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Transcript of “The dirt behind sinusitis”
You’re suffering from sinusitis. AGAIN ! Your GP prescribes another course of antibiotics. But the cure maybe the problem……
Drip… drip… drip….. a caustic liquid continuously pours down the back of your throat. Along with the drip, your head hurts.
Sinusitis. AGAIN !
The antibiotic fix for sinusitis
It is driving you crazy………… you feel miserable – you need help.
Your GP confirms your sinus membranes are INFLAMMED. A bad bug, has moved into the air-filled cavities connecting your nasal passages.
The fix for your sinusitis is going to be to forcefully “remove” the offending bacteria. Your GP prescribes an antibiotic, AGAIN !
But the cure maybe the problem……
The bacteria behind sinus infections
A team of researchers from the University of California decide to track down which bacteria were getting up to mischief in the sinus cavities.
They sampled the sinuses of 20 people in total, 10 sinus cavities were “blocked up” and 10 sinus cavities were ALL CLEAR.
The team cultured the sinus samples to establish which bacteria were present.
Sinus cavities were bacteria clubhouses
Both blocked and clear sinus cavities were jam packed full of bacteria – the difference between the blocked sinus passages and the clear sinus passages was about the WHO.
Clear sinus passages had lots of different species of bacteria partying in the clubhouse. A key party goer was a species of bacteria called Lactobacillus sakei. The inflamed sinus passages were not party places – they had become the home of Corynebacterium tuberculostearicum.
C. tuberculostearicum is not some exotic EVIL invader, that has moved in to cause the problem. This species of bacteria is a usual resident ………………of OUR SKIN.
C. tuberculostearicum is a sinus cavity squatter.
Squatters can only move into vacant lots
Squatters are trespasses that move in illegally, usually when no one is looking.
Antibiotics create vacant lots.
The sinusitis cycle
Your doctor prescribed the antibiotic to clear your sinus of the infection which was causing your sinusitis.
The antibiotic fixes the immediate problem – it kills ALL the bacteria. On paper at least, your antibiotic extermination campaign should leave your sterile.
NOTE : There will always be a few very tough bacteria, who will survive the extermination campaign……… so there will be a few bacteria, lurking about in the nooks and crannies of your body.
Once the course of antibiotics is complete – bacteria will begin moving in again.
The tough guys that were able to resist the antibiotic, have a bit of an advantage, the head start they get, can see new problems develop down the line.
The new problems……………….. another infection, with a not so nice, antibiotic resistant bacteria.
C. tuberculostearicum a new problem ?
C. tuberculostearicum as typical resident of the skin, will not face the full might of the antibiotic.
Drugs work most effectively INSIDE the body, not OUTSIDE of the body. If you want to kill something OUTSIDE of the body, you need to apply it directly onto the skin. In pharmacological speak this is a topical application..
So post-antibiotic, the C. tuberculostearicum have an advantage. As they go about their day to day business and spread themselves around…..
A sinus cavity will be a cool place to explore…….
Moving in and setting up shop
Forget the exploring…………..
A nice big warm cosy hole full of secretions aka food and things. The explore turns into move in and set up shop.
Unfortunately, the setting up shop is interpreted as an invasion by the immune system.
And you now have a SINUS infections. AGAIN !
The sinus fix is dirty
You need to break the cycle ….
INFECTION – EXTERMINATION– VACANT LOT – NEW INFECTION.
The “fix”………. INHALE some good bacteria.
Go somewhere DIRTY and breathe in that DIRTY air, so your nasal cavities are filled with a diverse range of bacteria.
It is hard to crash a party
The next time C. tuberculostearicum goes exploring…………
It won’t be able to move in. Too many “eyes” will be looking.
PS. Think twice before taking an antibiotic for a sinus infection.
Further reading
Pillow talk can lead to nightmares
As you lay your head to rest, you are banging heads and rubbing noses, with a few million mycelious associates. The average pillow contains a million fungi.
Does weird coloured phlegm always warrant an antibiotic ?
Both clinicians and patients believe that coughing up green or yellow phlegm is really BAD but it’ll get better with or without an antibiotic
Acne happens when a wild pool party is curtailed by security
I’m sure it’s happened to you – you went to bed looking normal and woke up with a pimple the size of mount everest on your nose. What happened ?
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