photo courtesy of marin at http://freedigitalphotos.net
When the Geek and I met, we lived in different states. When we decided to marry, we had to decide where we wanted to live.
It didn’t take me very long to decide that Houston was NOT where I wanted to raise my family. It’s my hometown (we moved here when I was a baby) and I hate the weather, hate the traffic, and am terrified of the school systems in my area.
Raising my children here, when they could be raised in the country with wide open fields, cows, small-town values and room to run, play and explore seemed kind of stupid.
So I moved.
I’ve lived in my new home for almost 4 years now, and this is one of the longest visits I’ve had back in Houston since I left.
I’ve spent half of it feeling like I am going to die.
HOW did I live here as long as I did? I can’t even imagine it now! My sinuses are absolutely wonky, and my allergies are going nuts. My eyes feel like they’re about to pop out of my head, I have a headache that pounds pounds POUNDS in my head and will not go away, my nose is simultaneously stuffed up so I can’t breathe and running profusely.
It. Is. Miserable.
When I lived in Houston, I lit up like a Christmas tree every time I did an allergic prick test. After only a few months of living in my new home, I got my first ever “clean” allergy test – NO allergies at all!
Living in Houston, I used to buy Benadryl in bottles of 500 pills, and popped Sudafed like it was candy. I guess THAT is how I lived here for so long.
Oh, and regular visits to the Allergist for the “Magic” shot – B12 – and some prednisone so I could breathe.
What a way to live, huh?
Right now, I can’t take anything to help. Even if I got medicines compounded to be safe, it would still be medicines like Benadryl and Sudafed that tend to dry up your milk, and I can’t risk destroying my sons ONLY food supply just because I have the sniffles.
Even if the sniffles are of the “beat you to death with snot” and “make you want to die” variety.
Then last night, my ears started hurting. Like, impending ear infection pain. SO not good, especially in light of the fact that I can’t take anything, and would prefer to avoid antibiotics as the gut flora damage they cause is, I believe, a big part of why my family has so many ailments.
I remember reading somewhere in the last two years about using oil to heal infections, but I couldn’t remember WHAT the concept was…so I – once again – turned to Dr. Google! “Healing ear infections without antibiotics” was what I searched for, and I found some interesting information about using garlic and olive oil to treat yourself.
The concept is simple: olive oil and garlic are natural antibiotics, and so you crush some garlic, put it in some olive oil and warm it, then let it get to just above body temperature and put 2-3 drops in your ear. Wait about a minute and drain the oil out. Repeat for the other ear.
You’re supposed to do this at least 2-3 times per day and anecdotal Mama evidence says it clears ear infections right up!
So I got my olive oil/garlic combo going, put it in my ears, and you know what? Within 30 minutes, my ears weren’t really hurting any more.
Thank you, God! I’m so relieved to find something that is non-invasive, natural, and works! Try it for yourself or your kids if ear pain pops up before heading off to the doctor. (Caveat: the advice I read online said NOT to use this on children younger than 2. Do so at your own risk!)
Still, the olive oil and garlic doesn’t fix my pounding head or the out of whack nose, so…
I can’t WAIT to go home!
Has anyone else noticed geographic connections to environmental allergies? What places make your head explode? Have you ever tried garlic and olive oil for an ear infection? Did it work?
