What are Nasal Polyps

Nasal polyps are growths that are found in the tissue or lining of the nasal passages. They are usually harmless or non cancerous but can grow in clusters or to a large size which then affects breathing. When breathing is restricted and the nasal passages become blocked, it is important to seek medical advice and obtain treatment either in the form of a medicated nasal spray or surgery to remove the polyps.

Typical symptoms experienced by someone with polyps may include a blocked or stuffy nose, flu like symptoms such as a runny nose, sinus infections, headaches and chronic snoring. As soon as these warning signs are noticed and the presence of nasal polyps detected treatment can commence.

Nasal polyps tend to grow near the sinuses and within the mucous membranes of the nose. Those who are susceptible to sinus infections are often most likely to develop polyps. They are more common in adults than in children and are classified as chronic when they are present for more than three months.

Treatment is possible and effective and unless large in size, nasal polyps can easily be treated with saline wash and a medicated spray. Keeping the nose free from blockages, cleaning it and rinsing as often as possible can prevent reoccurrence and further growth of nasal polyps.

It is said that nasal polyps generally come about as a result of infected or inflamed sinuses caused by possible allergies, asthma, sleep apnea or a genetic condition. Although treatment is possible it is recommended that once contracted, preventative measures should be taken to maximise effectiveness.

Safe Permanent Nasal Polyps Cure

Neither steroid therapy nor surgery is a permanent cure for nasal polyps. Polyps re-growth occurs in practically everyone using steroids, and occurs in about 75% of the patients undergoing surgery. This is because the underlying cause of the polyps is still there – whatever is causing the nasal passages’ cells to become irritated and inflamed is still there. Hence, after a while, fluid accumulates in these cells again, and soon enough these are pulled down resulting in nasal polyps.

The answer to getting rid of nasal polyps permanently is simple if you have understood the previous two sentences. All we need to do is to make sure that the nasal passages never get irritated and subsequently inflamed. We do this in two steps. First, we remove any possible factors that can irritate the cells – you manage allergies appropriately (e.g. did you know that you should NOT use aspirin if you are asthmatic?), you make sure that the air in your home is not too dry (get a humidifier), you avoid the use of certain colognes/perfumes and cosmetics, you avoid irritants in some common foods, etc…

The next and most important step is to make sure that the body is in an anti-inflammatory state. This will make it virtually impossible for nasal polyps to ever occur, because the cells in the body are not capable of excessive inflammation (which is required for polyps formation). This will not only guarantee that you will never experience polyps again, but will also keep you protected against chronic conditions such as heart disease and cancer. To ensure the body is in an anti-inflammatory state, you simply need to tweak your diet a bit (avoid some foods and limit others), add in one or two supplements (depending on what your diet is lacking), and add in a few minutes of breathing exercises per week.

Doing this will keep you nasal polyps free forever! Now, how do you get rid of nasal polyps in the first place? Thankfully, you can also achieve this safely, naturally, and without resorting to steroids or surgery. All you need to do is to apply some specific herbal extracts and inhale the vapour of herbal mixtures for a few minutes each day. Doing this, you will be able to cure your nasal polyps in as quickly as 4 days, especially if you incorporate some lifestyle and dietary changes. As you will be taking a natural route, you will have no risk of side effects and your polyps will shrink down faster than you ever thought possible!

 

Natural Remedies for Nasal Polyps

You might be wondering why you always have trouble with your breathing, and why your nose passages are clogged up. Those symptoms could be the result of nasal polyps. If that is the case, when you visit the doctor, there will be two remedies recommended; treat the condition with steroids in the form of nasal spray or go for surgery. However, both these treatments are not permanent cures and are associated with a number of dangers and side effects.

The Cause

Nasal polyps can be identified as small or large, teardrop shaped masses of mucus. They are usually fairly movable and result from inflamed tissue in the passages of your nose and upper air ways. They usually start high up in the nose and grow over time, as your irritation increases. They are non-cancerous, and can result from a number of reasons.

If you are born with a deviated septum resulting in a slightly skew nose, or if you had an accident that causes your nose to be deformed, then this can result in these mucus masses growing over time. Another more common reason for them to appear is if you suffer from allergies which inflames and irritates the tissue in the nose. Even poor air quality, like being shut up in a stuffy room for hours, or living in an area where the air has a lot of pollution in it, can trigger the growth of nasal polyps.

The Problem

This type of airway discomfort can be as small as a slight irritation, causing you to feel stuffy or occasionally you feel irritated in your nose. Or these polyps can result in far greater discomfort, causing serious problems and embarrassment. They often affect breathing, causing your nose to get clogged up and your nasal passages to close and resulting in you having to adopt ‘mouth breathing’, which is never a desirable trait in anyone. It can disrupt your sleep and can cause you to be more prone to colds and illnesses as you do not use your nose to filter the air you breathe. It can also cause you to not get enough oxygen intake; affecting your concentration and athletic abilities. All these are serious problems, and really negatively affect your everyday life.

Symptoms

Difficulty breathing and a stuffy nose are the result of nasal polyps, but there are other symptoms that help to distinguish it from just a normal common cold:

You have shortness of breath.
You yawn a lot as your body tries to compensate for lack of oxygen.
Your nose in continually stuffy or clogged.
Snoring.
You have difficulty sleeping.
Your ability to smell is considerably reduced.
Your ability to taste food is reduced.
Your nose often bleeds when you blow it.

Standard Treatment

These mucus growths are treatable to an extent with medical help, but the problem is that medical solutions only provide short term treatment. Steroids need to be used continuously to keep the polyps down and once you stop them, the polyps will grow to a larger size then they initially were. And you will HAVE to stop them eventually, because steroids are associated with a multitude of side effects such as a weakened immune system, stunted growth, vision problems, persistent headaches, and more…

Surgery is the other option. It is expensive and many medical-aids do not pay for this type of alteration as it is deemed as cosmetic; because it alters the structure of the nose. Worse, it is a known fact that surgery is not a permanent cure and most patients (about 70%) will experience a re-growth of the polyps in just weeks after surgery. In addition, there are also many risks involved with surgery. Due to the fact that the surgery is so close to your eyes; there is a risk of damage to your orbits, as well as to the nasal tissue and wall and even brain fluid leaking. Sometimes surgery leaves deep scars in your nose which are uglier than the polyps themselves.

A Natural Holistic Solution

There are a number of natural solutions which provide fast, effective treatment for polyps and many people report complete shrinkage in just a few days of treatment. Natural options are free of side effects and the body does not develop a tolerance. Then, once the polyps have shrunk down, you can implement specific vitamins, minerals and nutrients in your diet to ensure that the polyps never come up again. By including these nutrients, you will be effectively blocking the pathways which can trigger a polyp growth; for example you will keep the body in an anti-inflammatory state, and this will make nasal polyps re-growth impossible. In addition, these dietary changes will prove beneficial for your general health. In fact, many people find that they have more energy and get ill less often. This is because your immune system will be in a much stronger shape, enabling your body to fight off not only nasal polyps growths but other ailments as well.

Nasal Polyps Treatment

Nasal polyps should not be left untreated, as they will keep growing and cause serious problems and embarrassment. Conventional nasal polyps treatment is via two routes – steroid therapy or surgical removal.

In most cases, the first line of treatment is a steroid course, which may involve steroid sprays, steroid tablets or a combination of the two. Steroids can shrink down the polyps in about a week; however the shrinkage will be sustained only as long as the steroids are used. Once the steroids are stopped, the polyps will start growing again, and often to a larger size than they were before. Unfortunately, steroids can only be used for the short term, as they cause side effects such as headaches, nose bleeds, sore throats, vision loss, and increase the risk of glaucoma and cataract formation. In children, steroids can cause stunted growth. With steroid tablets, weight gain often occurs. If you have not started steroid therapy, DON’T! This will save you from getting stuck in a vicious cycle where you’ll have to rely on steroids to keep the polyps down.

The other conventional cure for nasal polyps is surgical removal, and this can be done in two ways. Polypectomy is removal of the polyps by getting at them through the nostrils. It is the most common type of nasal polyps surgery and apart from the polyps, some bone will be removed in an attempt to reduce the rate of re-growth.

The other type of surgery is endoscopic sinus surgery, and this procedure will be used for large polyps or where there are clusters of them. In this procedure, a cut is made in the face, and the polyps are removed by entering through these cuts.

Unfortunately, even surgery is not a permanent cure for nasal polyps, with a staggering 75% of the patients undergoing surgery experiencing a nasal polyps re-growth within a few weeks after the procedure. This is because the underlying cause of the polyps will not have been tackled, and the nasal passage will quickly become inflamed again, resulting in new polyps growth. In light of this, one wonders why anyone would opt for surgery, as it is expensive (nasal polyps surgery costs between $3,000 to over $30,000) and carries many risks such as eye damage and the possibility of causing growth of scar tissue. If the polyps are very high up the nose, there is a possibility of brain fluid leakage during the procedure.

 

Nasal Polyps An Overview

Nasal polyps are abnormal growths that occur inside the nasal passages and the sinuses (canals found behind the cheekbones). Nasal polyps can range from unnoticeable to large lumps, and sometimes they can hang outside the nose. They can be pink but also yellow or grey in colour. They are soft and often described as jelly-like.

Symptoms of nasal polyps:

Nasal polyps tend to be unnoticeable at first, being dismissed as the irritation associated with a common cold. Some early symptoms include itchiness in your throat and your nose becoming stuffy or occasionally clogged up. These symptoms can increase, and are often followed by your nose running a lot, unexplained bleeding and your nostrils becoming clogged completely. In some cases, if these growths are deep enough in your nose they block the airways at the back of your nasal cavity completely. When nasal polyps get big enough, they are easily visible from the outside.

Nasal polyps can cause you to have difficulty breathing. Loss of sleep can result and snoring is a less common symptom, but also occurs if the mucus growths partly obstruct the airways. You will also find you are more tired and have difficulty concentrating. This is attributed to poor intake of air. You will often compensate by breathing through your mouth, which will cause you to be more susceptible to colds and upper airway infections. This is a result from the fact that you cannot filter the air you breathe through your nose.

In short, symptoms include:

Nasal congestion
Anosmia (loss of sense of smell)
Sinusitis
Secondary infection which can lead to headaches
Snoring may occur while sleeping
Facial changes are not common, but are can occur
Nose bleeds
Coryza

Cause of Nasal Polyps:

The exact cause for nasal polyps is unknown; however, they are commonly thought to be caused by:
Asthma
Cystic fibrosis
Exposure to some forms of chromium
There are a few illnesses that can be associated with nasal polyp formation:
Asthma
Chronic rhinosinusitis
Aspirin intolerance
Kartagener’s syndrome
Young’s syndrome
Churg-Strauss syndrome
Nasal Mastocytosis
Cystic fibrosis

 

Curing Nasal Polyps Permanently

The problem with using medications for nasal polyps is that they keep the polyps down only for as long as the medication is administered. In addition, the body tends to develop a tolerance for drugs, and as a result your polyps growths will eventually become immune to drugs and will grow even larger than their initial size.

On the other hand, when you use natural remedies, you run no such risk. There are a number of herbal preparations which can shrink the polyps in as quickly as days, especially if these are combined with the appropriate dietary and lifestyle changes.

However, the most important part of nasal polyps treatment protocols is making sure that the polyps never crop up again. The secret is adopting certain measures that will make your body virtually incapable at growing polyps. For example, most types of polyps require a degree of inflammation in the body to grow. Your diet has a huge weighing on this – some foods produce inflammatory substances while other produce anti-inflammatory substances. So, by making sure that the intake of some foods are limited, and others are included regularly, you can keep your body in an anti-inflammatory state. Note that this is beneficial to your overall health as well, as inflammation is the cause of many conditions, including joint pain, heart disease and cancer. Some vitamins and minerals are also crucial to keep your body in an anti-polyps state, for example by taking regularly the vitamin that is crucial for the health of the epithelial tissues in the nose and sinuses.

In addition, if you have some conditions, you need to be careful about specific things. For example, if you are asthmatic you should avoid aspirin and medicines containing aspirin, as a proportion of people with asthma will be sensitive to aspirin and it will make their symptoms worse and increase the likelihood of nasal polyps.