a prescription drug along with some sort of over the counter painkiller like ibuprofen. Most of these painkillers hurt your liver which in turn produces more mucous to help detoxify the body. This results in more mucous that is thicker and colored (yellow to green). So here's a great test to see if it's the medication that is prescribed to you for sinus infection is causing it:

See what the color of your mucous is before you take the medication is. If it's clear, it indicates an allergy or a viral infection. After taking the medication, note the color of your mucous in the next 12 hours. If it turns thick and is colored, then your body is having a difficult time processing the medication and you need to get off it.

In any case, you will want to stay away from any ice-cream with artificial and natural flavors added to it. These are generally found at fast food restaurants such as McDonald's, Burger King, Baskin Robbins and so on. At the same time, check the reactions of the different medication that you're being prescribed on the mucous to make sure that they are not actually making it worse. These medications can also result in severe damage to the liver and some other organs in the body. Now that you are armed with the knowledge of some hidden culprits behind sinus infections, start taking steps to eliminate them. Look for natural treatments of sinus infections that can help you (there's another article about it on here).