Health experts estimate that 37 million Americans are affected by sinus infections every year. In fact, health care providers report nearly 32 million cases of chronic sinus infections to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention annually.

Even more startling is that Americans spend $5.8 billion each year on health care costs related to sinus infection treatment.

A sinus infection is literally an infection in your sinuses, which are hollow passages or cavities inside of your head.

There are four different sets of sinus cavities and any one of these cavities has the potential to become infected. These moist sinus cavities can literally become a breeding ground for bacteria, viruses or fungus.

Common sinus infection symptoms can include facial pains, tenderness of the sinus areas, headaches, nasal drainage that is thick and colored, sore throat and many other symptoms.

It can often be difficult to tell if you have a sinus infection or just a common cold as they both share common symptoms.

One way to tell if you have a sinus infection is if it doesn’t go away. This would be referred to as a chronic sinus infection.

In 1999, The Mayo Clinic did a major study of patients with chronic sinus infections. The Mayo Clinic study found that fungus is likely the cause of nearly all cases of chronic sinusitis.

This was a complete departure from the commonly held belief that bacteria was responsible for most cases of chronic sinusitis.

The normal course of treatment for sinus infections by doctors historically and today is to prescribe antibiotics. Since antibiotics do not work against fungus, treating a fungal sinus infection with antibiotics will not be effective.

If you think that you might be suffering from a sinus infection, you should visit your doctor for a proper diagnosis.

Because your nose can get stuffy when you have a condition like the common cold, you may confuse simple nasal congestion with sinusitis. A cold, however, usually lasts about 7 to 14 days and disappears without treatment. Acute sinusitis often lasts longer and typically causes more symptoms than just a cold.

Your doctor can diagnose sinusitis by listening to your symptoms, doing a physical examination, taking X-rays, and if necessary, an MRI or CT scan (magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography). Many people have reported excellent results in combating their chronic sinus infections using an all-natural mineral supplement called colloidal silver. By misting the ionic/colloidal silver solution into their sinuses where it can come into contact with the infected area.

Silver has been shown to have strong antimicrobial properties and has been used in many medical and health applications throughout history.

Some common antimicrobial uses of silver include treating burns, in Curad™ Band-Aids, for water purification (NASA uses silver to purify the water on the space shuttle), and sewn into socks to prevent athletes’ foot as well as many other uses.