Are you one of those who are “married” with your sinus infection?
If you are, then you know the symptoms of this horrible infection too well: runny nose, facial pain, difficulties of breathing (suffocating), headaches and fatigue. You probably wonder why you get it so often. Well, the reasons range from air pollution, stress (the omnipresent cause of countless health problems!) weather changes to a weak immune system allowing a viral or bacterial infection.
How to get rid of the nuisance
Sometimes a lifestyle change is required to eliminate the substances that cause the infection such as not using chemical cleaning products. The antibiotics work (with side effects) only if the cause is bacterial, but not if it’s viral. Or you can opt for garlic, honey and apple cider vinegar – the three natural remedies I find to be the cure to almost everything.
Let’s have a look at these 3 and some other natural remedies for curing your tenacious sinus infection:
- Make garlic-honey-apple cider vinegar remedy
Make sure to use raw honey! If filtered (often done for appearances’ sake), honey loses most of its healing properties. Raw honey is a magnificent antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal bee creation, and boosts the immune system.
Ingredients:
- 3 cloves of minced raw garlic
- 1 teaspoon of honey
- 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
- a glass of warm water
Instructions: Mix well and drink to your sinuses’ health!
If the abundance of tastes (or garlic breath), deter you, just try mixing apple cider vinegar and raw honey, and consume it 3 times a day. Two tablespoons of vinegar and 1 teaspoon of honey will “send your sinusitis packing”.
- Inhalation with garlic
If the sinus infection is not in full swing yet, inhalations should be your first course of action to alleviate the discomfort.
Instructions: Boil a pot of water and then add minced fresh garlic to it (3 to 4 cloves should do the job). Get yourself comfy, cover your head and pot with a towel and start inhaling. It might be uncomfortable at first, but never mind. The steam alone is an amazing decongestant and helps to clear the breathing pathways. When you add other healing ingredients, the positive effects multiply. Garlic is an extremely potent natural antibiotic, and is antiviral and antifungal.
- Inhalation with apple-cider vinegar
Instead of fresh garlic, you can also use apple-cider vinegar for inhalation.
Instructions: Mix equal parts of water and apple-cider vinegar and boil them. This powerful mix thins down the annoying mucus.
- Inhalation with essential oils
The best aromatherapies are natural essential oils, of course. The oils are another very strong natural antibiotic sinusitis therapy.
Instructions: Add some tea tree oil (a few drops will suffice) in the boiling water. By inhaling this steaming water you deliver the antibiotic directly to your suffering nasal membranes (this may hurt at first, and you may feel a burning sensation). Also eucalyptus essential oil helps clear nasal and chest congestion caused by colds and sinus infections, so you can use it instead or along with the tea tree essential oil.
- Irrigation with saline solution in a neti pot
A neti pot is a ceramic container designed to rinse debris or mucus from your nasal cavity.
Instructions: Fill your neti pot with a mixture of ½ to 1 teaspoon of salt and two cups of warm water. Some prefer to add an additional ¼ teaspoon of baking soda, per cup, to adjust the pH value of the irrigating solution to that of the body. You need to use previously boiled water to prepare the solution. Don’t use tap water!
Once you’ve filled the neti pot, tilt your head over the sink at about a 45 degree angle. Place the spout into your top nostril, and gently pour the saline water into that nostril. The saline water will flow through your nasal cavity and out the other nostril. Blow your nose to get rid of any remaining water, then refill the neti pot and repeat the process on the other side.
The neti pot works to thin mucus and clear out the nasal passages. People suffering from daily sinusitis symptoms find relief when using the neti pot on a daily basis. Once the symptoms subside, you can reduce its use to 3 times a week.
6. Eat horseradish
Horseradish vegetable is just as effective as chemically-synthesized antibiotics and it can sometimes be even superior to over-the-counter drugs. Horseradish is particularly potent in the treatment of sinusitis since it clears the upper respiratory passages and thus helps with cold, influenza and lung congestion.
7. Make a grapefruit seed extract (GSE)
GSE is a strong natural antibiotic. You can use GSE in different forms: you can irrigate the nasal passages, take it in a capsule or tablet or drink it mixed with water.
Instructions: Press the pulp and the seeds of the grapefruit to make the extract.
8. Make an elderberry infusion
You can also make an infusion from the flowers of the elderberry plant, which has been shown to prevent inflammation and infection of the respiratory system. It is very effective at alleviating winter ailments including sinusitis.
Instructions: Use 1 heaped teaspoon of dried flowers per 1 cup of boiling water. Simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Allow tea to cool, strain it and drink it hot.
When you use these gifts of Mother Nature regularly, you have a fighting chance to keep the annoying sinus infection away!
Source:
www.webmd.com
