Blowing Your Nose

According to this short New York Times article blowing your nose can make things worse, not better. The article points out that the typical strategy for blowing one's nose, blowing out both nostrils, may be detrimental because of the high pressure caused. According to the study this method typically ejects mucous into the sinuses and could lead to a higher chance of sinus infection due to bacteria and viruses in that mucous entering the sinuses.According to the article a better method for blowing your nose is to go just one nostril at a time  and to use decongestants. This reduces the pressure and the chance of mucous being ejected into the sinuses and may reduce the likelihood of sinus infection. For questions and concerns about how to avoid sinusitis during or after a severe cold or flu contact our office.