Stay Well in the Cold

It’s that time of year again. As soon as the clocks fall backwards and our afternoons grow cold and dark, suddenly it seems as if all your coworkers are packing tissues everywhere they go.

Winter is cold and flu season. And that means your irritated sinuses are more likely to develop painful sinus infections.

This article offers a mix of remedies to stave off illness and avoid the kind of lingering cold that can easily graduate to sinusitis. Among other things, the piece wisely advises readers to seek a flu shot, to avoid excessive alcohol because it can increase inflammation, and to stay hydrated.

And then there is this pearl of wisdom for the extreme cold:

The cilia in your nasal and sinus cavities sweep away illness-causing pathogens, but the rate at which the cilia move is affected by temperature, says James Palmer, M.D., director of the division of rhinology at the University of Pennsylvania. “When cilia are warmed up, they beat a little faster, and when it’s cold they beat more slowly. So spending a lot of time in the cold may make it easier for you to get sick.” That is, unless you breathe through a scarf.

Keeping your sinuses warm and moving is an easy way to prevent serious infection. For more good tips and expert sinus care in Los Angeles and beyond, contact my practice here.