Oh, My Aching Nose!

February 03, 2012

Oh my gosh! I am struggling so much with my allergies. Are you? You know, those pesky allergies that usually go away during the winter after we’ve experienced a long, hard freeze. This winter we love the higher temperatures, but for allergy sufferers, our noses are either clogged or dripping.  I am at a total loss as to what to take and have been on one antibiotic after another only to find out that it’s just my allergies. Just my allergies! Just! For the sufferer, that’s a pain in the nose, head, and neck.

Usually I struggle during the spring, summer, and fall, not much during the winter. From the other side of the service desk, I hear more and more customers complaining about their allergies. "It’s not a cold or anything, just bad allergies. The weather is up one day and then down the next, and that always messes with me," they say while sniffing, sneezing and coughing over the counter.

Before taking a trip to our local vitamin store to look at some homeopathic solutions for my allergies, I took a trip to MCPL’s catalog and checked out a few books to do some research. I found the books below to be very educational and written in simple terms, so that I was armed with a slew of information to ask the clerk at the store. Did you know that homeopathic nasal sprays might be as effective as the conventional sprays for the stuffy nose or how the power of deep breathing allows you to interrupt the stress cycle of the allergy issue and helps you to concentrate on the breath rather than the lack of air in the nasal passages? Yoga is also a good source of relaxation and helps you to concentrate on your breathing. Simply deep-breathe in and out while holding one side of your nose, then repeat it on the other side; this will help clear the passages.

So often it is easier to pop a pill than to take the time to be still, listen to our bodies, and try some natural remedies. I’ve noticed that over the years, if I take a medication for one ailment, it irritates another. This year I chose to educate myself, try some new natural therapies and--Voila! I’ve mastered it. Here are some resources that helped me and that you might find useful in treating your aching nose too.

The Sinus Cure : Seven Simple Steps to Relieve Sinusitis and Other Ear, Nose, and Throat Conditions by Bruce and Debra Fulghum

Living with Chronic Sinusitis: the Complete Health Guide to Preventing and Treating, Colds, Nasal Allergies, Rhinitis and Sinusitis by David W. Kennedy

Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well with Food Allergies by Sloane Miller

Beth F.
Boardwalk Branch