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The NHS Direct Self-care Guide recommends the following for relieving the symptoms of sinusitis:
- Pain relief is important. Take aspirin (not for children under 12 years), paracetamol or ibuprofen.
- Decongestants may help initially but their overuse simply makes matters worse, particularly when you stop taking them.
- Sniffing very hard, though not sounding very pleasant, can be very effective at clearing the mucus from the sinuses.
- Sometimes, lying with your head over the end of the bed so it is lower than your shoulders and then sniffing hard can be effective.
- Stop smoking.
- Try inhaling steam from a bowl of hot water or try menthol inhalations.
- Your doctor may prescribe you antibiotics but they penetrate the sinuses very slowly and you need to take them in high doses for quite a while. There are surgical treatments to flush out the sinuses, which were very common but are now only rarely performed.
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