Lake Regional Health System | Thrive | Winter 2020

• Always use a cool-mist humidifier (vaporizer), espe- cially for children. Warm mist humidifiers can cause burns if a person gets too close. • Place the humidifier several feet (approximately 2 me- ters) away from the bed. • DO NOT run a humidifier for a long time. Set the unit to 35% to 40% humidity. If room surfaces are constantly damp or wet to the touch, mold and mildew can grow. This can cause breathing problems. approach, combining sinuplasty with other sinus surgery techniques for the best results. What’s the prognosis? According to Dr. Bonacquisti, most people have fewer symptoms and better quality of life after sinus surgery, although surgery may not completely eliminate sinusitis. He considers many factors before recommending surgery, including your medical history and sinonasal anatomy. “I always try first to identify and treat the underlying causes for chronic inflammation that lead to chronic sinusitis • Humidifiers must be drained and cleaned daily because bacteria can grow in standing water. • Use distilled or reverse osmosis purified water instead of tap water. Tap water has minerals that can collect in the unit. They can be released into the air as white dust and can cause breathing problems. Follow the instructions that came with your unit on how to prevent buildup of minerals. BREATHE EASIER To make an appointment with Dr. Bonacquisti at Lake Regional ENT & Audiology, call 573-302-2864 . or polyps,” Dr. Bonacquisti says. “Common causes are tobacco use, reflux, allergies and vocational chemical exposure. Treat- ing these may achieve sufficient improvement so that surgery is not required, and failure to address these appropriately significantly increases the chance that problems will persist or recur after surgery.” Most people have fewer symptoms and better quality of life after sinus surgery. lakeregional.com 9