Nature's Sunshine Products NSP

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Ear - Flying

My 9-month-old granddaughter is flying tomorrow night to visit us and has a constant runny nose from air conditioning at daycare. My daughter is concerned for her ears on the flight. What would you recommend to prevent the painful ears....if I even have time to get it. Thanks. -Nolee
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I did a search and came up with this article I had posted a while back. After reading it, I think if she were to 'wash' her sinus, it might just be helpful .

Here is the section that I thought had some of the best ideas to use with a baby -- Has ideas Larissa Jones suggested in one of the product focus calls. This might be good for your daughter to know . . . .

2. Apply warm compresses to your face. Do this three times a day for five minutes. A small towel soaked in warm water, then placed over your face below and between the eyes, will help increase the circulation in your sinuses, which will also help speed up the movement of your cilia.

3. Irrigate your sinuses. For 3,000 years, yoga practitioners have kept their sinuses healthy through the practice of sniffing a saltwater solution rapidly in and out of their nose at low pressure. Caution: Don't try this unless you have been taught how to do it. Fortunately, for those of us who aren't yogis, a device called the Hydro Pulse Nasal and Sinus Irrigator will do this for you. The pulsating flow from the Hydro Pulse is so gentle that even five-year-olds use it.

An even simpler alternative is a Lavage irrigation bottle. Ideally, irrigation should be done using Ringer's solution, the solution used in hospitals for intravenous treatment, and sold over the counter in drugstores. Or you can use an isotonic saline solution (not too salty, just right) that does not contain benzalkonium. Benzalkonium is a preservative that can impair nasal function and kids complain that it burns. To make your own preservative-free saline solution, add one teaspoon of table salt to one pint of water.

If you're prone to sinus infections, I recommend irrigating your sinuses twice a day, especially during the cold winter months.

Ringer's solution, designed for irrigation use, is sold under the name Breathe-ease XL (it's also available as a nasal spray). To order the Hydro Pulse Nasal and Sinus Irrigator, a Lavage irrigation bottle or Breathe-ease products, visit the Web site www.sinus-allergies.

[Here are instructions for using a lavage from the NSP Product Focus Call by Larrisa] LAVAGE - NASAL IRRIGATION; Recommended for hard to fight nasal & sinus colds. Very effective, opens up breathing passage ways; stuffed-up nose with thick mucus (possible infection if mucous is yellow, green or brown), when herbs can't reach infection in nose because of the blockage.

Alternative to lavage: Sniff Golden Seal into nose.

Lavage recipe - Mix up a saline solution - fresh each time, 2-3x a day: 1 c. warm water ½ t. sea salt pinch baking soda ¼ t. glycerine Essential oils, 3-4 total drops

4 drops Lavender - fights the cold and relaxes you during the process *or* 3 drops Tea Tree - effective for killing viruses and colds; may sting a little bit; refreshing odor. *or* use a combination of the two.

Do one plain lavage first; then do with lavender next; then move up to tea tree. Get a ceramic netti pot, or plastic irrigation pot - health food store or pharmacy. Fill pot with your solution (mixed well before you put in pot). Stick spout up the nose, which makes a seal. Tilt head sideways; solution goes up one side of nose, and out the other side - which cleans everything out in its path. Lightly inhale to get the solution moving. Do this leaning over a sink! Keep blowing your nose into the sink throughout the process - you'll feel a huge difference immediately.

(Others have told me they lay backwards on the bed with their head hanging over the edge, and drop the solutions into their nostrils with an eyedropper.)]

4. Clear your sinuses with aromatherapy. To help open up congested nasal passages and sinuses, drop some eucalyptus [or NSP Breath Free Essential Oils] into a bowl of hot water, then breathe the vapors. Other aromatherapy decongestants include horseradish (grate it and put it on a sandwich) and, if you're really brave, Japanese wasabi mustard. All of these therapies work best if used a couple of times a day, especially during the winter months.

Dropping the solution up the nose with an eye dropper and the 'Lavender' both sound like possible ideas that you might be able to use. I've used a 'netti pot', but think the 'Hydro Pulse Nasal and Sinus Irrigator' sounds like a great investment (long range) She might want to use a diffuser on a regular basis in her home as prevention. -Georgiana
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Consider trying Red Clover Blend liquid. The burdock in the formula helps to stop drainage into the ear canal and the Red Clover helps to clear lymphatic congestion. I have used this with my children for years. I would give 1/4 tsp. as soon as you can, and then just again when you leave for the airport. -V. Greguire