Mea culpa; I didn't express that properly. The EARS drain via the Eustachian tubes, the sinuses drain via the osteomeatal complex, and all of them drain into the nasopharnyx.

Whether you are dealing with congestion in your ears OR your sinuses, the drainage pathways are still quite small, and thinning out the gunk makes it easier for your body to get rid of it.

BTW, there are lots of boards where use of the D... (for Dear) acronyms is common; the largest of them is probably iVillage. The boards there started out geared toward women, so the acronyms can be rather cutesy.)