Unfortunately, I've tried most of them - with varying degrees of success - over the years. The ones which do work, only tend to work temporarily, but it's enough to get through the day usually (over the counter medication makes me feel totally spaced out and high, particularly the ones which claim to be "non drowsy").
One herbal remedy which helps to drain my congested sinuses is Phytolacca Ointment, made by local Hunter Valley herbalist Pat Collins.
I was lucky enough to attend a home remedy workshop by Pat many years ago, and I often refer to the workshop notes and one of her books (A-Z of Ailments) which I also bought at the time. Some of her self-published books and herbal remedies are also sold by my organic grocer, who also host her workshops occasionally, which is convenient :-)
Incidentally, I've had her latest book, Useful Weeds at Our Doorstep, on my Wish List for as long as I can remember but haven't gotten around to buying it yet. That's going to change with my next grocery order! In it, Pat outlines 40 common weeds found in the Hunter Valley (and around Australia) which can be eaten or used in herbal remedies.
In the mean time, I need to make an appointment with an acupuncturist and get myself a Neti Pot apparently. I have been using a saline nasal spray, but do any Novocastrians know where to get a neti pot locally?
Thanks again guys :-)
7 comments:
Try your local chemist Julie, that's where I got ours.
Julie, my husband had terrible sinus infections for a few years that eventually led to the need for surgery. After the operation, he started including "irrigation" in his daily hygiene routine. So I think this will help you a lot.
If you can't find a pot (or maybe even if you can) you might try looking for one of those big rubber ball squeezy-syringe things. They sell them for irrigating the outer ear over here, for wax removal. With the narrower (and much softer) nozzle of the ball syringe, he had much better control and comfort over the flow. With the pot you don't get those things.
Daily irrigation for a few years really helped him. He now only does it when he feels the need. He used distilled water, by the way, not tap water. I know he added salt and baking soda (bicarb), though I'd have to check with him for the specifics. Let me know if you want them, and feel better.
Hi Julie-
After visiting my in-laws in Phoenix, Arizona where it is super dry, my sinuses got super infected. I tried the Olbas oil, which I like, but it didn't help. The doctor gave me an antibiotic for it, but also instructed me to go get a Neti pot, and how to use it, and that helped a lot. Made me much more comfortable. It takes a little practice and feels pretty weird at first, but you'll feel a lot better, I'll bet.
Hi Julie
Hope you are feeling better today :-)
You can get Neti pots from New Living Yoga in Islington. Its only open around class times. Details here: http://www.newlivingyoga.com.au/locateus.php
Cheers,
Tricia
Hi Rose,
Oh really, wow. I thought I had to somewhere a little more esoteric LOL - thank you :-)
Hi Kate,
Poor man, I sympathise with him, but so glad to hear the irrigation helped. Thanks for the bulb tip, I had really wondered how I was going to manage the pot LOL, but I like the idea of having more control. Cheers :-)
Hi Paula,
Thank you, it seems to be highly recommended! It makes a lot of sense to me so I'm surprised no one had mentioned it to me before now.
Hi Tricia,
Still blergh but thanks anyway :-) And thanks for the neti pot tip, I'll try them if our local chemists don't have one.
Cheers, Julie
Don't know about a neti pot, but I stopped getting sinus problems and infections when I stopped eating dairy regularly. Quitting dairy also cured my eczema and asthma.
However, I eat even a little bit of cheese, and I'm back to the skin rashes and huffing and puffing.
Give a non-dairy diet a go for a while, and see if it helps. I don't know that it works for all people, but it sure does for me.
Hi Daharja,
Yes, I'm lactose-intolerant and any dairy has a HUGE impact on my hayfever so I'm pretty much dairy-free at this time of year :-)
Cheers, Julie
Post a Comment