Allergies have become a modern epidemic as millions of people suffer from various allergy symptoms each year, often in silent misery.
Whether it is pollen, mold, animal dander or dust, the culprit causes sneezing, runny nose, a heavy stuffed up feeling, sinus pain, headaches and even asthma, all because our own immune defenses are attacking a harmless intruder.
What happens to our breathing? The allergic reaction causes an inflammation of the paranasal sinus cavities adjacent to the nasal passages, and the inflamed cavities become blocked from the passages by swelling, making it hard to breathe.
Even slight inflammation causes problems because the sinuses are connected to the nasal cavity by very tiny openings (called sinus ostia).
Due to their size, these openings are prone to becoming blocked from the inflamed nasal lining as a result of allergic reactions, bacteria, or viruses such as the common cold.
As the ostia become plugged, mucous builds up and becomes trapped in the sinus cavity.
This creates headaches, facial pain and uncomfortable pressure around the nose and eyes, and can even result in damage to the sinus cavity walls.
Often this condition has been treated by doctors using prescription drugs, including antibiotics and steroids.
But this treatment has been proven largely ineffective and can even be harmful if for example, antibiotics are overused.
A study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that clinical test subjects suffering from sinus infections did not show a marked improvement in their condition when administered antibiotics and/or steroids.
In fact, over a two-week period, a controlled placebo group actually showed the same recovery rate from their facial pain and sinus congestion as the group that was administered prescription drugs.
The study concluded that when it comes to sinus infections, conventional medicines do not prove to be an effective means of controlling such ailments.
If medication doesn't help, is there something else that does work? Promising new studies have revealed what some parts of the world have known for centuries.
Capsaicin, a small chemical compound found in chili peppers, is quickly gaining respectable attention as a natural means of controlling sinus ailments.
Research shows that capsaicin actually decreases the activity of neurotransmitters that are responsible for carrying pain signals to the brain, thus effectively reducing discomfort.
In addition to relieving pain, capsaicin also shows the ability to quickly reduce inflammation - helping to eliminate the cause of the discomfort, not just the symptoms - thereby providing lasting relief to those suffering from allergies and sinus congestion.
How do you get the pepper compound where it's needed?The same study reports that the use of a capsaicin-based nasal spray quickly relieved allergies, congestion and kept the sinus cavities clean and bacteria free.