What They Came In For: Sinus Congestion
When Jamal came to the clinic, he described it like this: “It’s like trying to breathe through a wet sponge.”
His nose had been stuffy for years. Not in the short-term, post-cold kind of way — but in the chronic, barely-remember-what-clear-breathing-feels-like way. Every morning he woke up feeling heavy and swollen in his face. Pressure behind his eyes, a dull ache across his forehead, and a sense of fog that didn’t lift until late in the day — if at all.
Over-the-counter decongestants helped temporarily, but they dried him out and made him feel jittery. Nasal sprays worked for a while but lost effectiveness. Allergy testing showed some mild reactions, but antihistamines didn’t make much difference either. Doctors told him it was “non-specific rhinitis,” maybe with a component of chronic sinusitis. They offered more sprays, allergy meds, and, eventually, a referral to an ENT.
But Jamal wasn’t looking for a surgery consult. He wanted to understand why this kept happening. Why he always felt puffy, heavy, and clogged — even when he wasn’t sick, even when the seasons changed, even when he ate carefully and stayed hydrated.
“I just want to breathe,” he told us. “Like, really breathe.”
A System Stuck in Dampness
From the outside, Jamal looked healthy. He worked out regularly. He ate well. He didn’t smoke. But his system told a different story. His tongue was swollen with tooth marks along the edges. His pulse was soft and sluggish. He frequently cleared his throat, especially after meals, and he told us he often felt a mild post-nasal drip — not enough to notice constantly, but enough to feel like he was always managing something.
In Chinese medicine, we look at long-term congestion not just as a nasal issue, but as a sign that something deeper isn’t moving properly in the body. For Jamal, the issue was what we call dampness — a kind of internal accumulation that forms when the body can’t properly transform and transport fluids. This "dampness" isn’t just water retention; it’s about the quality of internal flow. When it lingers, it becomes heavy, obstructive, and sticky — especially in the sinuses, chest, and digestive system.
This kind of stagnation often arises from a combination of factors: a constitution that leans toward fluid retention, a gut that isn’t processing efficiently, and a Lung system that’s overburdened and underpowered. Over time, it settles in, and the body forgets what it feels like to be clear.
Treatment to Unstick the Flow
Our first goal was to help things move. We used acupuncture points that open the sinuses, drain phlegm, and stimulate the body's ability to regulate fluid metabolism — not just in the nose, but throughout the system. We supported the Lung 肺 (fèi) and Spleen 脾 (pí) systems, which work together in Chinese medicine to circulate clean fluids, maintain healthy mucosa, and keep the surface of the body (like the nasal passages) clear and defended.
Jamal also began a custom herbal formula. It included herbs to transform dampness, clear the sinuses, and gently strengthen his middle — that is, his digestion — so that he wouldn’t keep creating excess phlegm in the first place.
Within two weeks, he noticed that he was waking up without as much pressure in his face. The mornings were still a little stuffy, but he could breathe through his nose by mid-morning, which was already a big shift. After a month, his breathing felt clearer more of the day than not. He even remarked one afternoon, “I didn’t realize until now that I was mouth breathing all the time. I’m not doing that anymore.”
Regaining Clarity
After a couple of months of treatment, Jamal’s baseline had changed. He still had occasional flare-ups — after a long flight, or if he ate a lot of dairy — but he finally understood what his system responded to. He knew what clear breathing felt like, and more importantly, how to support it.
“I feel like I have more mental energy,” he told us. “Like my brain’s not underwater anymore.”
That’s the thing about chronic sinus issues — they don’t just block the nose. They affect sleep, cognition, mood, and energy. When your breathing is obstructed day in and day out, your whole system runs on lower power.
Chinese medicine doesn’t just aim to reduce inflammation or dry out secretions — it seeks to restore the deeper flow that keeps the body clear, light, and well-regulated. In Jamal’s case, it helped him remember what full, open breathing feels like — and how good life can feel when your head isn’t full of fog.