Abigails Herbs

This is the time of year that I love; yet, I hate it too because my allergies really get triggered during the late summer and early autumn season. I am allergic to ragweed and as much as I love the colors of autumn, it gives me painful sinus headaches. Maybe you can relate to what I’m talking about. Anyway, I try not to take sinus decongestants because they dry me up and my heart starts racing faster, which is scary.

I use guided visualization. I envision my head pain and pressure vanishing and that seems to help somewhat. It doesn’t take all the pressure away. So, I have tried taking peppermint oil and saturating a cotton ball with it. Then, when I start to drive my 16-mile commute back and forth to work everyday, I stick the peppermint-soaked cotton ball in the heating vent so I sniff in the soothing oil, and, voila, it takes away the edge off the pressure and pain.

Be mindful that I combine this way of treating the headache with use of a netty pot and saline solution, along with inhaling of eucalyptus too.  I avoid taking pain killers and I use the alternate treatment of natural herbs and plant medicine whenever possible. Peppermint and lavender are very soothing in combination with each other too.

By the way,Dr. Fred Pescatore, M.D. and director of the Centers for Integrative and Complementary Medicine in  NYC and Dallas, reports that people who load up on pain killing meds when they are fighting viruses actually stay sick three days longer because those medications suppress the fever which actually kill the viruses. So, the next time you are sick with a virus, lay in bed and welcome the presence of a fever, since that is what will kill the virus that made you sick in the first place.