Natural Cure For Sinus Infection

July 2, 2011 by  
Filed under Natural cures For Headache

Sinus infections can be painful and uncomfortable. Antibiotics are usually prescribed to treat sinus infections but they are not the recommended long term solutions. I suffer from sinusitis and found that natural sinus remedies work best for me.

Here are some you can try.

First, drink plenty of water and other liquids. Mucous can thicken but keeping hydrated can help to thin the mucous. Drink water, tea or other clear beverages.

Stay away from dairy products. Some doctors believe that dairy products, including milk, cheese and even ice cream, may actually cause more mucous to form. Try avoiding these products when you have a sinus infection.

Try to treat a cold as soon as you get it. Lingering colds may make conditions right for a sinus infection. Use zinc supplements to help shorten the life of a cold and get plenty of rest.

Eat foods that are rich in antioxidants. These foods include berries, broccoli, tomatoes, garlic, red grapes and spinach that help to boost the immune system and may prevent sinus infections.

Try a steam treatment for your sinuses. Sinus infections can occur when mucous becomes thick and won’t drain properly. Steam can help keep mucous loose and moving through the sinuses.

Apply moist heat to the face to keep sinuses open. There are some heat packs available that can be warmed up easily in the microwave and held on the face as needed.

Apply a cold compress to the forehead and sinus areas relieve a sinus headache. The coolness will help shrink the membranes and provide relief from sinus headache pain. For best results apply as soon as the headache starts.

Take vitamin supplements to ensure your body is getting the proper nutrients daily. Potassium supplements will help dry up mucous.

Add apple cider vinegar to your facial steam. You can also drink it diluted in water to help a sinus infection that is just starting. Some people report great results using this holistic cure for sinus infection.

Use herbal remedies for a sinus infection. Herbal cures have been used for centuries and are safer and more effective than traditional medicines. Use eucalyptus or peppermint extract as an inhalant to clear sinus cavities. Either one can be added to a steam.

To sleep better during bouts of sinus attack, drink a cup of tea before bed. Chamomile tea is particularly useful for calming the body and mind before bedtime.

Try sinus irrigation. This is done using nasal irrigator that puts warm water into the sinuses. It can be found at most health food stores. Follow the directions on the box.

Learn the signs of an impending sinus infection and take precautions to prevent it from becoming worse. A stuffy nose that won’t seem to clear is a signal that mucous is thickening and is not moving. If left alone it may turn into a sinus infection.

Talk to a holistic doctor or herbalist to get advice on treating specific sinus problem. There are many natural remedies to help fight a sinus infection without the use of prescription medication.

Keep the use of drug medications to a minimum. They may have long-term negative effects on the body and tend to lose their effectiveness if taken too frequently. You may have to try several of the above-mentioned remedies to find the natural cure for your sinus infection.

3 Natural Cures For A Migraine Headache

July 2, 2011 by  
Filed under Natural cures For Headache

Only a migraine sufferer understands the pain. Regardless of how the migraine starts the end result is the same – excruciating pain that renders you helpless. Walking hurts, breathing hurts. Even thinking hurts.

People often discount migraines without any true understanding of the suffering a migraine can inflict. They treat migraine sufferers like hypochondriacs or drama queens. This is simply not so. There are any number of painkillers and pills available to help curb the pain. The issue here is that many of these painkillers require repeat prescriptions and involve an ongoing cost. The other side effect of many of the prescribed medicines is that they can help with the pain of the migraine headache itself but tend to have a “knockout” effect on the sufferer.

Most migraine sufferers will be familiar with the “where did the day go?” effect of many of the stronger painkillers. There are natural remedies to the migraine plague. They’re simple and cheap (if not free). None of these are to replace prescribed medication but can be used in conjunction with your medication to bring relief about faster. They also complement each other.

Dark Room

If you suffer from migraine headaches and an attack begins then find the quietest, darkest spot in your home and lay down there. The area or should also be relatively warm to allow you to relax faster. Your eyes should remain covered but open. This usually means using some sort of blindfold but a scarf, long handkerchief or other material works just fine. Keep your eyes open as much as possible because experience has shown that shutting your eyes to try and cope with the pain uses extra facial and jaw muscles that can just increase the problem and not cure it.

If an attack has already begun then follow the same routine and take whatever prescribed medication you have.

Relaxed Breathing

A migraine attack generally brings on a sort of anxiety attack in the sufferer. They know how much it’s going to hurt so their heart rate increases. This increase in blood flow makes the problem worse. Once you’ve retreated to the quiet, dark area and covered your eyes from any possible stimuli then breathing is the next area to focus on. You must let your breathing relax. Panicked breathing will increase the pain you’re already experiencing.

To allow your breathing to relax follow these steps:

1. Take a long slow deep breath and exhale equally slowly.

2. Again take a long, slow deep breath. As you’re slowly inhaling focus on the sensation of the air filling your lungs. Feel the air filling your body. Once you’ve inhaled as much as is comfortable again exhale slowly. As you’re exhaling focus on the sensation of the air leaving your lungs and escaping through your mouth. Breathe out completely.

3. Repeat the process of inhaling slowly, focusing on the sensation of the air filling your lungs and exhaling slowly 4 or 5 more times.

4. By the fourth repetition you should notice that your breathing is far more relaxed and calm. Your heart rate should now also have lowered back to a resting rate and you may even feel slightly sleepy. If so embrace that feeling and allow yourself to fall asleep.

Lavender Oil

This is the final step in the process. Lavender oil is renowned for its medicinal properties and this is doubly so for migraine headaches. Lavender oil is cheap and completely safe to use. Only use pure Lavender oil for treating migraines – lavender scented fragrances or scented oils are useless. It must be the purest lavender oil you can find.

If you feel a migraine attack coming then grab your lavender oil. Place a single drop of pure, undiluted lavender oil on each temple or behind each ear. Also place 2 or 3 drops of undiluted lavender oil on the pillow you’re going to rest on.

Combined with a quiet, dark room and the deep breathing technique the lavender oil provides that final “punch” in the natural treatments. The scent of the oil will relax you and simply inhaling lavender infused air helps to ease the pain of a migraine almost immediately.