By artarmon42 | No Comments
Last updated: Monday, January 22, 2007

So after being thoroughly disgusted by my new doctor’s response to my problem on Friday, I may have finally figured out a way to “naturally” fight off an impending sinus infection. I’ve been feeling better daily for the past 3 days, and am so excited that I may have finally stumbled onto a system that seems to work. This is what worked for me:

• Meds De-tox: Because the effectiveness of my Entex medication was limited (due to continued usage), I got off the meds for 24 hours. I’m sure 24 hours isn’t long enough, but generally this step shouldn’t be necessary if I hadn’t had fought off 2 back-to-back flu’s. I used alternate meds to compensate during this period. So for example, I relied of the Afrin nasal spray to minimize congestion.
• After De-tox, use the strongest meds to dry out the sinuses: For me, it’s Entex. Although Mucinex worked well the first few days, I became alergic to it. Unfortunately that’s been scratched-off my favorite-meds list
• Nasal Irrigation: Use a saline spray (Ocean or generic brand) 3 times a day. Because instructions for saline sprays are rather non-existent, I’ll simply explain how. Bend your head forward, preferably over a sink. Open your mouth and breath through your mouth during this process. Slightly insert the saline bottle into one nostril, squeeze the bottle hard and fast, quickly remove bottle (otherwise the saline with all your mucus will drip back down all over the bottle!). Do the same for the other nostril. Repeat process again until each nostril is done TWICE. Don’t forget to wipe-down the bottle… you don’t want bacteria to grow on it inbetween application.
• Steam Treatment: Put boiling water in a big bowl, throw in salt, stir, and then put your head over the bowl. Breathe in through nose, out through mouth. I did this once per day for 30 minutes (depending on the ambient temperature, you might need to remix the water if it cools off too much and doesn’t give off enough steam).
• Garlic: Three times a day, one teaspoon of minced garlic. 100% natural garlic, pre-minced. You’ll find it in the refridgerated area of the vegetable section (usually with the pre-packed salads).

So what’s new that made it successful this time?
I believe it’s a combination of everything listed. But I suspect (and with a scientific education and working background I’m naturally skeptical) that the garlic might have been a major contributor! Garlic has been scientifically proven to be a natural anti-biotic, decongestant and expectorant.

Oh, and I’m well enough to fly out this evening. 18 hour flight to Australia, so there won’t be any new entries for a few days.

CommentSubscribe