Relief from Congestion

Have you ever had one of these days?  All you want to do is breathe through your nose.  That's not too much to ask for, right?  Well, if you have nasal congestion it can seem nearly impossible.  I know.  I'm experiencing this event as I write this post.

Currently I'm suffering from a terribly raw sore throat and awoke with congestion so bad I felt it in my ears.  Fun times.

So I am working on fighting off whatever has assailed my immune system and I wanted to share some things that have brought me relief before I get to the point of this post.

Normally I would first you try to get hydrated.  But my congestion was so bad that swallowing anything was certain to make me gag.  So instead I opted to give myself steam therapy.

1. Steam therapy is very simple.  I boiled some water in a pot and then poured it into a large bowl.  (If you have Eucalyptus oil it would be great to put a few drops in the bowl as well.)  I grabbed a towel and sat down.  I placed my face as close to the water as I comfortably could and laid the towel over my head so that it draped over the bowl as well.  This successfully trapped the steam rising from the bowl and loosened the mucus trapped in my sinuses.

2. Next I started drinking tea.  Lots of hot tea.  I found that ginger with lemon and Chamomile teas have been very soothing.  I also would recommend anything with Echinacea.  Mine has triple Echinacea with green tea.

But the newest tea I love is Tomato Tea.  Never heard of it? Neither did I until today.  And it works!
Mix in a pot the following ingredients:  1 can of V8, juice from 2 freshly squeezed lemons, 2 mashed cloves of garlic ( its easier to mash with the flat end of a blade), 2 tablespoons of Honey, and a dash of Cayenne pepper.  (I used the dry flakes kind.)

Then you simmer all of this in the pot and either drink from a mug or pour into a soup bowl.

At about the third sip I started feeling my sinuses open up.  It also soothed my soar throat.  And I had more energy.  I will continue drinking this amazing Tomato Tea and let you readers know how I fair.

3. Once my congestion lightens up a little I will start reintroducing sinus rinses. I use Neilmed.  But I must say, do not do this step if your sinuses are completely blocked.  You would only send stuff to your ears.  Not fun.

4.  And my favorite step is doing nothing. Clear your agenda. Rest. You are sick. Accept it and don't spread it.

Anyhoo, when you're stuck in bed, like me, you find that you have more time to think about... everything.

And as I have been trying to help my physical body recover I realized that my emotional and spiritual self needed attention too.  I wanted to make sure that I wasn't allowing congestion to build in those places either.

But unlike your sinuses its more difficult to clean up any gunk in your emotions and in your spiritual state-of-being.  That being said we can't separate from our bodies so anything that weakens our physical selves will inevitably affect every other part of us.

I noticed that I was very exhausted emotionally this morning.  I was worried and anxious and irritated.  And that's to be expected.  But healing, from any disease, happens faster when we have a positive attitude.  So I knew I needed to change my emotional state even when my physical world remained the same.

That wasn't easy.  When congestion was bad I was mad.  But then I remembered that God says in the Bible:  " Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you."  ~ I Peter 5:7


So I started praying and asking for endurance and a positive attitude even when I felt so miserable.  I even asked him to unclog my sinuses for me.  I was ready to pull my hair out.


Now of course God has the power to completely heal me in an instant but he didn't.  He did, however, allow my sinus congestion to ease off a bit.  And I realized that he is also the one who has provided all the things I am using to help myself get better.


God made the Cayenne peppers, the lemons, the garlic, the tomatoes, and the bees that made the honey.  God is the one who provides me with a safe, clean home to rest in.  And I even get my own bed.  That's more than many people in the world will ever have.


So He helped me change my perspective.  Its still hard at times, especially when the aches and pains swell.  But I know He watches over me and that he doesn't allow anything to touch me unless it is given the green light by Him.  There is a purpose to my nasal congestion.  Even if its just to make me see how good my life is and to have a deeper appreciation for the times when I am healthy and strong.

Thank you Lord for your love and your strength.  Thank you for loving me even when I'm sick and in a bad mood.  Thank you for showing me how much you bless me, even on the worst days.

~ Sincerity