ASK DR. SHIROKO

Chronic sinusitis is a problem that seems to perpetuate itself.
Irene came to me with chronic sinus infections. She had been on
antibiotics six times in a year. Western medicine dictates treating
sinus infections with antibiotics, but they can cause yeast
infections and other undesirable side effects without curing the
condition. Out of options, Irene’s doctors at Kaiser were
recommending sinus surgery, a drastic measure for someone only 17
years old.
Approaching sinusitis from a Chinese medicine perspective can
reveal some surprising truths. Susan’s brother died seven years
before she came to see me. She didn’t realize that her unresolved
grief was expressing itself through six years of recurring sinus
infections. In Chinese medicine, this makes perfect sense. The
sinuses are ruled by the lungs, and the emotion associated with the
lungs is grief.
Treating sinusitis and other respiratory ailments affecting the
lungs, nose, throat, bronchi, sense of smell, and skin in Chinese
medicine involves balancing lung and spleen energy. The spleen
rules digestion, sending gu qi, or food energy, to the lungs, which
then distribute food energy throughout the body. When you eat,
focus on your food. Ideally, you should eat slowly, chew your food
well, and remain relaxed while eating. Don’t read or watch TV.
Many Americans have weak digestion because they eat poor-quality
food too fast. With an inadequate diet, good gu qi doesn’t get to
the lungs, leading to congestion. This time of year, you can
bolster spleen energy by eating soups and stews with lots of hearty
seasonal vegetables. Winter is not a good season for cold salads,
cold foods such as dairy or beer, or lots of raw foods, because
people with weak digestion can experience gas, bloating, and more
nasal congestion.
Surviving sinus problems—without taking medication for the rest
of your life—requires a holistic approach that addresses diet,
exercise, hygiene, herbs, emotional balance, and other factors.
Ideally, a practitioner customizes an approach to help you balance
your lung and spleen energy. Acupuncture boosts the immune system
and heals the organs. Cranio-sacral manipulation is an extremely
effective hands-on technique for relieving sinusitis. Specific
herbs that balance the body and fight infections can keep you off
medications.
The catch is that rebalancing lung and spleen energy can take a
while. In the meantime, I often recommend a saline nasal rinse to
relieve symptoms, especially from allergies. Dissolve one teaspoon
of sea salt in one cup of warm water. A Neti pot, available in
health food stores or on line, makes it easy to pour the solution
into your nasal cavity. Washing the sinuses twice a day cleans
allergens from the airway, relieving symptoms and speeding
healing.
Chinese medicine is effective in treating sinusitis because it
includes the emotional perspective along with all the physical
aspects. Emotions always contribute to disease on some level.  Even
the annual flu is a way of releasing emotional stresses people have
stored for the year. I know children who develop chronic
respiratory or sinus conditions when their parents divorce. After
Susan dealt with her grief over losing her brother, she had no more
infections.
Dr. Shiroko Sokitch’s column appears monthly. She can be
reached at: [email protected].