5 ways to prevent sinus infections and sinusitis

You can stop your next sinus infection before it starts by avoiding colds and flu, and by treating or preventing respiratory allergy attacks. These steps will help ease congestion and promote drainage.

• For thousands of years, people have used saltwater or seawater rinses to prevent sinus problems. Now there's hard science to recommend this practice.
• Researchers from England's Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear Hospital concluded that a daily saline rinse cuts the risk of chronic sinus infections by up to 72 percent.
• A rinse can also help prevent a cold from turning into a sinus infection.
• Experts say you should use a decongestant first to reduce swelling so the fluid can drain out easily.

You can buy a sinus-rinsing tool called a neti pot at a health food store, or use a bulb syringe to deliver the saline solution to your nose. Here's how to use one:

• Mix one millilitre (¼ teaspoon) of table salt and one millilitre (¼ teaspoon) of baking soda in 235 millilitres (8 ounces) of lukewarm water.
• Lean over the sink. Tilt your head sideways and pour some of the solution into your upper nostril.
• Relax and keep breathing through your mouth as the liquid makes its way into the other nostril and back out.
• Spit out any that solution that drains into your mouth. Repeat until you've used all the solution.

• Mucus trapped in your sinuses during a cold, flu or allergy attack is a breeding ground for viruses and bacteria. Keeping that mucus thin helps it drain.
• Drink at least 1.5 to two litres (six to eight glasses) a day of water, hot tea or other clear liquids.
• Also consider an over-the-counter remedy that contains the mucus-thinner guaifenesin.
• If you prefer a natural approach, inhale some steam for 10 minutes.
• Simply lean over a bowl of hot water with a towel over your head to trap the steam, stand in a steamy shower or sit in the steam room at the gym.
• The warmth of the steam will also help nudge the tiny hairs in your nasal cavity into action, sweeping mucus out.

• Blowing hard into a tissue is counterproductive because it triggers "reflex nasal congestion," experts say.
• This natural reaction, which happens when you sneeze, increases blood flow and makes nasal tissues swell. It prevents noxious stuff from reentering your nose after you sneeze.
• It also happens if you blow too vigorously. As a result, your nose becomes even more stuffy.
• Blowing gently is a better way to keep nasal passages open.

• Decongestant pills and sprays make blood vessels in your nose constrict, opening swollen nasal passages.
• Early in a cold or flu, using a decongestant could help promote drainage.
• Decongestants can backfire quickly, causing "rebound congestion" as each dose wears off.
• Few experts believe decongestants should be used to help prevent sinus infections at all.
• Never use an over-the-counter decongestant spray for more than three days. Use decongestants in pill form sparingly as they can thicken mucus.

Hidden beneath the skin and bone of your face are eight hollow cavities: your sinuses. Their purpose remains a mystery, but they often give viruses and bacteria a place to breed. With the right care, you can help your sinuses get back to normal, and your life along with them.