It is now 9 full years since I first started successfully treating both chronic sinusitis and regular sinus infections using only the probiotic Lactobacillus sakei. This means no antibiotics or any other antibacterial has been used in more than 9 years! This is amazing – ten years ago I didn't believe this to be possible.
Research shows that the beneficial bacteria Lactobacillus sakei occurs naturally (in tiny amounts) in healthy sinuses, but is depleted or missing in those with sinusitis. (You know we all have a sinus microbiome - bacteria, fungi, and viruses living in the sinuses, yes?) I started by using kimchi after reading research in late 2012, but the last few years I've used the refrigerated product Lanto Sinus, which contains a kimchi-derived strain of Lactobacillus sakei.
I have heard from hundreds of people since the blog started, and the majority agree - Lactobacillus sakei works great as a sinusitis treatment! (Other probiotic species just don't work.) [See Best Probiotics For Sinusitis for details on results and products used.]
Lessons Learned During Past 9 Years:
- Lactobacillus sakei alone is enough to treat sinusitis or sinus infections. Don't need fancy concoctions or fancy protocols when using it. Using it (whether in kimchi or Lanto Sinus) should take under 1 minute a day!
- Only use Lactobacillus sakei when needed - when there are some sinus symptoms (e.g., lots of mucus, post nasal drip) or you're sliding towards sinusitis. No need to wait till the sinus infection is full-blown.
- Stop using it when feeling better. Just like with antibiotics, don't take it daily and routinely, but only when needed.
- Use for a few days and evaluate whether you can stop or whether you need to keep using it longer. Frequently the sinuses keep improving even after stopping Lactobacillus sakei. One can always use more if needed.
- Lactobacillus sakei normally lives in healthy sinuses, which is why it is such an effective sinus infection treatment for so many people.
- Over time (whether weeks or months) a person typically needs less Lactobacillus sakei to treat sinus symptoms. The L. sakei colonizes in the sinuses - whether short-term or long-term.
- Swishing a product like Lanto Sinus in the mouth alone is a gentle and cautious way to use the product. Using it in the nostrils is a stronger way to use the product.
- Don't overdo it. Using a little bit in the nostrils (as described in Sinusitis Treatment Summary) is sufficient. Let the little buggers travel on their own throughout the sinuses!
- If Lactobacillus sakei works for a person, it can feel miraculous as sinusitis symptoms disappear, frequently within a few days. Others have slower improvement. Unfortunately, it doesn't work for everyone and only self-experimentation determines whether it does - after all, everyone's sinus microbiome is different.
Hopefully this offers hope to sinus infection sufferers. Good health!