When my oldest child was 7 and had to have a shot to go back to school, he too underwent genital examination and was extremely uncomfortable. I asked the doctor if it was necessary. He said yes. I asked until what age it was necessary. He said until adulthood. Then he went on to say that oftentimes little girls are so uncomfortable that they have to transfer out to a female pediatrician. In the late 60s and early 70s, my mother found a pediatrician who also forced me to remove all my underclothes, lay on my back and spread my legs so that he could spread my vagina with his hands and get a “good look”. I never remember a visit forgoing this experience until I was well into my teens. No explanation was ever given to me, and my “panic attacks” prior to the visit were considered to be quite ridiculous. L B, Miami Springs, Florida…..Thank you for calling attention to this subject and for sending in photocopies from a medical textbook on physical examination of infants and children. It emphasizes that it isn’t essential that the child be completely undressed during the course of the examination only the part of the body being examined and that direct visualization of the vagina and cervix aren’t considered part of the ordinary physical examination.

Our advice would be for parents to avoid “well children” general examinations; to save doctor visits for times that something specific seems to be wrong, and then ask the doctor to only examine the relevant body part. If your child has something wrong with his plumbing requiring that his genitalia be examined, it would be wise for you to explain beforehand that the doctor is going to have a look at it and why, and perhaps for you to demonstrate it yourself so that your child is not taken by surprise. Of course make sure to always be present. If your child clearly doesn’t want it, never force or restrain him.

Gum disease is rarely the cause of bad breath. It’s more likely that your sinus problem holds the key to your halitosis. Mouth bacteria are anaerobic meaning they thrive in airless conditions. When your mouth is closed, oxygen rich saliva helps to keep bacteria at bay. But because of your sinus condition, you are probably breathing through your mouth, providing bacteria with ideal conditions in which to thrive.

Almost anything that dries the mouth can produce bad breath. Some medications, such as the antihistamines and decongestants which sinusitis sufferers often use, can make the problem worse since they dry the mouth further. You can help keep your mouth moist by chewing gum or always keeping a bottle of water handy (preferably with a squeeze of lemon juice in it).

Mouthwashes don’t provide long term relief from halitosis since they cannot kill the bacteria which usually reside under layers of plaque and mucous. Instead, they simply provide a short term mask for the odour. What’s more, the alcohol contained in many mouthwashes will dry the mouth out, further exacerbating the problem.

Do what you can to clear up your sinus infection since some are caused by bacteria which produce their own foul smelling sulphur gases. Avoid antibiotics if you can. Instead, boost your intake of natural bactericides, such as garlic and onions (yes, even for bad breath!), cayenne, golden seal and echinacea. Bioflavonoids (like quercetin), essential fatty acids and carotenoids block the enzymes involved in mucous production and inflammation.

These should all be made a part of your diet either through supplements or by increasing your intake of fresh raw vegetables, seeds and oily fish. Sinusitis can also be caused by food intolerance and allergy, so you might consider trying an exclusion diet for a while and monitoring how your sinuses respond. Dairy products are the most likely culprits.

There are two types of rhinitis: perennial; and seasonal (hayfever), a pollen sensitivity during late May to early August. Patients with rhinitis in early spring usually react to various wind-pollinated trees, weeds, shrubs or grasses.

Perennial rhinitis occurs all-year round and is like a cold that lasts forever.

Perennial rhinitis and sinusitis are frequent co-passengers, as the mucous membranes of the nasal passages and sinuses flow together. The continual allergic or fungal attack on these membranes often causes them to proliferate, leading to polyps, usually in the nasal passages. These polyps, in turn, make the problem worse by causing a physical obstruction in an already blocked nose.

What doctors tell you
The usual treatments for rhinitis are various drugs that only suppress the problem, such as antihistamines, which block the effects of histamine, a chemical released during an allergic reaction. Histamine is mainly responsible for the inflammation, sneezing and itching symptoms of rhinitis. Although antihistamines may be well tolerated, they commonly cause a dry mouth, nose and eyes, and drowsiness. The latest ‘second-generation’ drugs, such as Allegra and Clarityn, despite their claims, still come with a range of side-effects. Long-term use of topical steroid sprays, such as Beconase or Rhinocort, offers all the dangers of ordinary steroids.

The only conventional treatment of polyps is surgery, or a polypectomy. Although this can improve matters, it’s often only for a few months until the polyps recur because the underlying cause has not been addressed. Some of my patients have undergone as many as 10 polypectomies.

Perennial rhinitis has at least four main causes:
* inhalant allergies, such as housedust, dust mites, moulds, animals and feathers
* food allergies or intolerance
* fungal/yeast problems
* magnesium deficiency, which can worsen any or all of the above causes.

You will know you have this problem if you are worse:
*in dusty environments or first thing in the morning
* in August or September, especially on humid days before thunderstorms. In the hours before a thunderstorm, there is a marked increase in mould counts and a marked increase in hospital admissions for asthma
* after sweeping up mould-ridden leaves or turning over a compost heap
* in any damp, musty dwelling, indicating a reaction to indoor moulds.
Another clue is if you are better in hot dry climates, such as the Algarve or Greek islands. Dust mites don’t survive in high heat and are extremely thirsty for water, and can’t live in desert-like environments. If you don’t improve in these situations, suspect a food sensitivity or a fungal/yeast problem.

You can also test for inhalant sensitivity with prick tests and radioallergosorbent test (RAST; a blood test measuring immunoglobulin E reactivity).

Foods play a large part in perennial rhinitis. Milk sensitivity is very common and frequently described as ‘mucus-forming’, but any food can be implicated. Suspect a food sensitivity if you have:
* no history of inhalant sensitivity and a negative response to skin inhalant tests
* a history of food cravings
* abdominal distention after food, or puffy swelling of the ankles and fingers
* occasional bouts of a rapid heartbeat or sweating for no apparent reason
* weight problems and sudden, dramatic weight fluctuations from day to day.

Don’t discount alcoholic drinks. Scotch whisky, for example, comprises wheat, corn, yeast and sugar. If you’re sensitive to any of these, you’ll notice an increase in rhinitis after drinking it. As alcohol is absorbed incredibly quickly, the response is more obvious than if ingested as food.

Food intolerance usually involves several food groups, so excluding only milk and cereals, for example, rarely succeed, as only part of the problem is addressed.

The role of fungus
If the problem isn’t due to inhalants or food, it could be due to a fungus – fungal rhinitis (if it affects just the nose) or rhinosinusitis (affecting both the nose and sinuses).

Dr Jens Ponikau et al. reported on a new technique for collecting and testing mucus that showed that 202 of 210 patients with chronic rhinosinusitis had fungi in their mucus (Mayo Clin Proc, 1999; 74/9: 87784). They also detected eosinophils (a type of white blood cell commonly found in an allergic response) in the nasal tissues of nearly all of these fungal patients. Interestingly, most of these patients, however, were not sensitive to immunoglobulin E, suggesting that the rhinitis/sinusitis resulted from the body’s immune response to fungi. Such a non-allergic response may explain why many patients fail to respond to antihistamines.

Three years later, the same team reported the results of fungal treatment for their patients (Immunology, 2002; 110: 862-6). Amphotericin B was applied intranasally (at a dose of 20 mL of a 100 mcg/mL solution) twice a day. Sinusitis symptoms improved in 75 per cent of the patients and almost half of these were shown, by endoscopic examination, to be totally disease-free. Other studies have reported similar findings.

As the source of these yeasts or fungi lies in the gut, further improvements may result from the more fundamental approach of restoring balance to the gut flora using an anti-Candida regime.

Magnesium deficiency
Don’t forget the role of magnesium. A deficiency of this mineral can lead to instability of mast cells, which release histamine during an allergic response, thereby causing the symptoms of rhinitis. This was shown in animal experiments (using rats) carried out at Brigham Young University in Utah (J Am Coll Nutr, 1990; 9/6: 616-22).

The study concluded that both the blood and urine histamine levels of severely magnesium-deficient rats were significantly higher than those of other rats throughout the study, particularly after specific antigen challenges. The amount of antigen used in the challenges also had the effect of exacerbating the magnesium deficiencies in the blood and urine.

Although animal studies don’t always apply to humans, similar findings were made in clinical trials at the University of Turin (Allergy, 1987; 42: 186-8). These results suggest that a magnesium deficiency can aggravate diseases that are caused by abnormal histamine release as a result of allergic responses to inhaled or food allergens.

Dr John Mansfield
Dr Mansfield runs the Burghwood Clinic (see http://www.burghwoodclinic.co.uk) and specialises in environmental and nutritional medicine.

Neutralisation treatment for inhalant sensitivities is well supported by numerous clinical studies. In this technique, the patient receives skin injections of a variety of pollens in successively stronger or weaker doses until no reaction is seen. This ‘neutralising dose’ is then used in a vaccine, comprising all the substances to which the patient is allergic, which the patient self-administers with an extremely fine needle, which is usually not painful. The injections are given on alternate days, and most patients are considerably or totally improved in 7-10 days. The injections need to be given throughout the season that the patient normally has problems.

* Have a sweat test, red-blood-cell test or a thermogram performed to check your magnesium levels (obtainable at the Biolab Medical Unit, London, tel: 020 7636 5959).

* For food allergies, most so-called food-allergy tests are not reliable. The most accurate ‘test’ remains a strict elimination-rotation diet. You follow a 20-food low-risk diet for seven days and, if your symptoms disappear, your problem is related to food.

* For fungal infections, the most satisfactory nasal-and-sinus-irrigation system we’ve seen is the EMCUR Nasal Spray (Notions Medical, P.O. Box 5237, Poole, Dorset BH13 7YZ; http://www.emcur.co.uk/spray.asp). Alternatively, 8 drops of amphotericin suspension to one sachet of saline cleaning solution will kill most fungi.

* Treat Candida systemically.

The first, from Southampton University, concludes that prescribing antibiotics immediately for a sore throat is no better than delaying prescription for a few days if symptoms persist, or not giving a prescription at all (BMJ, 1997, 314: 722-7).

The study found that the proportion of patients who felt better by day three was similar, regardless of whether antibiotics were given.

The second found no benefits in prescribing antibiotics for acute maxillary sinusitis (Lancet, 1997; 349: 683-7). The study found that symptoms headaches, facial pain, nasal obstruction and nasal discharge were unchanged by antibiotic treatment.

For more information on antibiotics see WDDTY vol 8 no 1.

The first step is a nutritious diet, which decreases consumption of foods made with added fat and sugar. The National Cancer Institute reports that only one per cent of U.S. children consume a well-balanced diet and only about a third meet the government’s food-pyramid targets for fruits, vegetables, grains, meat and dairy. Most surveys over-estimate vegetable intake because they classify french fries and potato chips as vegetables, accounting for about a fourth of alleged vegetable consumption among children. Previous studies from the U.S., Britain and Australia have shown that the eating of fish and tomatoes and the intake of minerals like magnesium and selenium are inversely related to the risk of developing asthma.

Detailed guidelines for feeding children in every age group, along with recipes, are supplied in my first book, Superimmunity for Kids. Recommendations for nutritional supplementation are listed below.

The second step is provision of a hygienic home environment. The three most important areas to control are smoke, dust and humidity. Children exposed to cigarette smoke at home have a higher frequency of asthma, respiratory infection and otitis. House dust can contains surprisingly high levels of lead and toxic waste, tracked in and concentrated from roadside soil, accumulating for years despite routine vacuum cleaning, sometimes exceeding concentrations found at superfund sites. House dust is especially hazardous to toddlers crawling on carpets, because carpet pile is a repository for dust. Excess moisture in the home (a relative humidity of fifty-five per cent or more) encourages the growth of dust mites and of mold. Mites secrete an enzyme which damages the lining of the respiratory tract; children with a high mite exposure are at increased risk for developing asthma. Children who live in homes with visible mildew or moisture are at increased risk for developing repiratory illness and for missing days from school. I describe nine simple steps for parents to take to ensure an environmentally safe home in previous issues of this column.

The third area is regularity of rest and exercise. Exercise of moderate intensity, such as brisk walking or cycling, thirty minutes a day, improves immune function and mood and prevents migraine headache. Most older children, high school students especially, are sleep-de-prived. Sleep deprivation or interrruption reduces natural killer cell activity. Parents should help their children plan schedules that permit eight to ten hours of sleep a night. Daytime relaxation also has important health benefits. A period of quiet, focused relaxation each day relieves anxiety, improves nighttime sleep, and stimulates immune function of stressed individuals.

Nutritional supplements and herbs can make a substantial contribution to childhood health. Omega-three essential fatty acids, found in fish oils and flax oil, are essential for normal immune regulation and brain function. The past century has witnessed a dramatic decline in omega-three consumption, due to changes in food processing, food choices and animal husbandry practices. Cod liver oil, which can be a rich source of omega-three’s, has long been used as a food supplement for children. A recent double-blind placebo-controlled study found that capsules of flax oil, two grams per day, decreased frequency, severity and duration of illness and days missed from school among children suffering from recurrent respiratory infection. I frequently recommend flax oil as a preventive supplement for children and adolescents at a dose to two to six grams per day.

Vitamin E levels in the blood of U.S. chil-dren are mark–edly low-er than those of Japa-nese, German, Austrian or Canadian children, sugge-sting that children in the U.S. may as a group suffer from a mild deficien-cy. Healthy chil-dren with lower vitamin E lev-els have impaired immunity on laboratory tes-ting. The immune defects associated with a relative vitamin E deficiency in “healthy” children are the same deficits associ-ated with in-creased mortali-ty in the elderly.

Children with recurrent respiratory infections have lower blood levels of zinc, iron and vitamin A than do children without recurrent infection. Adequate intakes of zinc and iron can be difficult to obtain from food, even when the diet is better than average. For young children I recommend a preventive daily supplement supplying ten milligrams each of zinc and of iron and twenty-five hundred units of vitamin A; adolescents need twice the dose. Because zinc and iron interfere with each other’s absorption and because iron causes oxidation of vitamin E, children who are not doing well with a multivitamin/mineral pill should take separate doses of zinc, iron and vitamin E at different times of the day. Zinc is best absorbed on an empty stomach, but may cause nausea. The second best time for giving zinc is with a high protein meal. Iron is best absorbed with a high protein meal and when given with vitamin C. Vitamin E is best absorbed with food; the optimal immune-boosting dose is a hundred milligrams per day for small children and two hundred milligrams a day for adolescents.

Adolescents and children may sometimes develop repeated infections despite a hugienic environ-ment, a regular schedule of rest and exercise, and a diet of high nutri-ent density, appropriately tailored to one’s consti-tutional needs, supplemented with EFAs and antioxidants. There are many addi-tional measures which may be taken to stimulate resis-tance. I recommend these frequently to patients in my medical practice and have been impressed with their safety and efficacy for children and adolescents:

(1) Vitamin C, five hundred milligrams per day, increases the activity of white blood cells.

(3) Granular lecithin, one tablespoon a day, has also been shown to improved the activity of white blood cells.

(4) The amino acid dimethylglycine (DMG) has been shown to boost antibody responses to immunization in healthy human volunteers. The dose used was one hundred and twenty milligrams per day.

(5) Immune stimulating herbs may help children overcome acute viral infection. The safest and best-studied are:

Echinacea species, which grow wild across the American mid-west from Wisconsin to Texas. All parts of the Echinacea plant have been used for centu-ries by Native Americans to treat wounds and snake bite. Recent studies on its effects reveal marked stimu-lation of many immune functions, including increased activity of phagocytes. Echinacea is very safe.

The two main species, Echinacea angustifolia and Echinacea purpurea, are primarily recommended for acute treat-ment (ten to fourteen days) of colds or the flu. The dose needed is at least 900 mg per day, and I prefer Echi-nacea purpurea root to other preparations. Some people with chronic or recurrent infec-tions benefit from taking Echinacea for prolonged periods, especially, during the winter. It may be taken continuously for eight weeks at a time and should be stopped for a week or two between each eight-week period.

In the treatment of acute respiratory infection, the activi-ty of Echinacea is often enhanced by Chinese herbal mixtures traditionally used for treating fever. My favorite is called Isatis Formula. It is commercially available as an alcohol extraction of the leaves and roots of six plants. The dose is one to three drop-persful three times a day. During heavy flu seasons, over three quarters of my patients taking the Echinacea and Isatis combina-tions have made statements like, “Everyone around me was sick for weeks, taking antibiotics. I usually get sick for three weeks with the flu, but I was better within a few days after starting these herbs.”

Astragalus root is a component of many traditional Chinese herbal formulas, generally considered to be a strong tonic and reistance-builder. Contemporary studies reveal that Astragalus can increase natural killer cell activity. I often recommend Astragalus for maintenance therapy of people with chronic or recurrent infectious diseases of any type, because of its high margin of safety.

(6) Mushrooms. Fungal extracts are widely employed in traditional Chinese medicine. Shiitake (Lentinus edodes) and Reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) contain polysaccharides that increase natural killer cell activity and inhibit tumor growth in animals and in humans. Like Astragalus, Shiitake and Reishi are used in contem-porary Chinese medicine as Fu Zheng remedies, which means they “support the normal”, stimu-lating health, rather than being used as medication to treat sickness. A dose which stimulates immune responses is 900 mg per day of each. For people with severe allergies, it is advisable to use Reishi alone, as Reishi may inhibit allergic reactivity and Shiitake may increase it.

There are eight sinuses, or air-filled cavities, in the skull. These sinuses lie behind the eyes, the nose, and fore head. Each sinus is connected by a nasal passage in order to drain mucus and aid air exchange.

Sinusitis is most often the revenge of a lingering cold or allergy, which can impede proper nasal drainage. This congestion becomes a breeding ground for infection which then causes the lining in the sinuses to become inflamed and swollen. Other problems that can create congestion leading to sinusitis are polyps, a deviated septum, large or inflamed adenoids, an ab scessed or inflamed tooth, or a change in air pressure from flying or swimming.

Sinusitis can create its own revenge too. Unless it is successfully treated, it can sometimes lead to ear infections, bronchitis, or pneumonia.

The conventional medical treatment for chronic sinusitis primarily is antibiotics and surgery, the big guns of the medical arsenal. Expectorants, decongestants, analgesics, antitussives, irrigation, and cortisone nasal sprays can also be used. The fact that about one in seven Americans suffer from chronic sinu sitis suggests that these conventional treatments are not very effective. They are at best palliative, except in a small number of cases of obstructive chronic sinusitis which modern surgery can now correct. These are the relatively rare obstructive cases are usually caused by a deviated septum, a polyp, or a cyst.

Is there an alternative to this “skullduggery?” Absolutely. The Homeopathic Alternative Homeopathy is a natural medical system that utilizes ex tremely small doses of substances from the plant, mineral, or animal kingdom to augment a person’s natural defenses. Rather than inhibiting or suppressing symptoms, homeopathic medicines are prescribed for their unique ability to cause, when given in overdose, the similar symptoms that the sick person is experienc ing.

Homeopaths, like modern-day physiologists, recognize that symptoms represent defenses of the body to infection or stress. Therefore, instead of suppressing symptoms with conventional medications, homeopathic remedies are individually prescribed based on their capacity to mimic the symptoms the sick person is experiencing. Ultimately, these natural medicines strengthen the person’s own defenses enabling them to regain health more rapid ly.

Homeopathic medicines are considerably safer than conven tional drugs. Although there has not yet been any formal con trolled studies testing the use of homeopathic medicines to treat sinusitis, there is 200 years of successful and safe clinical experience in treating people suffering from this condition. A recent review of 89 double-blind, randomized clinical studies testing homeopathic medicines was published in The Lancet (Sep tember 20, 1997), and it showed that homeopathic medicines were 2.45 times more effective than placebo.

Homeopathic medicines are often effective in treating the acute symptoms of sinusitis, although professional “constitution al care” is usually necessary to cure chronic sinusitis. Consti tutional care refers to individualized treatment of a person’s entire health, physical and psychological, past and present. This professional homeopathic treatment can lead to a significant reduction in the frequency and intensity of acute sinusitis attacks and can often even lead to a total elimination of their occurance.

If one does not have access to professional homeopathic care or one simply seeks to empower themselves with self-treatment, the following remedies are quite effective in treating acute sinusitis. Please note that although several of these remedies are known poisons, they are sold only in such high dilutions that they are known to be non-toxic.

Arsenicum (arsenic): People who need this remedy feel throbbing and burning pains in the sinuses. Their pains are aggravated by light, noise, movement, after midnight, and may be triggered by anxiety, exertion, and excitability. They may feel relief by lying quietly in a dark room with the head raised on pillows and exposed to cool air. Their teeth may feel long and painful.
They may feel nausea and experience vomiting concurrent with
their sinusitis. They tend to have a great thirst, but they tend to drink frequent sips, rather than gulps.

Belladonna (deadly nightshade): This remedy is effective for people whose head feels full, as if it could burst. The pain usually resides in the forehead or around the eyes. There is throbbing pain that is worse by jarring, touch, bending forward, lying flat, or motion of the eyes and is relieved by gradually applied pressure, sitting up, or bending the head backwards. Another characteristic symptoms of people who need this remedy is when the sinus pain appear strongly and rapidly but then disap pears temporarily, only to repeat the process of coming and going pain. The eyes are also sensitive to light and the face is flushed. They are apt to feel dizzy which becomes worse when stooping.

Hepar sulphur (Hahnemann’s calcium sulphide): Rarely indicated at the beginning of a sinusitis condition, people who need Hepar sulphur begin sneezing and then develop sinusitis from the least exposure to cold air. Their nasal discharge is thick and yellow. The nostrils become very sore from the acrid discharge, and their nasal passages become sensitive to cold air. Concurrently, they may have a headache with a sense of a nail or a plug that is thrust into the head along with a boring or bursting pain. Their headache above the nose is worse from shaking the head, motion, riding in a car, stooping, moving the eyes, or simply from the weight of a hat, but is relieved by the firm pressure of a tight bandage. The scalp is so sensitive that simply combing the hair may be painful.

Kali bichromicum (potassium bichromate): The distinguishing feature of people with sinusitis who need this medicine is that they have a thick, stringy nasal discharge. They have extreme pain at the root of the nose that is better by applying pressure there. The bones and scalp feel sore. Dizziness and nausea when rising from sitting and the severe pain may lead to dimmed vi sion. The pains are worse by cold, light, noise, walking, stoop ing, and in the morning (especially on waking or at 9 am) or at night. They prefer to lie down in a darkened room and feel better by warmth, warm drinks, or overeating.

Mercurius (mercury): People who will benefit from this remedy feel as though their head was in a vise. The pains are worse in open air, from sleeping, and after eating and drinking. The pains are also aggragravated by extremes of hot and cold temperature. The scalp and the nose become very sensitive to the touch. Their teeth feel long and painful, and they may salivate exces sively. The nasal discharge is usually green and too thick to run. It is offensive smelling and acrid.

Pulsatilla (windflower): When the head pain is worse when lying down and in a warm room and is better in cool air, this medicine should be considered. The sinusitis may begin after being over heated. Stooping, sitting, rising from lying down, and eating can aggravate the head pain, which is often in the front part of the head and accompanied with digestive problems. They get some relief from slow walking in the open air or by wrapping the head tightly in a bandage. This condition is commonly experienced when the child is in school or the adult is at work. The nasal discharge is often thick and yellow or green.

Spigella (pinkroot): People who develop sinusitis with a sharp pain that is worse on the left side may need this medicine. They tend to get sinusitis after exposure to cold or cold, wet weath er. They feel pain from warmth or when they stoop or bend the head forward, and they feel some relief by cold applications or from washing with cold water.

DOSAGE: Take a dose of the 6th or 30th potency every two hours during intense symptoms and every four hours during mild symp toms. Some type of relief is commonly observed after one dose. Consider changing homeopathic remedies if observable benefit is not attained within 24 hours.

Homeopathic Combination Remedies


In addition to the remedies listed in this article, sinusi
tis sufferers can also obtain benefit from using one of the numerous homeopathic formula products which are available in most health food stores and an increasing number of pharmacies. Homeopathic formula products are mixtures of many of the above described remedies. These products may be useful when you don’t know which individual remedy you need or if that individual remedy isn’t immediately available.

Although sinusitis sufferers may feel like hiring a plumber to unplug their nose and drain their head, homeopathic medicines provide a basically safe and often effective alternative.

How do I Learn More About Homeopathy?

The best source of homeopathic books, tapes, home medicine kits, and software is:

Homeopathic Educational Services

2124B Kittredge St.

Berkeley, CA 94704

(510) 649-0294

(510) 649-1955 (fax)

• Homeopathic medicines are often effective in treating the acute symptoms of sinusitis, although professional constitutional care is usually necessary to cure chronic sinusitis.

Arsenicum: These children feel throbbing and burning pains in the sinuses. Their pains are aggravated by light, noise, movement, after midnight, and may be triggered by anxiety, exertion, and excitability. They may feel relief by lying quietly in a dark room with the head raised on pillows and exposed to cool air. Their teeth may feel long and painful. They may feel nausea and experience vomiting concurrent with their sinusitis.

BELLADONNA: Throbbing pains in the front part of the head that come on suddenly and tend to leave suddenly only to return are characteristic of children who need this medicine. (see Headache)

HEPAR SULPHUR: Rarely indicated at the beginning of a sinusitis condition, Hepar sulphur children begin sneezing and then develop sinusitis from the least exposure to cold air. Their nasal discharge is thick and yellow. The nostrils become very sore from the acrid discharge, and their nasal passages become sensitive to cold air. Concurrently, they may have a headache with a sense of a nail or a plug that is thrust into the head along with a boring or bursting pain. Their headache above the nose is worse from shaking the head, motion, riding in a car, stooping, moving the eyes, or simply from the weight of a hat, but is relieved by the firm pressure of a tight bandage. The scalp is so sensitive that simply combing the hair may be painful.

KALI BIC: The distinguishing feature of children with sinusitis who need this medicine is that they have a thick, stringy nasal discharge. They have extreme pain at the root of the nose that is better by applying pressure there. The bones and scalp feel sore. Dizziness and nausea when rising from sitting and the severe pain may lead to dimmed vision. The pains are worse by cold, light, noise, walking, stooping, and in the morning (especially on waking or at 9 am) or at night. They prefer to lie down in a darkened room and feel better by warmth, warm drinks, or overeating.

Mercurius: These children feel as though their head was in a vise. The pains are worse in open air, from sleeping, and after eating and drinking. The pains are also aggravated by extremes of hot and cold temperature. The scalp and the nose become very sensitive to the touch. Their teeth feel long and painful, and they may salivate excessively. The nasal discharge is usually green and too thick to run. It is offensive smelling and acrid.

PULSATILLA: The head pain is worse when lying down and in a warm room and is better in cool air for children who need this medicine. The sinusitis may begin after being overheated. Stooping, sitting, rising from lying down, and eating can aggravate the head pain, which is often in the front part of the head and accompanied with digestive problems. They get some relief from slow walking in the open air or by wrapping the head tightly in a bandage. This condition is commonly experienced when the child is in school. The nasal discharge is often thick and yellow or green.

Silicea: These children usually have a chronically stuffed nose. They have a sense as though their head would burst. The head pain tends to be worse in one eye, usually the right. It is aggravated by mental exertion (students tend to get sinusitis while studying for an exam). Cold air, moving the head, light or noise can also aggravate the head pain. It is relieved by wrapping the head warmly and tightly or by applying heat.

Spigella: Children who develop sinusitis with a sharp pain that is worse on the left side may need this medicine. They tend to get sinusitis after exposure to cold or cold, wet weather. They feel pain from warmth or when they stoop or bend the head forward, and they feel some relief by cold applications or from washing with cold water.

Children often get headaches. Usually, there’s no reason to worry. Headaches like migraines happen on their own. They can also come from tension, tiredness,or stress. A headache can also be a symptom of something else:

• Fever
  
• Sore throat
  
• Allergies
  
• Flu and other infections
  
• Sinus problems
  
• Earache
  
• Hunger
  
• Teeth problems
  
• Depression

Very bad headaches may be part of a bigger problem. Here are some examples:

• Head injury
  
• Meningitis or encephalitis (These cause the brain to swell.)

Sometimes parents get scared when their child gets a headache. They are afraid that child has a brain tumor. But headaches hardly ever mean a brain tumor.

Usually, a child’s headache is caused by tight muscles in the neck and head. Tension or stress makes the muscles tight. Also, some medicines like antihistamines and
decongestants can cause headaches.

Did your child hurt their head badly in a fall or accident? Are they throwing up, having dry heaves, or holding their head in pain?
Does your child have any of these problems? Stiff neck and fever, or can’t bend the head down Feel confused Blurry vision or one pupil bigger than the other Trouble talking Hard to wake up Doesn’t walk straight Purple spotted rash
Does your child have these signs of infection? Fever Pus in the throat Yellow-green stuff from the nose, throat, or ears A bad smell from the nose, throat, or ears
Are your child’s headaches on one side of the head? Does your child get an upset stomach or throw up with the headache? Or does your child have blurry or strange vision before the headache starts?
Does your child get a lot of headaches? Or do your child’s headaches last more than 3 days?

• Have your child rest in a dark, quiet room with their eyes closed.
  
• Rub the base of your child’s head with your thumbs. Start under the ears and work back. Rub the temples, too.
  
• Give your child a warm bath.
  
• Put a cold washcloth over your child’s eyes.
  
• Try to make your child feel safe and happy at home. Try not to ask too much of them. Let them share their feelings with you.
  
• Give your child the right dose of acetaminophen for their age.
  (Note: Do not give aspirin to anyone under 19 years old unless your doctor tells you to. Aspirin and other medicine that have salicylates have been linked to Reye’s Syndrome, a condition that can kill.)
  
• See other problems in this book that cause headaches. Examples: fever, earache, sore throat, flu, etc.
  
• Have your child’s teeth checked when you should.
  
• Make sure your child eats well. Give them healthy snacks like fruit or cereal if they get hungry between meals.