As gifts continue to pile up under the Christmas tree, your family’s curiosity grows and grows. In just a few days, joy and dreams will be made as gifts are opened. That is, until you see the empty stockings hanging off of the mantel.
Don’t worry. There’s still some time left, so why not seize the opportunity to fill up those stockings with stocking stuffers that are helpful to your family’s sinuses, especially since we live in a city that is considered the worst place for allergies in 2019.
Our McAllen ENT, Dr. Frank R. Glatz, and his sinus relief team at the Glatz Group have thought of the perfect sinus-saving stocking stuffers you can include into your holiday festivities so you won’t have to search for the right present in a hurry!
Listed below are the perfect items any allergy sufferer would love to find in his or her stocking:
1. Allergy-Free Bedding and Pillowcases - This is a practical gift for just about anyone who could use sinus relief this winter! According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, dust mites could be the leading cause of year-round allergies and asthma. Since we spend a decent amount of our time in bed, why not invest in hypoallergenic bedding to alleviate one of the most common triggers of people’s allergies year-round?
2. Air Purifiers - As many people are affected by indoor allergens, an air purifier can go a long way to help your friends or family members breathe better and get a better quality of sleep just by placing the device in their bedroom at night.
3. Shower Steamers - These little shower tablets pack in a lot of sinus relief for those of us who prefer a shower instead of a bath. Some of them mix in peppermint and eucalyptus with an extra kick of menthol to really open up your sinuses and drain out all the mucus.
4. Honey - Honey--especially raw, unprocessed honey--isn’t just a delicious and nutritious sugar replacement, it’s filled with curative properties and is known to help lessen many allergy symptoms.
5. Green and herbal teas - Green tea is great for its antioxidants that not only improve your health but keep allergy symptoms under control.
There are also fantastic herbal teas that are meant to alleviate nasal inflammation, and your sniffling-and-sneezing friends or family members will appreciate this. Drinking the hot tea will speed their nasal drainage by giving the mucous membranes some moisture.
Try searching for the best herbal teas for sinuses like peppermint, chamomile, eucalyptus, wild thyme, and blackberry. Give them a collection to last them longer with different options to select from.
6. Fruit Basket or Edible Arrangements - This is more of an “honorable mention” as it isn’t something that could fit in a Christmas stocking. A basket full of yummy fruits is a wonderful option not for its visually appealing quality, but also for other nutritious purposes.
Edible arrangements are a great gift! Eating apples is said to improve how the lungs function, leaving your friends or family members less at risk to particular allergens. Also, pineapple is made up of the enzyme bromelain that helps lessen sinus infections and irritation.
At the end of the day, the best gift you can give your friend or family member is the gift of health. They’ll appreciate the thought you put into these gifts that may make this allergy season less irritating while they enjoy all the wonder that winter brings.
Help your loved ones end the year the right way with these thoughtful stocking stuffers. But if their sinuses do not improve before the end of the year, our McAllen sinus relief specialists of the Glatz Group are always glad to help. A consultation with Dr. Frank R. Glatz can determine if you are eligible to receive a balloon sinuplasty, a procedure that can help relieve chronic sinusitis.
Oh when the weather outside is frightful, those allergies aren’t so delightful.
You may think the allergy symptoms you’re experiencing are just another case of the common cold, but if they persist as the season passes, then odds are that you may be suffering from winter allergies.
Though many trees, grasses, flowers, and weeds stop producing pollen during the winter, it doesn’t lessen your risk of being exposed to indoor allergies caused by you spending more time indoors. According to the American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology, millions of people have allergy symptoms year-round as a result of indoor allergens.
Today, our McAllen balloon sinuplasty specialists at the Glatz Group are glad to explain how winter can affect your allergies, as well as provide a few helpful tips on how to protect yourself! Don’t let this holiday season go by without giving yourself the gift of sinus relief.
It is important to know the differences in symptoms between a cold and allergies.
A cold should typically last no more than several days to a week while the effects of allergies can last up to several weeks. Allergy symptoms include watery and itchy eyes, whereas a cold does not. Allergies can happen at any time throughout the year while colds are more likely to occur during spring or winter.
However, when it comes to indoor allergens, they are what can trigger your winter allergies. The most common sources are dust mites, mold, and even your very own pet.
If you’re suffering from allergies this winter, consider these tips to protect yourself from these common indoor allergens:
1. Dust Mites - These microscopic creatures thrive in warm, damp environments like bedding, upholstered furniture, and carpeting. To best protect yourself and your family from these little but insufferable creatures:
2. Mold - Molds can easily gather up inside and outside your home if you live in a humid area. Molds love to grow in moist areas such as your kitchen and bathroom, whether you can see them or not. Wipe down wet surfaces to keep mold from thickening. With good insulation, the mold can be reduced from less condensation on cold surfaces. Make sure to also clean your garbage cans and fridge drawers regularly to prevent mold from growing in these places.
3. Pets - It’s important to remember that even as a pet lover, you’ll have to make some sacrifices to manage your allergies or those of a loved one in your home. When it comes to minimizing indoor allergens caused by your pet:
If you have pet allergies, you may want to speak with your primary physician to see if you are eligible for allergy immunotherapy shots.
There are a plethora of different options in regards to allergy relief which are both short-term and long-term. Some short-term remedies include over-the-counter medications that will provide allergy relief for a couple of days. A few of the most popular medications include oral antihistamines, nasal sprays, and decongestants.
If any of these short-term options don’t work for your symptoms, you may want to consider a long-term treatment plan, like balloon sinuplasty.
Find out what treatment is right for your case by consulting with our McAllen otolaryngologist, Dr. Frank R. Glatz at the Glatz Group, to adequately recommend medication and/or services based on your needs.
Balloon sinuplasty is a safe and efficient operation meant to slightly alter the affected sinus passageways and help them drain better without requiring any removal of bone or tissue. The procedure is generally done for those who suffer from severe cases of chronic sinusitis and is a relatively fast process that can be administered by our trusted ENT in our Glatz Group McAllen office.
In order to figure out if your symptoms qualify for a balloon sinuplasty, schedule a consultation with our McAllen sinus relief specialists of the Glatz Group today.
If your past year has been full of sinus pain, massive headaches, and stuffy noses due to chronic sinus infections, now’s the time to be proactive and avoid another year of discomfort.
According to the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology, Americans spend roughly more than $1 billion every year on over-the-counter medications to treat their sinus infection (sinusitis). Sinus infections are also accountable for 16 million doctor visits and $150 million spent on prescription medications.
While treatment via allergy medications or nasal surgeries may be viable options, balloon sinuplasty is typically the best, cost-effective method to get the long-term relief you are looking for in the new year. Count on Dr. Frank R. Glatz of the Glatz Group, a dedicated and trustworthy McAllen ENT, to explain the three reasons why December is the ideal time to have this procedure.
Balloon sinuplasty, also commonly referred to as the smart sinus practice, is usually most recommended to those who experience chronic sinusitis, which can be a real pain in the nose. It is a brief and easy process where an ENT dilates or enlarges the natural openings of your sinuses through the employment of a tube-like device that then inflates a tiny balloon inside your sinus passages.
Once the doctor deflates and retrieves the balloon, the sinuses stay open to let fluid drain and allow more air to flow through. The results of this procedure will last much longer than if you were to receive traditional nasal surgery. In addition, there is less bleeding, scarring, and post-operative pain with a balloon sinuplasty when compared with the alternative.
In fact, most people are able to go back to their daily lives within a day or two, just in time for some holiday shopping and festive celebrations.
Winter months in McAllen leave us more prone to getting colds and other viruses as the season starts to get colder and we spend more time indoors than normal--especially with January being the coolest month of the year in Texas.
Getting balloon sinuplasty ahead of the new year would decrease the magnitude of sinus infections throughout the year since it would open up the sinus passageways and allow drainage caused by allergens, bacteria, or viruses to have an easier time passing through.
Other reasons to think about having this simple balloon sinuplasty include:
If you want to evaluate if balloon sinuplasty would be the best option to treat your chronic sinusitis or other nasal conditions, visit our McAllen ENT doctor of the Glatz Group to see if you qualify for balloon sinuplasty. If eligible, balloon sinuplasty can be safely administered by our ENT doctor and staff in our very own office.
