New Options for Treating Sinusitis and Allergies.

Over the past several years we have enjoyed many improvements in treatment for sinus problems. Almost all of these have been improvements in surgery techniques such as image guided technology, microdebriders and balloon sinus surgery that can be done in the office. We offer all of these in our practice.

But even more exciting are the non-surgery treatments that are coming. One is a new method of delivering medication to the nose. We have had nasal steroid sprays (Flonase, Nasonex, Nasacort) for decades. But a conventional spray bottle leaves something to be desired. Often the medication doesn't get far enough into the nose to do much good.

Enter a new product called Xhance. (BTW I have no financial relationship with the company that makes Xhance,) What's new is not the medicine itself. Fluticasone has been around for decades. The new part is the bottle. It has two openings, one for the nose (as usual) and another for the mouth. You blow into the mouth opening as you spray the medicine into your nose. This gives the spray a "tailwind" driving it into the nose much farther. I have tried it in my own nose and it seems to make a difference.