[cmarie]

Hi candle friends, As I've posted about recently, I've been having a tough time with my allergies lately. Last night for a while my sinuses were actually completely blocked -- I couldn't breathe through my nose or even do a nasal rinse.

Do any of you have any tricks you like to use to open up plugged sinuses? I read about a bunch of home remedies online and some of them sound kind of weird. I am also on 3 different medications all designed to help with this situation, but was wondering if any of you have had great experiences with one thing or another.

With this post I mean to ask mostly about remedies and medicines that have nothing to do with wax, but I do wonder if there are any scents that would help. Maybe a strong peppermint? Who knows.

[Aria]

I use Zicam Intense Sinus Relief nasal gel...it has menthol & eucalyptus and works very well.

[Cat01]

Don't shoot me for saying this, but the best thing for starters would be to shut off the melters and candles. It is probably a contributor to the problem.

You may be allergic to someone new that you have ordered from, or are developing sinus issues due to the fragrances all the way around.

If you have an air purifier, turn it on for a while to clear things out, and see if it helps.

[cmarie]

Cat, you have a point. I did take a full day completely off from any of my wax stuff, although my main suspicion is that this is either my cat allergy or something seasonal, since it happened right after I had been outside for quite a while. It probably doesn't help matters to be pumping a bunch of fragrance into the air, though. Maybe I'll lay off that for a few more days yet.

DH and I bought a HEPA filter last night and I have had it running continuously ever since. Starting to feel better but not 100% just yet.

Aria, I will have to check out the Zicam. Last night I just used VapoRub but there is probably something better out there.

[Nautilique]

Have you ever tried Neti Pot? It helped me a lot (I don't have ongoing allergies tho)
FEEL BETTER.

[cmarie]

I do have a squeeze bottle for nasal rinses that basically does the same thing as a neti pot. Probably should use it more than I do...anyway, I am feeling better little by little, thanks!

[Stardustgirl]

I rely on more natural remedies since most drugs just don't like me. For stuffy nose / sinuses, chicken soup with onion, garlic and hot pepper sauce works great. If you can't make your own broth from scratch, you could start with any chicken soup as a base and add your own extra spiciness to it. I've also had super-hot wings do the trick.

[candlefan]

When I get sick with a cold, I just pretty much try to make peace with the fact that I'm not going to be smelling much or breathing through my nose for the next few weeks. For some reason, my nasal passages swell up at the drop of a hat anyway! I had sinus surgery, but it didn't help that much.

One thing I have definitely discovered is that the OTC Sudafed decongestant that is currently available on store shelves in most states simply doesn't work. At least in my state, Colorado, the old Sudafed was replaced with a new formulation to prevent it being used in meth manufacturing.

I talked to a pharmacist, and she said lots of people report that the new formulation is pretty much worthless. So I started buying the traditional formula behind the pharmacists counter, and it really helps.

It doesn't completely eliminate my congestion, but it does bring it to a point where I can use other home remedies to pry my sinuses open. I do use a netti pot saline rinse (with goldenseal tincture if I have an active sinus infection) and then I find that keeping my air passages moist with steam helps. A hot shower always feels good when I'm sick anyway!

I haven't tried this yet, but I've heard that inhaling the steam vapors of sage leaves really helps. You just add sage leaves (probably fresh is best, I'm guessing) to a pot with some boiling water to make a "tea" and inhale the steam vapor. It's said to work really well.

This post has been edited by candlefan: 12 March 2011 - 11:27 PM