Practice Safe Herbalism!

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herbal safety

The Poison Garden’s gate at Alnwick Gardens.

Don’t Eat What You Can’t Name
*a Pagan morality tale from yours truly, originally posted @ Pagan Forum*

I once knew a talented fellow
That could weave a tale, fierce or mellow
But never did he ever learn
The leaf of tree, wildflower, or fern

So when one night, he deigned to gather
Parts of plants he thought would matter
And he boiled them in a brew to drink
Then promptly expired in a lather, I think.

Don’t Wipe With It, Either
*an alternative ending by Perzephone @ Pagan Forum*

I once knew a talented fellow
That could weave a tale, fierce or mellow
But never did he ever learn
The leaf of tree, wildflower, or fern

So when one night, he deigned to gather
Parts of plants he thought wouldn’t matter
Cleaning his regions most tender
A fearsome red rash he did render

Lately, I’ve seen and heard several DIY ideas and herbal recipes and concoctions on blog posts and FB statuses on different pages that have made me cringe. Please, please do plenty of research before you use any recipe or herb you see on the internet or outside of a reliable herbal guide*…especially if you are intending it for a child, a pregnant woman, or a furry friend.  In fact, I feel so strongly about this that even though I just posted it on the blog’s FB page, I’m posting it here as well as a second reminder (and, I know some of you aren’t FB users)!

I’ve been practicing herbalism for over a decade, and I still always ALWAYS double (and triple) check dosage, contraindications, interactions, and any new information that has come about about the safety** and efficacy of an herb before I use it in a manner that is not consistent with my personal normal use. ALWAYS. Because you never have the excuse of “well, I didn’t know” or “But so-and-so on the internet said its what they did” when it is someone else’s life and health at stake.  Please practice safe herbalism!

A QUICK REMINDER ON HERBAL SAFETY
(this is by no means a definitive list)

• NEVER assume that because a herbal remedy is “natural” that it is “safe”.
• NEVER assume that because an herbal remedy works a certain way in an adult that it will work the same way in a child.
• NEVER assume that because an herbal remedy is safe for us that it is safe for our pets.
• NEVER assume that just because something is being used topically or for cosmetic purposes that it can’t be toxic.
• NEVER assume that a magical herb should be used medicinally or cosmetically.

• ALWAYS research all of the herbs (whether they are being used in an infusion, as an essential oil, etc) that you are using.
• ALWAYS check their toxicity for whomever you are planning to use them on AND those that might come into contact with them accidentally–human or animal (or for that matter plant).
• ALWAYS check for contraindications with medical conditions and medications and allergies.
• ALWAYS double and triple check your dosages and measurements.
• ALWAYS be 100% sure of your identification of a plant if you are foraging, AND that you are gathering it from a safe place–if you are not sure, DO NOT USE IT. Otherwise, be sure the company or individual you are getting your herbs from is reputable.

Addendum:

*I use the term “reliable herbal guide” fairly broadly–your “guide” to herbalism might be a professional herbalist or a really, really good herbal, or a combination of in person, in print and (accurate and reliable) internet sources.  Unless your cousin’s girl friend’s uncle’s tarot card reader is any of those things, they don’t qualify.  Nor, for that matter, do I.  I try to be as reliable, accurate, researched and multi-sourced as possible before I post anything, but I’m certainly not perfect.

**Also, if working with poisonous plants is a goal of yours, for whatever reason, that’s fine.  I’m not one to pass judgement, I work with a number of plants that aren’t entirely safe myself.  They have a valid spot in magical herbalism for those of us of the witchy persuasion.  But please, please, please be smart about it.  Keep both herbs and the tools used to process them out of the reach of children and pets.  Have a separate set of tools for those substances (don’t make smoothies in the blender you pulverize arnica in).  Get training from someone that knows what they are doing.  Respect the plant, and don’t push the limits of safety, use them properly and in the correct dosages.  Be wary of working with herbs that are addictive in nature, particularly if you have a history of addiction, or it runs in the family.

What you can, As you are able

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first responder, life and death, pagan first responders, The Wild Hunt

The Wild Hunt has an interesting (and good) piece on first responders and the role of faith (I recommend going and reading it).  The author makes mention of how other religions view the role of a first responder from their particular faith tradition and asks these questions of our own communities:

What is the role of Pagan theology in the mindset of the first responder? We don’t have referential texts to guide our sense of transformative justice or “Godliness” as it were. Is there any religiously-based ethic that drives Pagan first responders?

Yes.

Or perhaps, YES!  And I don’t think it stops with first resonders or first response situations.  Anyone that is religious (regardless of the religion) and works with people in a heath care setting, in the aftermath of tragedy, or in moments of personal crisis has probably developed a perspective on what they do and how or why they do it, that is in some way and shape informed by their religion or spirituality.

I was Pagan when got my first job a lifeguard.  After that, I was in the United States Navy for six years, and for four of them I was a Hospital Corpsman* (and for two of those years, one of my duties was being a victim’s advocate for sexual assault).  In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never rushed into a burning building, I’ve never been shot at, I’ve not been in combat, and I’ve never delivered a baby on the side of the road in a snow storm.  But I have drilled and trained for events like them.  I have been on the ship’s fire party at a fire, I’ve been in full MOPP gear for hours on end (thankfully a false alarm), and I’ve pulled more than my fair share of people to safety (on and off duty) from the water.   I’ve held the living and the dying and I have cried, bled and sweat for both.  I’m not saying that to boast, or for credit of any sort (there are many  people out there that have seen and done far more than I have); rather I’m saying this for some perspective for what amounts to my personal ethic on the matter.    At the end of the day, I’m just a chick that had a job and an odd compulsion to run towards shit that other people would rather run away from.

Life is a gift. When you can give it, do so with humility; when you must take it, do so with mercy.  And when you can do neither, offer all of the comfort and dignity that you can muster, for the person whose hand you are holding.  

For the most part, the above has been an idea that has come after the fact.  I never particularly thought about my theological or philosophical opinions about life and death or living and dying when I was on the job.  There really isn’t time for religion when you are doing CPR or even just stitching someone up.  You do what has to be done because its what has to be done.  You’ve trained enough to assess the situation and do what has to be done because its become second nature.  And when you come across something that you haven’t trained for, you do what you can to the best of your ability until someone with more training comes along.  In the moment, the only thing you think about is the moment.

Instead, my spiritual practices have been what I’ve found useful–grounding and centering to get through everything from adrenaline and fatigue to despair and elation with a cool head, cleansing to let go of the events of the day before going home to family or out with friends, or a blessing before heading in and a moment of thanks upon coming out.  And like the training of what to do for a broken bone or an electrical fire, they are only really useful because they’ve been practiced to the point that they are instinctive.  Paganism might not have an authoritative text to offer a theological perspective on service before self, or the nature of healing, or the value of life…instead we have a plethora of ideas and ideals on those matters.  What I think our religious traditions can offer though, is a set of practices (common to contemporary Paganism) that can be incredibly valuable to the Pagan that does disaster work, or is a medic, or a police officer, etc.

*If you aren’t familiar with the term, the closest analog would be “medic”…but being a corpsman is  more than being a medic (since most of us equate the term with paramedic).  A corpsman is doctor and nurse on ships at sea without them, they are the paramedic and the ER technician and the CNA and LPN at the hospital, they are the person the draws your blood,  shoots your x-rays, that conducts your lab tests,  passes out condoms, keeps your records, gives shots, delivers babies, acts as the FDA inspector and the Orkin Man, fixes broken bones, teaches first aid and CPR…and the list goes on.  There is no civilian equivalent to the Hospital Corpsman, and really, there is no equivalent to the Hospital Corpsman in either the Air Force or the Army, which both divy up the role of a corpsman into many different jobs (if you are wondering why I didn’t mention the Marines, its because Hospital Corpsman are their medics).

Extra note: The title for this post comes from something a patient of mine once told me…he’d been a Hospital Corpsman in Korea and Vietnam and he wasn’t doing so well…he was also one of my favorite patients.  I asked him one day, what made a good corpsman, and his answer what that “What makes a good corpsman is what makes a good person–the only thing that counts, whether you are in the field or on the ward, in wartime or in peace, at work or at home, is that you do what you can, the best that you are able, for as long as you are needed.”

 

Sex is a Lifetime Conversation

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birth control, bodily autonomy, body image, parenting, reproductive health, sex education, the sex talk

All of existence, at some level, is part of a sacredness of the cycle of creation and destruction.  The very act of be-ing is sacred.  The body is sacred, sex is sacred, joy, pain, anger, hope…the earth, the land, the sea, the sky…each other.

We are sacred.  Children of the gods, of the Divine, of the Earth, or of the Universe…whatever you want to call us.

(me)

The Hubby and I don’t believe in The Sex Talk.  We believe in talking to our kids about sex (and gender and sexuality), we just think it should be a life-long conversation.  We think its so important, that we took the time to discuss these ideas while the kids were still in the womb, and its been an ongoing conversation behind the scenes too.  It seems odd to me that we (as a culture) would leave this sort of topic to just a talk…we wouldn’t teach children to read in a single lesson, we shouldn’t teach them about their bodies and their hearts that way either.

(better than nothing, I suppose)

I suppose it is better than leaving them in the dark completely, or worse, that its deviant or evil or unclean.  I’ve met those people,  in my official capacity when I was a corpsman in the Navy and unofficially when I overheard a conversation in the hallway at college or the mall…people who didn’t know how they got an STD, or why their behavior was risky…people that had never been taught to use a condom properly, or taught how to get a partner to use one, or taught about how their body actually worked, or how their partner’s body actually worked.   And that scares me…ignorance is how diseases spread, it is how people get pregnant before they are equipped to handle it, how people end up taking advantage of a drunk partner, and how people end up feeling shamed and guilty when they are raped.  It seems just as odd (though understandable) that we would not teach our male children the same thing we teach our female children and our female children the same things we teach our male children–there is a good chance that our children will need that information when they consider their partners later on, and even if they don’t, they might need that information for their own opposite geneder children or friends later on.

In our family, we’ve made the body, including its reproductive capabilities, and healthy relationships, including sexual ones, an ongoing discussion in our family since the kids could talk.  Chickadee is six, and so far (because she has expressed an interest), she knows where babies come from, the biological differences between males and females, that some people might be biologically male and feel female on the outside (and vice versa), and the general mechanics of what sex is (Sharkbait is 4, and he just could care less, so he pretty much knows his own anatomy and that his sister doesn’t have it).  And guess what?!?The more Chickadee (and eventually Sharkbait) knows, the less impressed she is by any of it, and the more she understands about her own body and how it works (and how it is hers).  She also knows that families are all different, that some are two women or two men (her best friend when we visit Grandma has two mommies, as she says), that some are grandparents, or a mom without a dad, or a dad without a mom, etc.  Kids are smart, and I don’t think that for most children, it is too much of a stretch to expect that they will put those things together.  Personally, I would rather have built the “street credit” with my child before hand.

I was lucky enough to have that kind of upbringing (albeit on a more limited basis that what we envision for our children), my husband was not.  Growing up, I would never have wanted to talk about sex with my dad.  In fact, at my wedding (after having lived with The Hubby for about six months), my dad (jokingly) said “So……..you’re still a virgin, right?”.  My response was “Dad, even when I pop out a grandkid, I’ll still be a virgin just so you don’t have to think about it!”  His response was “Thank god, because I’d have no idea what to tell you if you were” followed by an awkward pause and “You are on birth control, right? You will have a better relationship if you wait a couple years.”

Good advice, but still…thank goodness my momma was a nurse and they had decided to put her in charge of my sex ed.   Even then, it was entirely about heterosexual sexuality, and mainly in the context of the mechanics of sex for the purpose of preventing pregnancy and STD’s.  My mom was a nurse, and I don’t ever remember not knowing about what sex was, even if I didn’t know about the variety of sexual relationships until much later.  I vaguely remember this book, called Where Did I Come From (and really, its decent).

(the video is the animated version of the book)

In an open and encouraging family where sex and sexuality is treated as something normal, I’m hoping that we, the parents, are where these conversations start (and where they end up) before (and after) the big wide world has had its chance at misinformation.  (I might add that means we actually need to know what we are talking about when we start talking about sex…and that we need to be modeling the tone in a relationship that we would like for our children to experience as well)

I think that it is our responsibility as parents to teach our children the biology of their body and the mechanics of sex and preventing pregnancy and disease.  But that isn’t our only responsibility to our children.  We also need to make sure that our children know how to use that knowledge, that they are self-aware enough to understand if they are not ready (and when they are), that they value themselves enough to be able to say “NO” under pressure from someone they love.  We need to make sure they have enough knowledge to enjoy it (if we are all honest, we all know that it takes some work to get it spectacular) and that they know it is okay to enjoy sex with a consenting (and hopefully committed  partner.  We need to teach them about masturbation and heterosexuality as part of the norm of human sexuality and not something to be ashamed of.  As a Pagan (in a way that I don’t think I would have, were I still Christian, even the liberal and progressive sort of Christianity of my youth) I want my children to know that their bodies are precious, and that they are sacred…and that covering them up (or not) is their choice.

I think this is especially important when it comes to bodily autonomy, which is a problem for all children, male and female, gay and straight. Raising children with fuzzy ideas of bodily autonomy puts themselves and others in very real danger.  We live in a culture that has perverted the images of health and beauty, that has glorified rape, that has pigeonholed gender roles, and that shames women for daring to enjoy sex.  If we don’t start this conversation now, and lay the foundation for our children to have a healthy attitude towards their own bodies, someone else will teach them to be ashamed of themselves, to live fearful of what others might do to them, and worse, to think they deserve it.

So readers, what about you, what are your own plans with your children (whether you have any yet or not)? OR, what how have you handled this already, for those of you with older kids?  Is their an age that you thing it *should* be brought up? Or do you think it should wait until they bring it up? Are their subjects that you think are taboo? How would/did you broach topics like homosexuality, masturbation, fetishes, birth control? How do you handle nudity in your home? How do you handle your teen age daughter wanting a vibrator (a conversation I overheard at the store once)–or son wanting the male equivalent, or either a girl or a boy being open about wanting porn (personally, I thought it was pretty impressive to see that sort of honest and comfortable relationship between a parent and kid at that age)?  How do you think your family’s religion and spirituality should inform ideas like body image or sexuality?

Herbal Remedies: Foot Pain & Funky Feet

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alternative medicine, athletes foot, feet, foot problems, herbal remedies, massage therapy, plantar fasciitis

Somehow, we tend to forget about our feet.

And yet, there are a number of things that can “go wrong” with our feet.  Many of them can be prevented or lessened by proper nutrition, exercise, and hygiene, some of them can be healed with time and alternative therapies from massage to specialized exercise.

As always, (the disclaimer) I am not a physician.  I have medical experience and I have a long time interest in herbalism, that is all.  This information is not meant as a substitute to actual medical care from a medical professional.  Use at your own terms and at your own risk.  And for Pete’s sake, if you think that you have a serious injury, please go to the emergency room!!

Athletes Foot 

*Soak your feet in warm water with salt and baking soda added (1 quart of water to 1 tablespoon salt and 2 tablespoons baking soda) for at least 10 minutes at least once a day until the problem clears up.
*Slather 5 drops tea tree essential oil, 5 drops lavender essential oil, and 2 drops lemon essential oil in 1 tsp carrier oil massaged onto the feet.
*Allow your feet and your shoes to air out thoroughly as often as possible.  Wear clean socks.  Keep your feet dry and they should stay happy…
*Some herbalists recommend taking garlic orally (for dosing information, try here)

There is one item of G.I. gear that can be the difference between a live grunt and a dead grunt. Socks. Cushioned sole, O.D. green. Try and keep your feet dry. When we’re out humpin’, I want you boys te remember to change your socks whenever we stop. The Mekong will eat a grunts feet right off his legs.

Thus speaks Lt. Dan, from Forrest Gump

Plantar Fasciitis

One of the most common causes of heel and foot pain, Plantar Fasciitis is the straining of the plantar fascia (the ligament that runs from the heel to the toe and forms the arch of the foot) and associated inflammation.  If you are on your feet a lot (particularly on hard surfaces), overweight, pregnant, have high arches or flat feet, wearing worn out or improperly fitted foot wear, or you have tight Achilles tendons or calf muscles, you may be prone to PF.  If you wake up in the morning and have pain in your feet for the first few steps until you get “warmed up”, and after taking stairs or on a long walk, it might be Plantar Fasciitis.  To treat PF, try to stay off your feet for a bit first.  Also, make sure your shoes fit properly, offer arch support, and are in good condition–consider inserts as an option if needed.  Keep in mind that it can take upwards of 12 weeks for PF to resolve.

• Pain relievers can help with pain from PF…this is one of those times when the miracle of modern pharmaceuticals has herbs beat, period.  It will only help with the pain, and it does not fix the underlying problem, but…go ibuprofen!
•  Stretching the foot regularly, as well as the Achilles tendon and calf muscle, can help relieve PF.  For a list of stretches, check here.
• If you think Achilles and calf tightness is part of the underlying problem, you may want to consider night time splints, which keep your feet at a 90 degree angle.  Also, if you are a stomach sleeper,  change your sleeping position–stomach sleeping requires your feet to be pointed which results in shortening your calf muscles for about 8 hours of your day, leading to lack of flexibility and PF.  Night splints make it much more difficult (if not nearly impossible) to sleep on your stomach.
• For PF, you may want to consider alternative hot and cold baths for your foot/feet.  Another option for cold therapy is using a frozen juice can and rolling it under your foot along your arch (if you don’t like the cold, you can do this with a rolling pin or tennis ball).
• Foot and lower leg massage!  An oil infused with arnica and chamomile, may be helpful in encouraging healing and relieving pain.  A foot bath can also be prepared with these herbs.
• Some herbalists recommend taking ginger, or other anti-inflammatory herbs, internally to reduce pain and swelling in the foot, caused by PF.

Calluses and Corns

Corns and calluses are both areas of thickened skin caused by excess friction and pressure.  Corns are tender areas generally on top or side of the toe, while calluses are less tender and located on the soles of the feet (or palms of the hands).  Corns and calluses might not be attractive, but they generally don’t cause problems either.  Diabetes or other circulatory problems can be problematic though, so consult with your physician if this is an issue.  Infection is also a possibility though, so if this is suspected, see a professional.

In the mean time, the best way to get rid of calluses and corns is to stop whatever causes the irritation of the skin, within a few weeks, it they should resolve on their own.  For many people, this goes back to the ill fitting shoe problem.  Either way, don’t cut your calluses off!  Instead, soak your feet (or hands) in a foot bath, exfoliate (pumice stones are your friend!), and slather your feet up with some salve.

Metatarsalgia

Pain in the ball of the foot, where the metatarsal joint are–basically, the ball of the foot behind the toes.  Metatarsalgia has the same symptoms and most of the same causes as PF, it just effects a different part of the foot.  One thing to be wary of–metatarsalgia that does not resolve can be caused by something called Morton’s neuroma, a non-cancerous tumor growing around the metatarsal nerves (and its often caused by wearing shoes that are too tight in that area of the foot, particularly heels).  Also, because metatarsaligia is not a condition on its own, but rather a symptom, consider seeking medical attention if pain persists   Rest, pain relievers and better shoes (wide toes and a rocker sole to take pressure off the heel to toe motion) are the usual recommendations.  Icing, foot baths, and foot massage are also recommended alternative therapies.

Herbs for Feet

Foot baths and salves are great ways to use herbs on the feet.  Some awesome foot herbs include peppermint, calendula, rosemary, sage, lavender, yarrow and marshmallow root.  For carrier oils, try avocado oil for dry and cracked skin, and lanolin added to a nice homemade salve.

The Herbal Foot Bath:

Fill a 1- 2 gallon cooking pot with spring or distilled water, if possible.  Bring the water to a boil and add herbs, then simmer on low, covered for about 20 min.  Cool until comfortable and pour into a basin big enough for both feet. Soak feet for at least 10-15 minutes.

 Happy Feet Salve:

Fill a clean, dry jar with 1 part marshmallow root, 3 parts rosemary, 1 part calendula, and 2 parts yarrow, loosely packed.  Then fill the jar half way with a combination of sunflower oil, olive oil (about 1/3-1/4 of the blend), avocado oil (no more than 10%–I usually add a tablespoon or two to a quart jar), and a similar amount of lanolin.  Infuse.  Strain infused oil and add beeswax to desired salve consistency in a double boiler.

Foot Powder:

Grind equal parts lavender flowers and calendula into a powder and add to a combination of cornstarch and arrowroot powder.  Consider adding a tablespoon of baking soda, or cutting in a couple of drops of tea tree oil.  Sprinkle in shoes or on feet to absorb extra moisture.

Herbal Remedies: ENT issues

Tags

chest congestion, cold, cough, ear ache, sinus congestion, sinusitis

Colds, Cough and (Chest) Congestion

The common cold is an upper respiratory infection can be caused by over 200 different viruses and generally lasts 7-10 days.  The only thing that will get rid of a cold is letting it run its course, thought there are options that may lessen the duration or severity of cold symptoms.

*Some studies suggest that Echinacea may reduce the severity and duration of colds if taken in large amounts at the onset of symptoms.
*Try incorporating probiotics into your diet.  Some studies indicate that live lactobacillus cultures have been linked to less respiratory infections, including some forms of the common cold in both adults and children.
*Vitamins & minerals–both zinc and vitamin C have long been recommended for a cold.  Studies indicate that individuals deficient in zinc and/or vitamin C are more prone to infections and supplements of these can reduce the number and severity of infections.  Zinc, in lozenge form, may reduce the intensity of the symptoms associated with a cold, particularly a cough. Additionally nasal zinc gel (but not zinc nasal spray) and zinc lozenges seem to shorten the duration of a cold.  Conversely, while a few studies have indicated that vitamin C, taken in large does at the onset of a cold may lessen the severity and shorten the duration of a cold, literature reviews of vitamin C studies indicate that it more than likely has little to no effect in preventing or treating infection.
*Eucalyptus, is an expectorant that is useful in treating both chest and sinus congestion.  For chest congestion, in both adults and children, the topical application of Eucalyptus oil in a chest rub (either oil, or salve) can be of great benefit (as can steam inhalations).  Eucalyptus leaf tea can also be taken, as the leaf is believed to have additional antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.   To make an infusion from Eucalyptus leaf, take 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoonful per cup hot water and steep for 10 – 15 minutes.  Drink up to 3 cups a day.

Chest Rub

20 drops of Eucalyptus essential oil
15 drops of lavender essential oil
10 drops of Camphor
10 drops of Peppermint essential oil
1/2 cup carrier oil 

Mix together.  Rub on chest for congestion.  To make salve, add beeswax to melt until cooled mixture is at preferred consistency.

*Medicated lip balms such as Carmex or Blistex can be applied to the skin under the nose, as well as on, around and just inside the nostril to help relieve rawness from blowing the nose.  Additionally, as most are medicated with menthol, eucalyptus or some combination, which is also useful as an inhalant.  When using eucalyptus with children, it is recommended to choose gully gum eucalyptus.
*Marshmallow, particularly the root, and Slippery elm are both effective mucilage agents and help to relieve sore throat and ease coughs, especially if they are dry and unproductive.

~Marshmallow root (and valerian root) is most effectively made as a maceration (cold water infusion).  To prepare, pour 2 cups of cold water over 25 g (volume depends on consistency) of Marshmallow root and allow to sit, covered, overnight.

~To prepare Slippery Elm root, pour 2 cups boiling water over 4 grams (roughly 2 tablespoons) of powdered bark and then steeping 3 to 5 minutes.  Both of these you can used as a gargle, throat rinse or “tea” up to 3 times a day.

Garlic-Ginger Syrup with Slippery Elm and Marshmallow Root

Fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic
Marshmallow root (this recipe assumes a shredded consistency…by weight it is about 12 g)
Powered Slippery elm bark
2 c honey

Peel and finely slice 2-3 thumb sized chunks of ginger and 2 cloves of garlic.  Cover with 2 cups honey and allow to “steep” overnight (you do not have to remove the garlic and ginger).  Simultaneously, pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 tablespoon powdered slippery elm bark.  Allow to cool.  Once cooled, pour this mixture over 2-3 tablespoons marshmallow root.  Sit covered, overnight.  Separate the mucilage and combine with the honey.  Mix. Store in refrigerator.  Take 1-2 tablespoon 3-4 times a day to help with cough.

*Other herbs that are useful to combat colds and cold symptoms are licorice, peppermint (and other mint family members), garlic, and ginger.
*For more remedies, try http://www.mothernature.com/Library/Bookshelf/Books/47/33.cfm

Ear ache

Ear aches can be caused by ear infections, injury, allergies, sinus problems, colds, congestion, foreign objects, etc.  Otitis media is the infection of the middle ear; it is most often found in infants and children.  Swimmer’s ear (otitis externa) is another common ear infection associated with water getting in the ears and not draining properly or contaminated water.  Both of these conditions can become serious bacterial infections that may require antibiotics, if you experience any persistent, extreme or chronic ear pain, or fever or see a medical professional for treatment.  If you have a ruptured or punctured ear drum, under no circumstances should you put any liquid into your ear.

*For ear aches caused by congestion, manually clearing your ears to re-establish the pressure equilibrium may be necessary.  Chewing gum, eating (chewing), pinching your nose shut while gently exhaling/blowing against your nose, or yawning can all help achieve this.  If you have an ear ache, or ear-clearing difficulties, avoid pressure changing activities like scuba diving or riding in an airplane.
*For acute pain, try blowing warm air from the lowest setting on your blow drier towards your ear from a distance of about 2 feet.  Additionally, a few drops of warm sweet oil (olive oil—which can include infused herbs, though I recommend the simmer method to infuse for this remedy) will help lessen pain, this will often also soften waxy build up enough to effectively clean the ears, if wax is one of the underlying causes for the pain.
*For Swimmer’s ear and Otitis media, there are several remedies that you can use to try to relieve pain and combat mild infection.  Ear drops containing calendula, mullein, St John’s wort and garlic in olive oil (all traditional herbal treatments for ear ache) have been shown in one study to be as effective as prescription ear drops.  Several commercial preparations exist on the market, or a simple infusion of calendula flowers, mullein flowers, St. John’s wort flowers and garlic in olive oil can be used.

Sinusitis and Nasal Congestion

*Drink lots of water.  This should help thin secretions and prevent dehydration.
*Steam inhalation is your friend.  Hot showers, tenting your head with a towel over a pan of steamy water, or a steam vaporizer (not a cool mist humidifier) are all easy ways to relieve sinus congestion.
*Add eucalyptus and/or menthol based essential oils and lavender and/or rosemary essential oils to the steam inhalation reduce the symptoms of nasal congestion.
*Irrigate your sinuses.  A bulb syringe, neti pot, or one of these bottles.  Use ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp baking soda or ¼ tsp salt for 8 oz of WARM distilled or filtered water.
*Try using these pressure points to relieve sinus congestion: