Alleviating sinus woes
AT 25, Zander T. seems to have everything going for him. Despite outward appearances however, Zander’s “sinusitis curse” as he calls it, has gotten worse with the haze and pollution in the city. He would wake up each night with a stuffy nose, which makes him really sleepy the next morning.
Whenever he enters an airconditioned room, his nose would itch shortly after which his sneezing spells would start – he would sneeze so much his eyes would water.
Malaysians will recognise the term sinus or a sensitive nose or hay fever better than the medical condition allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis results from a hypersensitive immune system, which causes the nose to react to certain substances present in the air.
People with a sensitive nose suffer recurring nasal symptoms for many years. This genetically rooted condition will not go away so easily.
The sufferer may experience other related issues, such as sinusitis and ear infections. Sinusitis refers to the swelling or inflammation of the sinus mucous membrane causing blockage of the sinus openings that normally drain mucous.
It almost always happens after chronic bouts of rhinitis and rarely occurs alone.
As the nasal and sinus passages are closely related, otolaryngologists now refer to sinusitis as rhinosinusitis. Globally, it has been established that about 51% of rhinosinusitis cases are caused by allergies.
Avoidance is the primary rule to managing a sensitive nose.
However, this is easier said than done, as it is not always possible to control the environment.
Although pharmacotherapy such as usage of antihistamines and steroidal nasal sprays are helpful to treat symptoms, these medications do not address the root of a hypersensitive immune system.
Herbal therapy
Looking into clinically proven alternative therapy options, the herbal remedy Lectranal stands out. Lectranal is natural, activated astragalus root extract. Scientists at the Ruder Boskovic Centre in Zagreb, Croatia developed this patented herbal extract. Studies have shown Lectranal can be used successfully to manage allergic rhinitis and sinusitis as it addresses the root of the problem.
The research on Lectranal was published in the journal Phytotherapy Research in 2010.
Treatment resulted in an overall improvement of nasal allergies by over 70% after two months of continuous treatment.
Unlike other general, non-specific therapies, Lectranal aims precisely at the hypersensitive nature of the immune system.
With Lectranal, the immune system is guided not to be overreactive but instead, perform normally. It has to be noted that its effects are not immediate as Lectranal is not a drug. It will take at least two months for symptoms to gradually improve.
Over time, as Lectranal helps calm hypersensitive immune systems, the patient’s nose will not hyper-react even in a fairly dusty or air-conditioned room.
Although sceptical, Zander decided to try this herbal remedy. However, nothing much happened within the first two weeks. The difference can only be felt from the fourth week onwards.
Almost two months later, Zander woke up one morning and realised he hadn’t woken up in the middle of the night – the first time in many years since that he had slept through the night.
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