Have Nasal polyps?

In the case of nasal polyps, there is no daily pill that dissipates all symptoms until the next morning. Unless we effectively manage nasal polyps, they can be present day and night, every day, and cause problems that significantly affect our quality of life.

The first thing we will discuss is how nasal polyps impact our lives. Next, we will discuss how physicians diagnose and treat our condition, as well as the standard medical treatment. Lastly, we will look at a wider perspective-- beyond simply a medical perspective-- by exploring a variety of topics in our search for recovery. First, let's talk about the impact nose polyps have on our lives.

A sickness that sneaks up on you without being noticed

You have undoubtedly experienced that our problems begin well before we are diagnosed as having nasal polyps. In the first few months, or even years, we may only suffer from occasional sinus inflammation and allergies, and we continue to live a healthy lifestyle.

As time passes, these problems become more frequent, especially in winter and spring. Eventually, the sinusitis and allergic rhinitis episodes become so severe and frequent that our doctors begin discussing nasal polyps as a possibility. Our ENT inserts a small camera into our nostrils to check for nasal polyps. To confirm the presence and extent of nasal polyps, he sends us for an MRI, similar to a CAT scan. After examining our skull in black and white, the physician officially labels us as having nasal polyps.

However, why are diagnoses made years after first symptoms, when the disease is already well established? During the first few years, nasal polyps have similar, if not identical, symptoms to many other ENT conditions. Since an MRI is an expensive procedure, doctors rarely perform one unless they have a strong suspicion that the patient has nasal polyps. A MRI would be too costly for every case of ENT disease with chronic sinusitis and allergic rhinitis. Due to this approach, someone suffering from nasal polyps is only diagnosed when the disease is already well-established.

Different symptoms that are chronic in nature

Having nasal polyps prevents the sinuses from clearing out naturally, resulting in infections that sometimes have unpleasant odors.

The nasal mucosa is highly sensitive and easily inflamed. Mucus is secreted in quantities by the mucosa-- either thin and transparent, or thick and yellow/green. Each morning, we wake up with a crusty stuffed-up nose and have drainage in our throats.

Our nasal polyps and nasal mucosa swelling restrict our airways and make breathing difficult, sometimes to the point of completely blocking our airways.

Our chronically inflamed nasal mucosa and clogged sinuses make us prime candidates for seasonal colds and springtime rhinitis.

We sometimes lose our sense of smell and taste due to swollen mucosa blocking the airways to the olfactory area.

We come across as "the sick one", both to ourselves and to others, when we blow our nose a hundred times a day, have a terrible breath, and seem exhausted.

Energy-draining condition

Nasal polyps are energy-draining and can cause semi-permanent fatigue. We are constantly fighting infections in our sinuses. As our nostrils are stuffed up, we cannot breathe well. As a result, we are easily winded, and sometimes we even feel a weight on our chest. When we suffer from migraines or mental fog, we turn our focus inwards and are unable to engage with others. We cough frequently due to the discharge that runs down the back of our throats. It is difficult for us to sleep and we feel restless. 

For several months during the worst phase of my nasal polyps, I couldn't breathe through my nose. In addition to breathing through my mouth, I was waking up multiple times during the night coughing.

Morale-eroding illness

While our physician is willing to discuss previous problems and challenges, he or she lacks the time to explain how nasal polyps can contribute to sadness and even depression.

Fatigue and lack of energy can make us feel weak and older than we really are. In cases of severe nasal polyps, we lose taste and smell, if not the entire range of senses. It has been medically proven that deficient olfactory sensations related to food, nature, attraction, and sexuality can lead to depression. In addition, nasal polyps can create a feeling of pressure inside our heads. At the base of the forehead, behind the eyes, and in the occipital lobe in the back of the head, we experience a light but constant pain. Pressure can create feelings of entrapment and hinder our sense of well-being, disconnecting us from ourselves and others. 

People around us often don't understand why we lack energy. There is no visible evidence of nasal polyps, so many acquaintances will assume we have a cold or a headache. We may appear absent, which is off-putting and adversely affects the people around us. This can lead to a feeling of being very alone. 

Due to our daily symptoms, we may also feel older than we really are. We may be tempted to feel this way when we see people our age with full energy and vitality. 

It is never easy to juggle all the obligations of personal, family, social, and professional life. When nasal polyps are added to the equation and energy is subtracted, we end up feeling less valuable and capable as we wonder if we are up to the challenge. There are certainly plenty of reasons to feel discouraged.

A lack of adequate medical care

Most of the time, we fail to realize that our physicians are not knowledgeable about the causes of nasal polyps. They cannot cure the disease, only mitigate its symptoms. But, we can sense their options are limited. 

Also, our physicians don't have time to support us morally, so we feel as if we are getting little to no support from them. Therefore, understanding the perspective of a physician is essential.

We will now discuss how physicians approach the issue before going into details about the disease itself.

A patient or a sickness

Western medicine emphasizes technical and technological excellence, often at the expense of a comprehensive approach to the patient. Most physicians rarely exchange information, and when they do, it's brief (think of a letter of recommendation from our ENT to our allergist). Holistic and integrative medical practices exist, but they are hard to find. There is a tendency for western medicine to focus solely on the disease rather than the patient.

The majority of the time, we see an ENT as our primary physician. By definition, an ENT focuses on the ears, nose, and throat. We may not always realize, however, that our physician is primarily a surgeon. It is vital to remember that the perspective through which our physician approaches us and our nasal polyps is based on his expertise and passion for surgery.

An ENT-specialized surgeon is likely to be uninterested in allergies, condescending toward homeopathic remedies, and likely to chuckle if we mention psychology or nutrition as possible cures.

Several factors contribute to this attitude. Physicians cannot be experts in multiple fields due to the extensive level of expertise required in each medical specialty. The physician profession is also highly competitive, and most develop a craving for renown and recognition. Surgeons place themselves and their practices above general practice doctors, homeopaths, and nutritionists. But what about us, the patients?

Having a regular checkup with an excellent ENT physician is essential when suffering from nasal polyps. It's also important to realize that stopping there is not enough if we want to maximize our chances of recovering.

Relieving symptoms rather than curing causes

When we do not have many health problems in the past, nasal polyps can be a difficult disease to understand.

As an example, let's look at the flu that we all know. Flu is caused by a virus. The symptoms are a fever and soreness lasting for a week. The symptoms can be eased with drugs while our bodies fight the infection. The symptoms disappear after a week after the body destroys the virus. We are cured and will remain healthy until the next time we are exposed to the virus.

ENTs often don't make it clear why nasal polyps are different. Nasal polyps have no known cause, and there is no virus associated with them. The inflammation of our nasal mucosa and the formation of polyps are only the consequences of something science does not yet understand. Multiple complex causes may be involved when it comes to nasal polyps, so we cannot blame our physicians for not understanding them.

There is a potential problem when physicians fail to explain that they can only ease the symptoms of nasal polyps and not cure them. The problem is that it leaves us in a state of illusion. When we visit our ENT during an outbreak, we think we are taking action, but in reality, it is already too late.

Once the flu is cured, it's gone for good. In the case of nasal polyps, there is no definitive cure. We will need to pay attention daily to staying healthy and managing this chronic condition.

Considering all options

As our ENT refuses to admit that nasal polyps have no known cure, he will also not discuss any potential solution that has not been proven scientifically. Our physicians' approach is based on the concept of scientific proof, which is a keystone of the health industry.

A In order to examine potential solutions, one group of patients must receive the treatment while another group receives a placebo. The tests require hundreds of patients over several months and are expensive. This rational approach is helpful in proving both a solution's efficiency and innocuity. We can imagine that only those who expect to make a profit will conduct those studies.

Alternative solutions, such as eliminating dairy from our diet, are not scientifically tested because removing milk from a patient's diet does not generate any revenue. In cases where these solutions are scientifically researched and tested, they are typically buried by industries that advertise their products' health benefits in order to avoid losing money.

Voilà, a simple explanation as to why pharmaceutical drugs are the answer to disease, not diet changes.

Medical professionals, particularly surgeons, often talk about how insurance premiums are increasing, which reflects the risk involved in performing medical procedures. A physician's decision is based not only on our condition, but also on the risks he may face. Thus, he will refrain from mentioning any possible solutions that are not scientifically proven. Everything must fall within the strict framework of the medical field and its scientific community. Adding this to the fact that specialized doctors fail to communicate with each other and focus on diseases instead of patients, we begin to understand why our ENT's solutions are insufficient.

I do not reject the entire system that structures our healthcare system. It seems that physicians are curing more and more patients. When it comes to managing nasal polyps, drugs can often be very helpful if not necessary.

Since I am a rational thinker, I can't disregard an entire array of solutions, statistically proven or not, just because they do not financially benefit anyone. Hence, I investigated homeopathy, essential oils, food intolerances, nutrition, and stress management, performing my own experiments and drawing my own conclusions about how they may relate to nasal polyps.

Nasal polyps and medical treatment

Following an overview of patients' and physicians' perspectives on nasal polyps, we will discuss the condition in greater depth.

A nasal polyp is a condition of the sinuses. Are you aware that our heads would be too heavy without sinuses? Or that they act as shock absorbers, like your car's bumper? A quick internet search will provide an anatomic description of the sinuses if you are unfamiliar with their location.

Here is an overview of the ENT approach to treating sinus polyps in simple terms, as detailed step-by-step below:

- A miniature camera is inserted through the nose in order to determine the extent of the nasal polyps.

- Confirm the diagnosis by having the patient undergo an MRI, which will show where the polyps are located and how severe they are.

- Test the effect of anti-allergy medications like antihistamines for a few months to see if they reduce inflammation.

- Having the patient undergo a respiratory test with an allergist or lung specialist to check for asthma or to diagnose an aspirin-induced asthma condition known as Samter's triad.

- Having the patient take dental x-rays to determine whether their teeth's roots are touching and irritating their sinuses.

- Stop inflammation, reduce polyps, and free up the airways by treating acute outbreaks with steroids and antibiotics.

- Prescribe steroid nasal spray for the control of polyps and prevention of swelling.

- Encourage the patient to wash out his or her nasal passages every day using a nasal spray or other device.

- Assessing the effectiveness of these drug therapy treatments.

- If there is no positive response, suggest surgery. By removing the polyps from the sinuses and enlarging the nasal cavity, the surgery aims to improve breathing and allow better penetration of topical steroid sprays.

- Repeating surgery as necessary.

That's all there is to it. This list represents the treatments your ENT can provide; you might be familiar with some of them.

The overall picture is now clearer, and we can begin looking into some essential aspects of the diagnosis that are sometimes overlooked.

On the allergy front

The presence of nasal polyps is associated with allergies quite often. While they may not directly cause nasal polyps, they are a major cause of nasal mucosal inflammation.

A typical ENT treatment involves prescribing an anti-histaminic drug and then waiting to see how the drug affects the patient. In this case, the goal is not to determine which specific allergies exist, but rather to evaluate the result of a drug. Some ENTs may perform a blood allergy test on us before prescribing a medication. Doing this test, we will know if we are allergic, but not to what exactly. 

If you haven't done these tests, I would encourage you to consult with your ENT specialist. If the reasons for not ordering an allergy test are made clear, then it may be acceptable to not do so.

Most ENTs stop here when investigating our allergies, but this is not enough. In the event that we test positive for allergies, we should consult an allergist and have further testing done in order to pinpoint what is causing our allergies. This will be beneficial to us in the long run as we'll be able to avoid the thing to which we are allergic rather than taking an anti-histaminic drug everyday.

Samter's triad and asthma

It is also possible to have asthma along with nasal polyps. This is something that our ENT should investigate to either diagnose or rule out Samter’s triad (also called AERD), which is a combination of nasal polyps, asthma, and an aspirin allergy.

It is important to speak with our ENT physician if we suspect we have asthma. AERD must be diagnosed or ruled out as our exposure to aspirin, other NSAIDs, and even salicylates in food can significantly impact our health.

We should be referred to a lung specialist for a consultation, respiratory tests, and aspirin intolerance tests to establish this diagnosis.

Inflammatory bowel disease

The symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or acid reflux, are a burning and sharp sensation at the base of the esophagus. It can aggravate (if not be the cause) nasal polyps.

Despite the fact that many people with nasal polyps also suffer from acid reflux, ENT physicians rarely discuss or investigate this issue. Is this because it's a gastrointestinal problem outside their sphere of expertise? Is it because we fail to address the issue ourselves? Is this because a 10-minute visit does not allow for this discussion? Regardless of the reason, we need to discuss this with our ENT as soon as possible.

Dental problems

There is a possibility that dental problems can lead to nasal polyps. Most commonly, the problem occurs with the roots of upper molars and premolars that are located immediately adjacent to the maxillary sinus floor. A tooth root or deep cavity can irritate the sinus floor and cause inflammation. Our ENT physician will recommend a dental panoramic x-ray in order to investigate this.

Another potential problem is heavy metal fillings and mercury in cavity fillings. Despite being only legally toxic in Sweden and Norway, there are worldwide concerns and debates about their toxicity. The main challenge with dental amalgams is that dentists are reluctant to remove them due to the risk of mercury leakage. It is most common for dentists to discourage us from doing it and instead attempt to convince us that dental amalgam is safe to use.

If we have many dental amalgams, we should do some research into their toxicity and how it might relate to our nasal polyps and other health problems. As soon as we're convinced that amalgams are related, we need to find a dentist who has investigated the potential benefits of removing them. These dentists may be hard to find, but they are also very helpful. They will be very knowledgeable about the issue, share their patients' experiences, and be able to explain its benefits.

Now that we have explored scientific medicine, let's look at other options. The discussion will cover topics that ENT physicians rarely discuss.

Steroid sprays and nasal cleansing

ENT physicians recommend that we clean our nasal passages and sinuses, but they don't always explain how to do it properly. Our daily routine can be made easier and more efficient by a variety of techniques and products. The use of steroids sprays as a long-term treatment can result in serious side effects. Our goal is to use the least amount of effective dose while achieving maximum results. As we learn everything we need to know about this, we'll become experts.

Taking care of ourselves

In case of nasal polyps, catching a cold can have serious consequences. There are some preventive behaviors and tricks that can significantly reduce the risks. To avoid them, we will discuss everything we can do.

Fighting back when necessary

The effects of acute outbreaks can be severe both physically and psychologically. As that relates more to the patient than the disease, ENT physicians don't bring it up and leave us to experience the consequences.

By learning how to manage acute outbreaks more effectively, we can improve our wellbeing. Our goal is to get ready to fight back and find out what our first line of defense is for treating a variety of small ENT problems.

Reducing our stress levels

Medical research has established a link between anxiety and inflammatory conditions. Many people who suffer from nasal polyps are anxious, nervous, or stressed. As ENT physicians are not psychologists, they will never mention stress during a consultation. In simple terms, we'll discuss what we can do. Despite what we think, breathing is a skill we can learn! Yoga breathing techniques can provide relief and comfort. As we learn these principles of breathing, we will be able to put them into practice.

Food intolerances

My ENT told me after my invasive surgery, “The surgery was successful, good luck in the future, and avoid wine, mustard, and aspirin! ”.

As we discuss the most common food intolerances linked to nasal polyps in the chapter, I believe they may contribute to the disease's underlying inflammation.

Often, allergists are vague about food intolerances because they are not quite allergies. Getting rid of food intolerance is a crucial step toward reducing inflammation. In order to help you assess and address these problems, I will share everything I've learned about them.

Inflammation and nutrition

We constantly hear words like "farms", "fresh", and "delicious" in food marketing-- terms that reflect our idealized view of food. Eggs molded by machines, like plastic, don't sound appealing to anyone, do they? 

Food has become an industry in the last fifty years to an extent that is difficult to comprehend. It would be more accurate to use the buzzwords "processed", "additives", and "chemicals".

As trends and movements promote healthier eating habits, we have become more aware that food is the foundation of health, and a poor diet may cause illness. Although we all know it, we don't always pay attention to it.

Hippocrates once said, "Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food". Food quality plays a vital role in our general health as well as chronic nasal inflammation-- but ENT physicians do not discuss it. In this book, I devote a large section to this fundamental idea.

Considering everything we have just discussed, we should not be discouraged if the problem appears to be much larger than we first thought. No, quite the contrary! The first step to solving a problem is understanding what we are dealing with; this allows us to get access to and understand an array of options!

We have now covered a broad overview of nasal polyps. Now that we understand the problem, what to expect from physicians, and what other options are available, we can move forward. Each chapter concludes with recommendations for practical actions to take.