Best ways to treat sinusitis

Chronic sinusitis is a common condition in which the cavities around nasal passages become inflamed and swollen. The chronic ailment is usually marked by a cold and it may persist for up to 12 weeks. Untreated sinus infection may result in an aggravation of the symptoms.  

People with chronic sinusitis may have facial congestion, discolored postnasal drainage, nasal discharge,    pus in the nasal cavity and fever. To diagnose your sinusitis, visit your physician for an examination.
For chronic sinus infection treatment, a number of medical treatment options and home remedies are available. Some of the common medical treatment options include:

• Painkillers: Over-the-counter (OTC) pain killer medicines, like ibuprofen or acetaminophen reduce the pain and discomfort associated with chronic sinusitis. However, doctor advice not to take these medicines for more than 10 days.
• Allergy medicines: In most of the cases, sinusitis results from uncontrolled allergies and taking long-term medicines for treating allergies, which can gradually decrease your sensitivity to an allergen. You can also take allergy medicine like antihistamines to control the allergic conditions.
• Antibiotics: If your medical examination reveals that your sinusitis is caused by a bacterial infection, you will have to intake antibiotics. For acute sinusitis, course of 10-14 days is enough, but in case of chronic sinusitis, a longer-term antibiotic might be necessary. Antibiotics are helpful in treating sinusitis due to bacterial infections; but they will not help with sinusitis caused by viruses or other problems.
• Steroids. In some cases, doctors prescribe inhaled steroids to deal with the symptoms of sinusitis and bring down the swelling in the sinus membranes. For severe cases of chronic sinusitis, oral steroids are prescribed.
•  Decongestants. Over-the-counter decongestants are prescribed by the doctors to reduce the amount of mucus in the sinuses. Some of these decongestants are available in the market as nasal sprays including: - Afrin and Dristan and pills such as Contac and Sudafed. Doctors advise not to use oral decongestants for more than a week and nasal sprays for more than three days.
•  Surgery: If yourchronic sinusitis has caused physical blockage, you may have to undergo nasal and sinus surgery for the removal of the blockage and enlarge the sinus passages.