According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 92 million Americans suffer from at least one of four common chronic respiratory diseases: sinusitis infection, allergies, bronchitis and asthma. Sinusitis infection is the number one chronic ailment in the United States, affecting one in three Americans and costing sufferers as much as $1.3 billion on medical visits plus another $1.3 billion on medications that treat allergy symptoms rather than the cause.

Chronic sinusitis infection is defined as the inflammation of the paranasal sinuses due to viral, bacterial or fungal infection.
Chronic inflammation of the nasal lining, called rhinitis, may be caused by both allergic and non-allergic sources, whether dust, smog or inhaled mold and bacteria-related. When chronic inflammation persists, the small opening of the sinuses draining into the nose becomes obstructed and an infection can result. Chronic inflammation can also lead to polyps, which are growths in the nose that create a more significant obstruction, may destroy normal tissue, and eventually can lead to loss of smell and taste. Over 32 million Americans have been diagnosed with chronic nasal and sinusitis disorders. Sufferers experience symptoms such as congestion, stuffiness, postnasal drainage, facial pain and discolored nasal drainage for greater than three months in a single bout.

Until 1999, molds in the nose were considered to be innocuous and occasional. But in 1999, researchers discovered that 93% of patients presenting with chronic rhinosinusitis, and 100% of normal patients also displayed nasal molds. Further investigations worldwide, have shown that these molds triggered a chronic inflammatory reaction. These findings proved that while molds are found in all of our noses, the degree of disease they incite depends on a person’s individual sensitivity.