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Page 45
| relaxing nervines will help, including chamomile, oatstraw and valerian. Massaging the chest with an aromatic balm is also recommended. |
| Earaches |
| Aching ears aren't really a respiratory condition, but earaches often accompany colds, hay fever or allergy attacks and sinus infections. They are especially common in small children, and children treated with antibiotics usually suffer recurring infections. |
| If treated at the onset of symptoms such as rubbing the ears, irritability, fussiness or complaints of ear pain, infections can be avoided. Buy or make an ear oil using olive oil, garlic and/or mullein flowers (see page 58). Warm the oil to a comfortable temperature and drop a few drops down each ear 6 to 10 times daily. Warm oil is the most widely recommended therapy for ear pain. |
| Because diet is so often implicated in ear infections, Rosemary Gladstar recommends that all congestion-causing foods be avoided (her list includes eggs, dairy, wheat and sugar in all forms) by infected children and their nursing mothers. |
| Any relaxing tea, such as chamomile or oatstraw, will be helpful, as are teas containing infection-fighting herbs such as echinacea and goldenseal. |
| Emphysema |
| Now known officially as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD, emphysema often accompanies chronic bronchitis. It is caused by a lack of elasticity in the lungs, usually due to constant coughing. When the lungs cannot expand and contract with ease, it is difficult breathe. Emphysema often brings a distinctive deep wheezing that interrupts |
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