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Page 48
| popular for this purpose; see the Neti Pot in the appendix. Similar designs are available in some health food stores and catalogs. If you can't find a Neti Pot, ask your pharmacist for a nasal douche apparatus or simply hold salt water in your hand and sniff it up one nostril while you hold the other closed. The more salt water that irrigates sinus passages, the greater the relief. Use enough so that the water drains out through your mouth, washing away debris as it does. |
| To disinfect as you rinse, add a few drops of grapefruit seed or citrus seed extract to the salt solution. Grapefruit seed extract kills bacteria, viruses, yeasts, molds, parasites, fungi and other pathogens on contact. Another therapy recommended by naturopaths is to rinse the nasal passages with goldenseal tea. Be sure the tea is warm, not hot, and add a pinch of salt to make the rinsing more comfortable and effective. Alternatively, add a pinch of salt to warm sage or thyme tea. |
| Facial steam baths help clear sinus passages and allow free breathing. This therapy can be as simple as holding your head over a steaming bowl of chicken soup when you have a cold. If you have a facial sauna, sold in beauty supply shops and some pharmacies, plug it in and inhale. For an aromatherapy treatment, pour boiling water into a bowl to which you have added a few drops of congestion-relieving essential oils, such as eucalyptus, sage, rosemary, ginger or tea tree oil, or use chamomile tea. Make a tent of a large towel to cover your head and the bowl, then breathe the medicated steam for several minutes. Keep your head well above the bowl to prevent scalding, and come out for air as necessary. |
| See the instructions for making a sinus-clearing ginger fomentation on page 58. |
| The herbs Ma huang and goldenseal are specifics for sinus problems. Astringent herbs such as goldenrod, eyebright and elderflowers contain tannins that help dry up excess mucus. Echinacea and garlic fight upper respiratory infections. And don't forget diet. A major cause of chronic |
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