Immediate Relief from Sinusitis

The other night I awakened, turned in my bed and opened my eyes. AAAH! The room was spinning! Every time I would open my eyes the room was spinning and I felt as though my stomach was spinning with it. I grabbed a hold of the nightstand and then the desk as I made my way to the bathroom thinking I might hurl, but to my surprise I was able to keep it together. After using the restroom and with the spinning having stopped, I decided to lie back down and get some much needed sleep. As soon as my head hit the pillow, AAAH!, the room started to spin again and this time I felt as though a gallon of fluid had rushed to the front of my head and I was oh so dizzy. I laid there and prayed for a while with my eyes closed to avoid the spinning. I thought of my husband who had to get up in the morning and I didn’t want to keep disturbing him with my restlessness, so I decided to go and sleep on the couch. First, I grabbled a light blanket, elevated my head with a couple pillows and laid down. I felt so much better and I was able to sleep for a little while. Later that morning when I went to the restroom, I leaned forward and again it was like a rush of fluid to the front of my head. Suddenly the room was spinning and I was nauseous again.

I picked up the phone and called Dr. Mom who is a chronic sinus sufferer. She said “oh, yes, I’ve had that happen to me before. You’re going to have to get some drainage going or you’re going to keep feeling the pressure. Do you have any Vic’s in the house?” I tried to ignore her because I hate the stuff. I can remember her rubbing that burning stuff all over my chest and forehead as a young girl. Now as an adult, I want no contact with the stuff. I said, “I think I do, but for sure I have some peppermint oil and some rosemary oil.” Then she said, “do you have any stomach pains?” “No mom, no stomach pains, just nausea.” I was shocked by her next response, “I’m asking because you know you could pregnant.” Pregnant! Okay, I call about sinusitis and she’s got her mind on babies. “I’ll be observant with my body mom, you’re right, could be. But let me go take care of myself. I just want to feel better. I’ll call you later. Love You.”

I thought about taking “Sinus Free”, a holistic product for sinuses. It really works well but it’s nasty to digest. Imagine drinking horseradish. That’s what it tastes like to me. Also, you shouldn’t take it if you’re pregnant, and in the past my mom has known I was pregnant before I did, so I thought, hmmm, maybe I want to be careful about what I take, just in case mom is right.

Now the first defense for me in fighting sinus congestion is to drink lots of clear fluids. It seems to help a lot with the drainage. So I began immediately drinking my favorite – Ã?½ fresh juice and Ã?½ water. Water is the best I believe to aid in sinus drainage but sometimes you want a little flavor so a mixture with juice is quite good.

Next, I got my room ready for a day of rest and relaxation. To fight any ailment I know that rest cannot hurt. I began by spraying my bed down with peppermint spray (it’s made by putting distilled water in a spray bottle and adding 5-6 drops of peppermint oil). Not only does it aid in relaxation, it also helps to open up the sinus passages. Then I set up my aromatherapy diffuser with both peppermint and rosemary oil and closed my door.

I then headed to a hot shower. A good hot shower seems to always give me temporary relief from congestion. It is also beneficial to incorporate the peppermint oil in your shower by just putting a glass of water with peppermint oil in it in the shower with you. The steam will just get the peppermint oil going strong and give a little boost in clearing up those sinus passages. After I got out of the shower, I sprayed myself with a rosemary oil spray (again, just diluted water and a few drops of rosemary oil). I put on my pajamas and headed for the bed.

Later that evening, I asked my husband to give me a massage. He used a mixture of olive oil with a few drops of – you guessed it, peppermint and rosemary oil. It helped to relax the muscles and massaging the temples and head also helped to clear up the sinus passages. I kept the aromatherapy diffuser going all night and sprayed down the bed once again before going to sleep. My husband and I both overslept the next morning, but it was good to feel well again.

Here are some other tips I’ve used in the past –

1. Take a cup of warm water and put in just a little salt. Hold one nostril and pour the solution down the other. Then switch nostrils. This can feel really uncomfortable, but it does work.
2. Nothing like chicken soup for getting those sinuses drained. I take chicken soup another step further. I use the regular old Campbell’s soup but I put some fresh garlic in it. Garlic is a great herb to use for sinusitis. I also try to cook with it to try and minimize bouts with sinusitis.
3. Wonderful teas. I really like ginger tea and chamomile tea. Some suggest goldenseal for sinusitis and if you can stand it, I hear cayenne tea is great for clearing up those sinuses.
4. My husband just eats some hot peppers – like jalapeno or worst yet jabaneros.