Honk If You Hate Sinus Infections

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“I hab a code in by doze.” Because I’ve heard that statement so many times, it’s easy for me to translate it into English: “I have a cold in my nose.”

If left unattended, quite often those colds can turn into nasty, lingering sinus infections. It’s always surprising when something as small as a sinus infection zaps your strength and ruins your enthusiasm for life. However, modern medicine will be only too happy to hand you a prescription for an antibiotic.

GOOD IDEA GONE WRONG
Let me digress for a moment. When penicillin was introduced in the 1940s, the medical community had high hopes for the new “miracle drug.” They thought they had found the answer to human illness. In fact, this one discovery pretty much launched the pharmaceutical industry as we know it today.

With the development of even more drugs, the pharmaceutical approach deliberately altered the entire paradigm of Western medicine into the there’s-the-symptom-here’s-the-drug attitude that is now so prevalent. An entire medical system became dedicated to suppressing symptoms through the use of ever-more-powerful drugs. Like many of modern medicine’s exploits, it’s a sad—and maddening—story of a good idea gone wrong.

As a homeopathic consultant, educator and student for over thirty years, I have seen case after case of chronic illness traceable to conventional doctors who prescribed one drug after another to manage the symptoms of simple conditions. But…everybody loves magic! We all want magic in our lives—something beyond the real. This means that when offered a “miracle drug” that can supposedly get rid of symptoms in no time flat, everyone is eager to fill the prescription while anticipating the magic. However, we have to look past the current moment and remain diligent about what can happen down the road as a result of that reach for the magic pill. You may pull a rabbit out of your hat today, but years from now you may have a very sick bunny on your hands.

You see, the doctors—well-intentioned as they may be—are not in it for the long haul for you or your loved ones. They’re in it for today; they want to solve today’s problem. You, however, are in it for the long haul. Twenty years from now, you are the one who will be at the bedside of your child, your spouse or your elderly parent. You are the one who will be dealing with the fallout from a drug we all thought was a “miracle drug.”

FROM MIRACLE TO CURSE
I recall meeting a Catholic priest who could no longer walk. He was a young man, only in his late thirties, and something was wrong with his feet. He had previously been athletically active all of his life. He was an incredible man, but no matter what he tried (various shoes and supports), he could no longer walk without excruciating pain. Could. Not. Walk.

Then he remembered that he had taken one of the “miracle” antibiotics, a fluoroquinolone, for a urinary tract condition. At the time, it seemed the sensible thing to do. But, when time passed after that particular antibiotic’s initial release, the side effects began—one of which is ruptured a Achilles tendons.¹ The data started coming in after the damage had been done. What the priest thought would be a miracle turned out to be a terrible curse. It ruined him for years. He couldn’t play soccer with the kids at the school he ran. He couldn’t be alive. He lost his youth! All from an antibiotic that was supposed to cure him.

HANDED OUT LIKE CANDY
There are a lot of data out there warning about the dangers of antibiotics, some of which can be found in other articles in this journal. Sometimes researchers arrive at the wrong answer because they start out with the wrong premise. Sometimes there are falsified reports about the efficacy or side effects encountered. I really hate to say this, but when there is money to be made, skewed judgment is just human nature.

Now, I’m not making a sweeping indictment of the pharmaceutical industry, because I think there are some drugs such as surgical anesthetics that are necessary. But when it comes to these ubiquitous antibiotics—handed out like candy for something as easy to cure as an ear infection—I’m afraid profits, rather than protection, are the stronger motivating factor.

Consider the story of a little boy, Sammy, who I described in a previous article in Wise Traditions in Fall 2011.² Sammy started out with otitis media (an ear infection) and ended up with…well, read the story and find out for yourself. When I learned of this unfortunate little boy, it struck me that in their doggedness to persevere in their beloved treatment, his doctors were not unlike their forerunners who insisted on bloodletting.

This scenario stands in particularly stark contrast to homeopathy, which has a history of uprooting the likes of ear infections, sore throats, acne, inevitable food intolerances and, yes, sinus infections. All of these can be easily and swiftly removed with homeopathic remedies—without side effects.

SINUS INFECTIONS
So, back to that nasty sinus infection that affects your breathing, energy level, mood and speech. I use Sanguinaria 200C mixed together in the mouth with Belladonna 6C every three to twelve hours depending on the severity of the symptoms. This is a Banerji Protocol.³ (Note: In India, the Banerjis use Belladonna 3, but because it is harder for many to find the remedy in that potency in our neck of the woods, I use Belladonna 6C.)

As the condition improves, the combination is taken less frequently. When the condition is very much better, the remedy is discontinued.

Now, let’s say you didn’t find this article soon enough, and you’ve already taken a full course of antibiotics that either didn’t work in the long term or left you with new maladies to contend with which are the antibiotic’s side effects. For those interested in employing homeopathy, there is hope—not only for the infection but for the fallout that often follows antibiotic use. This fallout may be tendon damage, joint pain or food intolerances (new sensitivities to dairy, gluten or meat).

When the sinus infection returns after initially having been suppressed by antibiotic use—because it will return, even months or years later!—it is showing you that the antibiotics did not uproot the sinus infection but merely kicked the can down the road, so to speak. So, when it returns, we simply use the correct medicine. (Aren’t I being bold?) In the case of a recurring sinus infection, the correct homeopathic medicine, again, is Sanguinaria 200C mixed together in the mouth with Belladonna 6C. We also use whatever homeopathic medicines are specific to the conditions present as a result of any antibiotic poisoning—uniquely chosen for the individual sufferer. This two-pronged homeopathic approach can address both the infection and the fallout. Seek assistance from a seasoned, credentialed homeopath, or better yet, learn how to uproot these conditions yourself!

For those who enjoy medical freedom via personal responsibility, the study of homeopathy is a perfect match for you. Gain your own homeopathy education through reading and courses and learn to take control of your family’s health care. Learn everything you can! Don’t forget you are in it for the long haul. Build a better future for your family by avoiding the potential landmines of antibiotics today, no matter how “magical” they sound. Instead of honking for a sinus infection, you’ll be able to trumpet your successes in advancing homeopathy for yourself.

REFERENCES
1. Brody JE. Popular antibiotics may carry serious side effects. The New York Times, Sept. 10, 2012.
2. Calabrese J. Antibiotics pave the way to chronic illness; homeopathy restores health. Wise Traditions 2011;12(3):51-53.
3. http://www.pbhrfindia.org/.

This article appeared in Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts, the quarterly magazine of the Weston A. Price Foundation, Fall 2018.

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