Repeated courses of antibiotics are thought to promote yeast overgrowth by killing friendly bacteria in the body along with invading pathogens. The candida itself isn't considered harmful, but the toxins it's suspected of emitting as it runs rampant are thought to cause a host of problems, including fatigue, recurrent vaginitis, depression and chronic infections such as sinusitis.

To make matters worse, "almost without exception, every person with a yeast-related problem is bothered by food sensitivities," Dr. Crook says. Of course, most people don't know their body is bothered by particular foods, so they continue to eat them freely, putting even more strain on what is often an already overburdened immune system. It becomes a vicious cycle, similar to that of antibiotics for the treatment of sinusitis. If you think this is a problem for you, you may want to consider getting tested for food sensitivities, usually through a dietitian or a nutritionally oriented physician.

Clearly, sinusitis treatment demands constant vigilance and usually a complete overhaul in lifestyle, but the payoffs can be major. Dr. Ivker, 53, continues to practice most aspects of his program every day and says he's never felt healthier or been in better shape in his life. "It just gets better and better." He hasn't had a sinus infection in more than 12 years. "Yes, it's a long road to recovery, but I think it's worth it," he says.

Heal Sinusitis With Your Mind
Part of every illness or ailment is rooted in the mind, and sinusitis is no exception. Do you consider yourself an overachiever? A perfectionist? Do you often refrain from telling people what's really on your mind? If so, you fit the sinusitis sufferer profile painted by Robert Ivker, a Denver-based doctor of osteopathy and author of "Sinus Survival" (Tarcher/Putnam, 2000). "In my experience, repressed anger is the No. 1 contributing factor to chronic sinusitis," Ivker says. "Actually, it's the trigger for acute sinusitis — for sinus infections. The archetype is generally a high achiever, very often a first child, unforgiving, perfectionist."

The Emotional Basis of Sinusitis
"From an emotional point of view, sinusitis, bronchitis and asthma are fourth emotional or chakra issues and have to do with unexpressed or unresolved emotions," says Mona Lisa Schulz, a neuropsychiatrist in Yarmouth, Maine, and a lifelong medical intuitive.

In her book "Awakening Intuition"(Harmony, 1999), Schulz discusses how psychological issues affect the seven chakras, the fourth being related to the capacity to feel and express all emotions fully and form balanced, reciprocal relationships. (Chakras, or emotional energy centers, are more typically an Eastern way of viewing the body and its interconnectedness with the mind.)

The scientific validation for mind-body medicine has come about only in the last quarter century, so the idea that physical health can be influenced by thoughts, emotions, and beliefs is just starting to catch on in the Western part of the world. But many practitioners of psychoneuroimmunology (the medical term for mind-body medicine) relate case studies just short of amazing, particularly in the treatment of chronic illnesses like sinusitis, arthritis and back pain — prevalent conditions for which Western medicine has no cure.