You're right to be skeptical. Steroid sprays, although they get into the body in much smaller doses than orally prescribed steroids, can still weaken adrenal function when taken long term. Translation: FATIGUE is your end result. I took that medication for years, suffered from terrible allergies myself and took many rounds of antibiotics, usually for sinus infections. It was a vicious cycle: the more medications I took, the more problems I had until one day I stopped all of it. My allergist wanted me to keep an Epi pen in my fridge in case I had an anaphylactic reaction to one of my allergy shots. Eventually, I ended up with natural alternatives to all of the steroid inhalers, steroid nose sprays, antihistamines, decongestants, allergy shots and steroid shots, and now I help others with this.

But, more important than not taking these medications is knowing specifically what to do. Some of the research indicates a minor sinus infection can go away on its own. I'd rather take a more proactive approach, though, especially considering how painful a sinus infection is. If you use the right remedies when you first feel the symptoms, you can sometimes nip it in the bud. I've played around with neti pots - I think they're a good idea for prevention, but I didn't see near the results needed with an acute infection until I had people use a personal steamer with a eucalyptus-based therapeutic grade essential oil. It has to be a high quality essential oil or it won't work. The steam + essential oils 2 to 3 times daily for around a week is an acute treatment only. I've seen it take away sinus infections; however, if you don't get to the root cause of the repetitive infections, they can return.

Junk food/ processed foods are prevalent on college campuses, and could be a factor. Food allergies such as dairy, eggs, or nuts could also contribute. Staying up late nights studying can wreak havoc on the immune system and can often lead to cold, flu, sinus and other types of infection. So, when you get into those time periods just before exams, you may want to take some immune-strengthening herbs such as echinacea or astragalus to help counteract the harmful effects of the sleep deprivation.

If this is related to hayfever, there are several natural remedies available such as homeopathic formulas specific to your area in the U.S. and essential oils that are antihistamine in their action. Homeopathic remedies also exist for allergies to cats, dogs, mold and dust. I've also seen some allergies improve after a liver cleansing program, and I have sometimes stopped allergy attacks with edible algae. Herbs such as medicinal mushrooms can also help the symptoms of allergies - such as Reishi mushoom in particular. You can contact me for more details if you wish.

The last thing I have to say is very controversial, but I have noticed an increase in allergies after vaccinations. Flu vaccines are probably very plentiful on campus. Ultimately, you may want to educate yourself on this topic.

A natural remedy is as effective as the elimination of the cause of the ailments. New diets, pollutants, high anxiety, molds are the common threats. My recommendations:

- NAC 600 mg caps

- Freeze-dried Nettles caps

- Herbal supplements: Tussilago, Ephedra (stem)

I'm a little confused by some of your statement. When we talk about sinus infections, we are talking about bacterial infections. Viral infections are colds, they are self limited, and are generally better in 10 to 14 days. The best treatment is prevention by doing good handwashing, not sharing food and drink, that sort of thing. Antibiotics will not help viral infections. A sinus infection is generally a complication of a cold, when symptoms get worse at about day 10 instead of better, or no better between days 14 and 21 or so. Then we use antibiotics. If you have sinus infection symptoms lasting 3 months, we call that chronic sinusitis. Flonase and other steroid nasal sprays, such as Nasonex and Nasocort AQ, are safe medications to take over lng periods of time. The steroid pretty much acts in the nasal mucosa only, very little is absorbed by the blood stream and what is is pretty much all out of your system with one pass through the liver and kidneys. Many people have used these medications for allergies and chronic sinusissues for decades at a time. Some people develop problems with nasal bleeding, and a few can't take them due to causing headaches.

When you have a bacterial infection of the sinuses, antibiotics should be used. Not for colds. Use of a neti pot can help clean your nose , and can help reduce the need for antibiotics and other treatments. I prefer the squeeze bottle type neti pot. Follow the directions on the package for cleaning and safe use of water and salt concentrations. Use of probiotics, such as eating yogurt daily, may help reduce problems with infections. If you have further questions or problems I recommend seeing an ENT.

Natural remedies: Netty pot and eucalyptus aromatherapy

Big Question: Is there something unhealthy about your current life? The increase in infections is your body's way of telling you there is something wrong. Consider reviewing and adjusting the following factors:

1. Physical location (the region where you are now living)

2. Life goals (maybe your heart would love to consider other avenues different from college, such as working towards independence and learning from real life "hands on" work experiences)

3. Relationships (especially a boyfriend if you have one)

4. How you handle problems (learn to solve problems with hard work, forgiveness and love). If you are finding yourself in a conflict which is causing "fighting, manipulation or the need to use pressure", such actions are harmful to your health.

I like a few home treatments that are great if you catch it early --

1) Steam Inhalations with Eucalyptus (natural anti-microbial) Instructions here (and plus some): http://www.eatlifewhole.com/2012/10/6-natural-solutions-for-the-cold-and-flu-season/

2) Neti Pots - cleanses your nasal passages to avoid having bacteria harbor in them

3) Elderberry Syrup - great immune support and also an anti-viral

4) Nettles tea - 3-4 cups really helps allergies that can exacerbate sinus infections

I practice in a college town & frequently hear this complaint, as students spend a great deal of time in close contact with lots of other students, they share viruses, URI's & bacteria. Flonase, an intranasal steroid, can moderately help reduce the frequency in which you get infections, & may reduce the amount if time it takes to resolve them, but generally is not considered to be a very effective treatment to get better once you have an infection. (Antibiotics, time, & occasionally oral steroids are used in the acute treatment). If you are having more than 3-4 infections per year, or fail to get completely better in between treatments, it may be time to see your ENT. By the way, the side effects of intranasal steroids are very mild (usually mo side effects, but common ones are nosebleed, headache, throat irritation or bad taste). They are mild enough that some nasal steroids are now over-the-counter, like Nasacort. You may try just using saline to flush out your nose, but if it fails to help, you will likely need some prescription therapy, and potentially procedural therapy to truly get better in the long run.

Fluticasone nasal spray (Flonase) is a great medication for control of sinus symptoms, especially those related to seasonal allergies. It has very little side effects, the most prominent is nose bleeds, and in general it is better to use topical medications such as a nasal spray than pills that must travel to all parts of the body. However, if you are interested in changing to a pill, might consider loratidine or a similar antihistamine that has very few side effects.

Best of luck!

Move.

Frequent infections of any nature speaks to a compromised immune system. It could be that you are focused on the band aide approach when what you really need to do is function on strengthening your immune system. Perhaps there are allergies at play here which need to be eliminated. Netti pot treatments are great for keeping allergens at bay, but don't provide the entire answer. I would seek the services of someone that understands nutrition and how it impacts the body as well as someone that has been trained in allergy elimination.