Essential Home Remedies: Sinuses

Welcome to the third part of my “Essential Home Remedies” series of articles. I’ve already talked about skincare (here) and stomach problems (here), and today we’re moving up to the head area to talk about sinuses. Got one of these problems? Check out these awesome remedies:

Cold or Flu:Been there, done that. But I never knew that grapefruit could make a difference. Yep, that delicious pink fruit can help you feel way better in no time. Cut a grapefruit into quarters (don’t peel it), place it in a pot filled with water, and heat it to just under a boil. Stir, adding a tablespoon of honey. Pour the mixture into a mug and drink it as a cup of tea. There is vitamin C and flavonoids in the fruit and rind that will help boost your immune system. Plus, the honey and warmth will make your sore throat feel better.

Fresh grapefruit tea will help boost your immune system and make your throat feel better.
Image: prevention.com

Nasal Congestion:The key to getting rid of nasal congestion is getting out any mucus or pollen that might be clogging it up. This can be done using a nasal saline solution from the store, or with a homemade one. Just dissolve a teaspoon of salt in one cup of water, then use a bulb syringe to squirt the liquid up each nostril. This should provide some instant relief, even if it doesn’t make your cold or allergies go away.

Seasonal Allergies: Itchy eyes, runny noses, and sneezing sure have a way of ruining the beautiful spring weather. While there’s no “cure” for seasonal allergies, sufferers can get some relief by using butterbur supplements three times per day. Researchers in Switzerland found that the butterbur worked just as well as antihistamines but didn’t have the side effect of drowsiness.

As with the previous articles on home remedies, these are just suggestions to consider. Before treating yourself, be sure to consult with your doctor or other licensed health professional.

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Essential Home Remedies: Stomach

Last week, I talked about several easy home remedies totreat minor skin ailments like rashes and acne. This week, I’d like to go down that same road but for internalproblems instead. When you’ve got a stomachache or suddenly find yourself feeling nauseous, it’s not convenient to make a trip to the store. Keep these items around the house for an all-natural solution to your problems.

Ginger root can calm an upset stomach.

Nausea: It happens to the best of us: you’re doing fine and then all of a sudden you’re not. You’re nauseous and uncomfortable. No Pepto Bismol to save you? Try sugar—that’s mostly what OTC remedies are made up of, anyway. Have some sugary syrup (like from a can of fruit) or drink some (flat) soda. Ginger and peppermint are also natural stomach settlers, so having a ginger ale, chewing some fresh ginger, or even eating a Peppermint Patty can help.

Diarrhea:No one like to talk about it, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen. If you’ve got a case of the runs, try making some tea with pomegranate skin in it. Steep about 1 tablespoon in a cup of boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Oak bark works, too, if you boil for 3 minutes then let it steep for 30 minutes. Drink 2 tablespoons 4-6 times per day. Why do these remedies work? They contain tannins, which promote the production of mucus in the stomach lining and protect it from further irritation.

Pomegranate skin tea can help treat diarrhea.

Food Poisoning:If you’ve got food poisoning, you’ll need something to absorb the toxins. Brew some black tea and make some burned toast. Tannic acid and charcoal (the burned part on the toast) will help soak up those toxins and get you feeling better faster. However, if you have extreme food poisoning, go see the doctor.

Hangover Queasiness: Alcohol drains your body, dehydrates it, and generally makes it unhappy. If you wake up after a night of drinking and feel sick, try drinking a cup of tomato juice with a bit of Tabasco sauce. Sounds suspiciously like a Bloody Mary, I know, but hear me out. The antioxidants in the tomato juice and Tabasco will get your liver going again and supplies your body with much-needed antioxidants to kick-start the recovery process.

Has anyone tried these remedies? I keep ginger tablets on hand for queasiness, and I’ve used sugar to help relieve nausea before. Be sure to let me know if there are any other natural remedies you use for upset stomachs—who knows, maybe I’ll add them onto the list!

Stay tuned for the next part of this series: Sinus and Throat. I’ve got a few more home remedies to share that I think you’ll all appreciate. And with spring in full swing, natural allergy remedies will be ever so useful!

Remember that these are just suggestions to consider. Before treating yourself, be sure to consult with your doctor or other licensed health professional. Be sure to share your natural remedy experiences in the comments below! J

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Can Acupuncture Help Fight Allergies?

Seasonal allergies start earlier than they used to
Image from treehugger.com

I don’t suffer from allergies (thank goodness), but I’m pretty sure that puts me in the minority of people. My mother gets terrible hay fever and I can remember her having to pull the car over when I was a child because she couldn’t stop sneezing. Colleagues of mine often seem sick, but when I ask, the response is always the same:

“It’s just allergies.”

Spring allergies are always the worst, with new flowers blooming, pollen and seeds being released into the air. And with global temperatures rising, spring seems to come earlier every year—which means allergies come early, too. It’s not quite March yet, but many are already feeling the first hints of spring allergies.

Lots of people suffer from seasonal allergies
Image from wikipedia.com

A study from Germany, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, has suggested that seasonal allergies may be treated using acupuncture. Participants in the study were placed into one of two groups and either 1) given acupuncture over eight weeks alongside Zyrtec, or 2) given “fake” acupuncture over eight weeks alongside Zyrtec.

Researchers for the study commented that the results were statistically significant and showed that acupuncture did have a positive effect on those who received treatment. However, the statistical results may not translate well practically. Researchers did acknowledge that “no effect of active treatment on individual symptom severity could be shown.”

Heather Rice, a licensed acupuncturist at the University of California Ivine’s Susan Samueli Center for Integrative Medicine, says she’s seen acupuncture in action—and believes it works.

Acupuncture might help with seasonal allergies
Image from naturechronicle.com

“One thing I notice almost immediately is that in just 30 minutes, they [patients] say, ‘Oh my God, I can actually breathe,’” she said. “I don’t want to say it’s 100 percent, but with at least 8 out of 10 people, their noses will open up. They can breathe better, and they’re not as congested.”

Whereas Western medicine requires that allergy sufferers take regular doses of antihistamines, those who favor acupuncture say that treatments are just once a week.

Unfortunately, this new study is inconclusive. Follow up will need to be conducted to determine just how helpful acupuncture really is. Thus far, there is not a wealth of scientific evidence in its favor—but that certainly doesn’t mean that it’s not effective, just that we haven’t proved anything yet.

For now, if you have an effective treatment for allergies, then that may be the best route. But if not, it couldn’t hurt to give acupuncture a try. After all, some people have sworn by its effectiveness.  

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Mirror, Mirror on the… Hey, Is That a Wrinkle?!

Wrinkles: at some point in our lives, we’ll all get them. It’s a natural part of aging and goes along with the degradation of collagen in our bodies. And while we will inevitably find more and more wrinkles on our hands and faces as we age, there are a few things research has taught us over the years that may help slow wrinkles down.

Getting wrinkles is a natural part of aging.
Image from inbetweenathlete.com

The number one cause of wrinkles is sun. That means if you’re set on spending all summer, every summer out in the sunlight getting your tan on, you’ll likely see more wrinkles sooner than those who work hard to protect their skin. Need proof? Last summer a story was featured on the NY Post about a trucker who spent 28 years on the road with half his face in the sun. You can literally see the difference sun makes by looking at one half of his face as compared to the other.

Pulling all-nighters takes its toll as well. When your body doesn’t get enough sleep, it produces and excess of cortisol, which breaks down skin cells. When you do get enough sleep, your body produces Human Growth Hormone (HGH) instead, which keeps your skin healthy and thick. Furthermore, if you always sleep on the same side or on your stomach, you may eventually develop permanent sleep lines on your face that don’t go away.

Half of this trucker's face is badly damaged from sun
Image from nypost.com

What you eat affects wrinkles as well. Whole foods boost collagen, while processed and sugary foods do the opposite. Foods like salmon, which contains plenty of fatty acids, helps keep skin supple and smooth. Soy has also been found to help improve firmness. Antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables (especially berries and dark leafy greens) also help fight any skin damage you may have. Green and black teas also include antioxidants to help slow collagen degradation.

Have you ever noticed that men and women who are physically fit seem to age slower? That’s because building muscle tone through strength training and yoga helps prevent sagging and delivers oxygen throughout your body (including to your skin!).

Being happy leads to fewer wrinkles.
Image from farm3.staticflickr.com

When skin gets dry, it cracks, bleeds—and wrinkles. Drinking enough water keeps skin moisturized and clean. Moisturizers with peptidesin them also help keep skin healthy, so check your ingredients list. Moisturizer should be applied just after washing skin because the dampness can help lock in more moisture. If you’ve already noticed some wrinkles appearing, try a retinol cream. Dabbing on a small amount can help repair skin and reduce wrinkles.

Last, but certainly not least, happiness and independence from chemical substances helps prevent wrinkles. Those who smoke or drink alcohol on a regular basis may develop more wrinkles than those who do not. Studies have also indicated that people who are optimistic about life and in a happy relationship also had fewer wrinkles and looked younger.

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