Sinusitis: A Patient Profile

Sinusitis:A Patient Profile
by Sarah Nosker, Certified Medical Assistant

The comedian Robin Williams once said, “Spring is nature’s way of saying ‘Let’s party!’” However, for allergy and asthma sufferers, spring isn’t always a welcome event. Allergies can cause a plethora of symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, itchy eyes, wheezing and irritability. Mainstream medicine treats these symptoms with anti-histamines, steroids and other medications. Yet for many patients, this only provides temporary relief.
According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, an estimated 50 million Americans suffer from allergies. This boils down to 1 out of every 5 Americans. Each year allergies account for more than 17 million outpatient office visits, primarily in the spring and fall. For adults, allergies are the 5th leading chronic disease and a major cause of work absenteeism, resulting in nearly 4 million missed or lost workdays each year. If there was a more natural means of alleviating allergy symptoms besides consuming prescription and over-the-counter medications, wouldn’t it seem like the easiest choice?
One such co-learner, presented with a chief complaint of chronic sinusitis, came to the Riordan Clinic. The patient was seeking something more than just sinus surgery which had been recommended prior to her visit. This patient also had a staph infection in her sinus cavity. As the clinic doctor reviewed the patient’s health history, it was suggested that her thyroid be checked. Patients with hypothyroidism tend to have more inflammation and allergies in general. So initially, this co-learner’s treatment began with dietary changes, thyroid supplementation, as well as additional vitamin C and fish oil. In addition, the patient was placed on a Paleolithic diet. A Paleolithic diet consists mainly of fish, grass-fed pasture raised meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, fungi, roots and nuts, and excludes grains, legumes, dairy products, potatoes, refined salt, refined sugar, and processed oils. This helped regulate the patient’s blood sugar so it wouldn’t continue to feed the staph infection.
The patient also chose to have sinus surgery. After a brief period of some relief post-surgery, the symptom of nasal congestion came back! The patient returned to the clinic and a series of 6 UBI (Ultraviolet Blood Irradiation) treatments were prescribed in addition to continuing her prescribed thyroid supplementation. The UBI’s were prescribed to help with her infection as well as nasal congestion which was due to inflammation. Once the series of UBI’s was completed, the patient returned for a followup visit and stated her congestion was 99.9% better! She noticed she had more energy and less pain in general.
This is just another case of how an evaluation by one of the Riordan Clinic doctors, complemented by simple dietary changes and supplementation, lead to the patient remarkably improving. If you are an allergy or asthma sufferer, you do not have to be a statistic. Let one of our Riordan Clinic doctors evaluate you. As a co-learner, learn how you can manage your allergy or asthma symptoms and find a treatment uniquely tailored to you!