He blamed the sawdust

Roger Hardy, 56, sculpts for a living in a Suffolk studio thick with sawdust, metal shavings and white spirit. When his nose started throbbing, the fumes seemed like the obvious culprit.

Then it spread

The burning crept across his face. His nose turned red and inflamed, mucus made breathing hard, and the pain sharpened until sleep became difficult.

Mouth breathing at night

Nights were the worst of it. The throbbing and mucus left him exhausted, and he had to breathe through his mouth just to get through until morning.

“It started taking over my life”

A diagnosis at last

His GP called it sinusitis, inflammation of the air-filled spaces behind the forehead, cheeks and nose. Antibiotics came first, then steroid nasal sprays.

Relief that kept expiring

The sprays worked while he used them. Every time he stopped, the pain came straight back, and the cycle repeated for years.

His wife's idea

Four years into the ordeal, she suggested he see a private nutritionist. It was not the kind of appointment Roger would have booked himself.

He thought it was pointless

No cigarettes, no alcohol, reasonably fit, decent diet. Roger could not see what a nutritionist would find to change.

“I've never smoked, I don't drink alcohol, I'm fairly fit and I eat a well-balanced diet”

Dairy at every meal

The consultation flagged one suspect. Yoghurt at breakfast, butter and cheese at lunch, more yoghurt after dinner. Dairy ran through his whole day.

He cut it out completely

Not a reduction, a full stop. Every dairy product came off the menu to see whether anything shifted.

Four or five days

That was all it took. The burning pain and the congestion that had defined his life for years had almost entirely lifted.

“After years of pain, my symptoms had virtually gone”

The milk myth, debunked

Milk has been blamed for excess mucus for generations. Doctors largely dismissed it, because studies show drinking milk does not actually increase nasal secretions.

A subtler question

Researchers are now asking something different. In a small group of people, could an allergy or sensitivity to foods like cow's milk feed the inflammation behind chronic sinus trouble?

One in seven

A 2011 study in the American Journal of Rhinology & Allergy, from the Medical University of Vienna, found one in seven chronic sinusitis patients had an undiagnosed cow's milk allergy. None of the healthy volunteers did.

Not everyone's answer

Experts are clear that dairy will not explain most cases of chronic sinusitis. The evidence points to a subset of patients, not the majority.

The one week test

Dr Carl Philpott, an ENT surgeon and professor of rhinology at the University of East Anglia, says patients ask about dairy constantly. He suggests cutting it for a week and watching what happens.

“I typically recommend what's known as an elimination diet”

Diet quality counts

A 2026 review linked anti-inflammatory eating to better sinus health, while high fat and ultra-processed diets tracked with worse symptoms. The authors warned the evidence is thin and needs bigger trials.

Why noses turn touchy

Philpott describes chronic sinusitis as a local immune problem. The lining grows over-sensitive to dust, pollen and infections over years, which is why most people first get hit in their early 50s.

Rinse, twice daily

Saline rinsing is still the workhorse treatment. It washes out mucus, allergens and inflammatory debris, and specialists want it done religiously, not occasionally.

The spray that backfires

Over-the-counter decongestant sprays can cause rebound congestion, making things worse with overuse. Royal Pharmaceutical Society research found 60 per cent of pharmacists think patients have no idea.

Don't wait it out

Long-term antibiotics help few people, and a late diagnosis can mean steroid sprays for life. Rinse for three months, and if you are still struggling, ask your GP for an ENT referral.

“Since the pandemic, we are seeing more patients presenting with quite severe disease”