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I Have Been Diagnosed With A Sinus Infection . I
Question: I have been diagnosed with a sinus infection. I have had sinus issues most of my life, I am 60 now. The past 12-18 months have been horrible though. My DR did a scan (probably not the right word) to find the sinus infection. He referred me to an allergist. I am hesitant to go and get tested etc. I just thought there might be a treatment for it to just make it go away. Is that being naïve?
Second, my wife sees holistic doctors. They have diagnosed both her and I with MARCONS positive. Are you familiar with that? They have me taking a nasal spray 3 times a day of Mupirocin .2%, EDTA 1% and Gentamicin ,5% for the MARCONS. I'm supposed to do this for 30 days. I did it for 2 weeks or so and stopped for 3 days, then just started again today. It actually makes the sinus headaches worse. They also say to use a few sprays of coloital silver in each nostril each day. I'm just really confused, blowing my nose a ton and having pretty severe sinus headaches. My mucas is all clear. Any thoughts for this confused semi-old man? Thank you
Second, my wife sees holistic doctors. They have diagnosed both her and I with MARCONS positive. Are you familiar with that? They have me taking a nasal spray 3 times a day of Mupirocin .2%, EDTA 1% and Gentamicin ,5% for the MARCONS. I'm supposed to do this for 30 days. I did it for 2 weeks or so and stopped for 3 days, then just started again today. It actually makes the sinus headaches worse. They also say to use a few sprays of coloital silver in each nostril each day. I'm just really confused, blowing my nose a ton and having pretty severe sinus headaches. My mucas is all clear. Any thoughts for this confused semi-old man? Thank you
Brief Answer:
Chronic sinusitis can be difficult to treat
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using 'Ask A Doctor' service.
It sounds like you probably have chronic sinusitis, which is based on the symptoms of nasal drainage, nasal congestion, facial pain, and loss of smell, for at least 12 weeks.
Also, there needs to be some form of objective evidence, such as a CT scan, which it sounds like maybe this is what your doctor had you do. The treatment then depends on whether you have nasal polyps or not, but usually involves antibiotics and steroids for about a month. Allergies are often involved in patients with sinus problems, and so an allergy evaluation is a good idea.
If initial treatment is not successful, you may need to see an ENT doctor, who can then take samples from the sinuses and see exactly what bacteria or fungus is causing problems and then tailor the treatment to that specific organism. Eventually, sinus surgery is sometimes needed.
So, unfortunately, chronic sinusitis is often difficult to treat and there is no simple treatment. Even if symptoms improve after trying steroids and antibiotics, they often come back.
I was not familiar with MARCONS but did look it up. I cannot tell you whether this treatment will help or hurt you because there is not really any evidence for using that kind of treatment. The difference between holistic and traditional medicine is that holistic medicine is often based on an idea, and if the idea makes sense, then the lack of evidence is not so important.
Traditional medicine (at least traditional Western medicine) is based on evidence, which means we try not to rely on ideas, but instead, base all our treatments on research studies that have shown benefit.
I hope that makes sense and helps answer your question. I can certainly understand your confusion with so many people saying different things out there.
If there’s anything else I can do to help clear things up any more, please let me know.
Regards
Chronic sinusitis can be difficult to treat
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I'm Dr. Branch, thanks for using 'Ask A Doctor' service.
It sounds like you probably have chronic sinusitis, which is based on the symptoms of nasal drainage, nasal congestion, facial pain, and loss of smell, for at least 12 weeks.
Also, there needs to be some form of objective evidence, such as a CT scan, which it sounds like maybe this is what your doctor had you do. The treatment then depends on whether you have nasal polyps or not, but usually involves antibiotics and steroids for about a month. Allergies are often involved in patients with sinus problems, and so an allergy evaluation is a good idea.
If initial treatment is not successful, you may need to see an ENT doctor, who can then take samples from the sinuses and see exactly what bacteria or fungus is causing problems and then tailor the treatment to that specific organism. Eventually, sinus surgery is sometimes needed.
So, unfortunately, chronic sinusitis is often difficult to treat and there is no simple treatment. Even if symptoms improve after trying steroids and antibiotics, they often come back.
I was not familiar with MARCONS but did look it up. I cannot tell you whether this treatment will help or hurt you because there is not really any evidence for using that kind of treatment. The difference between holistic and traditional medicine is that holistic medicine is often based on an idea, and if the idea makes sense, then the lack of evidence is not so important.
Traditional medicine (at least traditional Western medicine) is based on evidence, which means we try not to rely on ideas, but instead, base all our treatments on research studies that have shown benefit.
I hope that makes sense and helps answer your question. I can certainly understand your confusion with so many people saying different things out there.
If there’s anything else I can do to help clear things up any more, please let me know.
Regards
Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Arnab Banerjee
Answered by
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