BOSTON -- Sinusitis is one of the most commonly diagnosed chronic illnesses in the United States. Many sinus sufferers experience added pressure during the cold weather. News Center 5’s Heather Unruh reported Wednesday on different alternatives to relieve misery and pain.

“It's like having a cold for months,” said Rodrigo Lembo, of Dedham, Mass.

Lembo has struggled for years with sinus problems. He's been on and off antibiotics, yet the pressure never ends. Nights are the worst.

“I toss and turn because my nose is plugged, and it's very difficult for me to breathe,” he said.

The cold weather adds to the pain.

“A cold is the number one leading cause of sinus infection,” said Dr. Ralph Metson, a sinus surgeon for Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

Metson is the author of “Healing Your Sinuses.” And he is hoping to do just that for Lembo.

Three weeks ago, Metson performed minimally invasive sinus surgery Lembo.

“There's no cutting on the face or the mouth,” Metson said.

He inserted a small endoscope with a tiny camera attached inside the patient's nose.

“And I will enlarge little pinpoint openings of those sinuses that have become blocked,” he said.

Metson said this will clear the sinuses and relieve the painful pressure.

“The patients may notice they feel quite a bit better days after surgery,” he said.

If surgery is not for you, Metson said you can get relief from at-home remedies like rinsing your nose with salt water twice a day.

“And squirt it generally up one nostril and it runs right down the same nostril; the mucus and allergy particles, and bacterial debris that were causing the blocked breathing and blocked sinuses,” he said.

But he advises everyone to steer clear of over-the-counter nasal sprays.

“They can get a rebound effect, where the nose swells. So there's worse obstruction, worse blockage than they had before they started using the spray.” Metson said. “But an over-the-counter spray with a mild steroid like Flonase can be taken long term without a rebound effect,” he said.

As for Lembo, three weeks after his surgery he's breathing well for the first time in years.