For many years I have suffered weather related issues with my body. Mainly my sinuses. I’ve searched high and low for answers and there doesn’t seem to be much out there on the subject.
Every approaching low or high pressure system triggers pressure in my sinuses and I have now learned that I can indeed forecast the weather with my head. My cheeks under my eyes are pressurized, my ears feel the pressure and often times my teeth hurt. Upper and lower teeth. 
I asked my dentist about this once and she says there are nerves that run along the jaw. When sinus pressure is present, it affects the upper teeth because of the pressure on that upper nerve. Which in turn can affect the lower nerve. From experience I can say that the pain in my teeth is not unlike the feeling of needing a root canal.
Some people only feel the barometric pressure changes when flying, or diving. Some of us feel every day weather changes. Whether it’s in our bones, our joints, sinuses or in headaches.
Sinus pressure can be caused by a few things. Namely allergies and the weather. Allergens cause the body to produce histamines. These are the body’s natural defense system and they ward off the bacteria and things causing our allergies. They are what causes inflammation. (for instance when your skin is sunburned, the redness is the histamine)
Then there are the weather fronts. In a perfect world we’d all just automatically adjust to the changing pressure. But that’s not the case. When the pressure in your sinuses is different than the pressure in the air around us, it causes discomfort and pain until it equalizes itself. Which can take a while. For me it can take days. And when there are several systems lining up and coming one after the other, it could take weeks.
The good news is there are treatments out there that can alleviate the pressure. The most thought of way is antihistamines. But there are a lot of natural remedies that are also effective! Natural remedies give no side effects and they also do not lower your immune system.
You’ve heard me talk here about facial teas and steams. This is the first quick line of action against sinus pressure. Place a few drops of Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Thyme, rosemary, tea tree or Spearmint Essential Oil into a bowl of boiled water. Sit with your head over the bowl – a towel draped over your head to catch the scent. Breathe in the beautiful aroma and it will help to alleviate pressure/swelling in your sinus cavities.
*Note: You can also use dried herbs!
Use a vaporizer or run your shower getting the bathroom hot and steamy. Then sit in the room and read a book or listen to a meditation tape or CD. *If the water is too hot, do not get in or under the water. Simply sitting in the room with the steam is enough! (You CAN use essential oils in the vaporizer!)
***If you are stuck at work…don’t fret! You can fill a mug with hot steaming water and drop in essential oils or herbs and just hold your face in front of the cup! You can also use soups, coffee, tea or hot chocolate and at least sip something while you are getting your steam!
Watch your weather forecasts. When you see the big ‘L’ or the big ‘H’ pressure systems or fronts coming in…be prepared. If you know it may be coming you’ll be more likely to handle the pain and pressure. Herbal teas can give your immune system a boost. Try a cup or two or three a day of ginger and mint or chamomile, echinacea, calendula and lemon or any tea that suits you.
Facial massage. Yes, you can feel better by massaging your head and scalp! There are five points on your head to concentrate on:
The cavity located at the corner of the nostrils.
The cavity just below the corners of the eyes (near the nose)
The cheek bones
The earlobes and the area or cavity behind the earlobes below the ears.
The forehead.
Gently press and hold these points for 15-30 seconds. Now lightly massage in a circular motion from down to up. Do this several times a day for as long as you are feeling pressure. Doing this gets that blood flowing in those areas. Works great for congestion as well.
If you are congested along with the pressure, these natural remedies will help relieve congestion:
Apple cider vinegar is great for sinus infections and congestion. Many people often take it as a preventative measure. For instance many times a sinus infection will appear at the end of a cold or the flu. When you are sick with one of these, drink an 1/8 c of apple cider vinegar in a 16 ounce bottle of water. This vinegar helps the body to thin the mucus making it easier for your body to expel and recover.
Use a Neti-Pot or rinse your nasal passages with warm water and salt. (Make it yourself: 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 cup of water. add a pinch of baking soda if you choose. Pour the mixture in small amounts into a small bathroom cup. Tilt your head back, blocking off one nostril. Sniff in the water mixture with your open nostril. Gently blow your nose and repeat on the other side.)
Drink lots of liquid! Whether it’s tea or water or soup…whether it’s hot or cold…this will help break up the mucus. Herbal teas are wonderful to drink because not only are you getting the liquid, but you are getting the immune booster.
And last but not least, when you blow your nose, blow one nostril at a time. This will help to stop your ears from popping.
Mucus/phlegm and the color system.
Yellow: A sign that your immune system is starting or ending the fight against the sinus infection.
Green means your infection is all full throttle. You should visit a doctor.
Brown or Orange means the infection could be worse than you thought. You should be seen by a doctor right away.
Colds or sinus infections generally last 10 days to 2+ weeks. If you are treating yourself and are not feeling relief you should see a doctor.
I was going to ask if you can use essential oils in the vaporizer. I tried it once and it was great, but I was hesitant to do it too much because I rely on those steam sessions to keep my skin free and clear. Thanks for the info!
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Have a great day:)
Anat
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I’ve been having problems with my sinuses for a long time.
Thanks for the awesome info.
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I have a friend who just recently started suffering with sinus problems in a big way. I’ll have to share this information with him. Thanks for all the great tips; they’re pretty awesome!
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Hi! Thanks for visiting & commenting on my blog.
Oh, I hope you are not in too much pain. My husband has awful sinuses. He uses the neti pot (did I spell that right?) and antihistamines.
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Ok we where like destined to meet today? My sinuses have been killing me for two days! I do use the nedi pod, never ever heard of the vinegar though…I will have to try that! Thanks for stopping over, following you back and glad to do so!!~
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Alma
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July 12th, 2011 at 9:01 am
@debbie,
I use apple cider vinegar ever day, it helps tremendously with my sinuses and headaches, it truly takes away the sinus pressure and helps to expel all the mucus. The best Apple Cider Vinegar brand is Bragg.
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Stopping by with Friday Follow. Hope you had a fantastic week.
Felissa
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HI! Stopping by from Friday Follow to say Hello!
I want to come back and read more & am now following you.
Please stop by and say Hi!
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Herbal tea leaves can be made with light or dry flowers, leafages, seeds or roots, by and large by pouring stewing H2O over the plant life parts and having them steep for a few minutes. Seeds and stems can also be stewed on a kitchen stove. The tisane is then filtered, sweetened if so wanted, and served up. Many companies produce herbal tea bags for such infusions, like ours Click Here. And also look at our points to brewing teas.
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Thanks for the great post! You have a new fan.
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there are also some alternative medicines that you can try for sinusitis. i have tried some herbal stuffs and it is good for relieving sinusitis too.”"
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I am suffering terribly right now. And I am 9 months pregnant and cannot take much for it. I like your natural remedies. I used to use a netti pot but noticed that the water sits in my sinuses and causes more pain. But I am going ot try the steam right now. Thanks
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Hello! I really liked your post and think you brought up many quality points! I added your blog in my RSS feeds, hope you post soon! Thanks!
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Definitely it does.There are monsoons and wet seasons like winter also which affect the disease.For me when I go out in the sun it really gets my sinus up and running.
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Thank you so much for posting this info! I’ve had terrible sinus problems for decades and always complain that my teeth, both upper and lower front, feel as though I’m wearing tight braces whenever my sinuses bother me. Doctors always say that the top teeth will hurt, but not the bottom. Well, not according to my mouth! I use an ice pack on the top of my head to alleviate the sinus pressure in my scalp and it helps to shrink the swelling.
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Sheila
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July 23rd, 2012 at 7:34 am
@Judy Grannas,
Yep, lowers will hurt too for sure. Since I’ve posted this an oral surgeon and another dentist both confirmed this. Like my mom says, they call it “practicing medicine” for a reason… because they are “practicing” lol. There’s a LOT of us lower jaw pain people out there – caused from pressure on the sinuses. And this post is one of the top five of my all time ranked posts, so I know it’s an issue for so many.
Thanks so much for stopping by, reading and leaving a comment.
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Momo
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May 19th, 2013 at 8:58 am
@Sheila, I have just started getting pressure in my front upper and front lower teeth and have had sinus problems for about 15 years. I can predict the weather as well;) Last year I had sensitivity in an upper right mid back tooth that I went to the dentist for and he said it may be from aggressive flossing. It came and went and the next year got worse so I went back. He did all the tests on the tooth and couldn’t find a problem again. So off I went. then now this past week it’s been more sensitive than ever, and I have for the past month + been battling a chronic sinus infection that’s making me crazy. I had the flu about 2 months back and coming off that I got a cold. It just morphed from flu to the longest cold ever. I have to clean out my nose 3 times a day at least and it’s not like thick mucous but it’s building up a lot (I think most of it goes into my lungs from sniffling and post nasal drip because I have had this tight tickling cough for over a month and have to keep clearing my lungs.) I can’t go anywhere without tissues. It’s nuts. Now the pressure started in my upper teeth, like something was stuck between them. I also get it in the BOTTOM teeth, mainly in the front, feeling like I have a bit of food stuck there. I also clench and grind my teeth (have a mouthguard for night time) as a nervous habit day and night. When I press on my lower front gums, I can replicate the pressure sensation I get when I am not touching them. So I mean this sinus/teeth thing is real. I was relieved to read your article that the lower teeth can be affected as well because I have had my share of all kinds of tooth and jaw pains over the years (and I have been paranoid about my heart and actually had 5 stress tests in the past two years and my heart is fine.) Anyway, back to the TEETH. It’s driving me crazy as the pressure thing is new. I also have my ears popping and crackling when I swallow (or don’t swallow) and tickling/itching in my ears, dizziness, and pressure in my face and eyes, neck and back of head and forehead.
And look (looks outside) what do you know? It’s OVERCAST today.
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Sheila
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May 19th, 2013 at 6:16 pm
@Momo,
OMGosh we’re one in the same! Crazy isn’t it??? This year so far has been VERY much worse than in the last few! I wish you the best! It’s gonna be a long summer! <3
Oh my gosh,thank you SO MUCH for this post.I’ve been suffering with sinus problem’s for YEARS now,im gonna try the steam with mint (:
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I had a feeling the weather pressure made my sinuses worse! I recently started having sinus issues although it may have been occurring longer than I knew because I also suffer from migraines. My sinuses acted up from october to may, and this year is no different! I noticed after nice hot showers that would help and definitely drinking herbal teas. I have the type of sinus infection that affects my ears and swells the bridge of my nose in between my eyes. It also causes my eyes to get dry and red. Which is probably why I didn’t even know it was my sinuses because I always hear you have toothaches and cheek pain. Anyways thanks a lot for these tips! Definitely going to try them out (esp the natural remedies). I don’t like being on medication for prolonged periods of time.
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thanks for this, people look at me strangely when I say the cold weather front and drop in air pressure makes my sinus ache. It is nice to know I’m not the only one. I have had the tooth pain but only in the top ones thank goodness. I even went to the dentist once, he couldn’t find anything wrong and asked if I had sinus problems. Just all the time.
After 33 years I find what works for me is staying away from dairy and gluten sugar junk food . Using clinicians MSM nasal spray every night and saline sinus rinse if blocked up.
I use antihistamines but the body gets use to them and they loose their effect. Woke this morning and knew the weather had changed sinus pain and yes grey skies.
I use Olbas oil a mix of essential oils good for clearing sinus or for colds in a bowl of hot water with the towel over the head.
Also get pain if I go from warm fresh air to super cooled air conditioning.
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