Things You'll Need:
- Fruits Vegetables Broth soups Fresh spinach or kale Bananas Frozen berries Flax oil Herbal tea Water Goldenseal Bromelain Baking soda Salt Vitamin C Bitter orange essential oil Eucalyptus essential oil Garlic Steam vaporizer
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Step 1
Incorporate 50 percent to 75 percent raw fruits and vegetables and clear-broth soups into your diet. Drink water, herbal teas and fruit or vegetable juices. Eliminate colas, coffee, alcohol and sugary drinks from your diet. See the Human Water Requirement Calculator at the end of this article for help in calculating the proper amount of water for your body weight.
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Step 2
Eliminate dairy products, sugar and processed and refined foods, as these foods stimulate the production of mucus. Increased mucus production encourages further infection and will interfere with healing.
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Step 3
Drink a green smoothie daily. Make a green smoothie with a combination of fruits and green leafy vegetables---such as kale or spinach---to boost your intake of vitamins and minerals, providing added nutritional support as you fight infection. To make a simple green smoothie, add 2 cups fresh, clean spinach leaves (or kale) to your blender, along with 4 cups cold water, 2 peeled ripe bananas (fresh or frozen) and 1 cup frozen berries. Blend until smooth; add an additional banana for sweetness, if desired. Before serving, blend in 2 to 4 tsp. flax seed oil (or as directed on the label) to your smoothie mixture to reduce inflammation and pain caused by the sinus infection.
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Step 4
Chew two to four fresh garlic cloves each day, followed by a glass of water, or obtain kyolic (aged) garlic in liquid or capsule form and use as directed. Using garlic daily throughout the course of an infection can lessen the severity and duration of the illness.
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Step 5
Use goldenseal as directed on the label, in combination with 250 to 500 mg of bromelain to fight infection and reduce painful inflammation.
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Step 6
Increase your daily intake of vitamin C with bioflavonoids to between 3,000 and 10,000 mg daily (dividing doses throughout the day). Vitamin C supports immune function and can help to decrease mucus production.
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Step 7
Use two drops of bitter orange essential oil on a cotton swab to carefully coat the inside of the nasal passages for immediate relief of nasal discomfort. This can be done several times a day.
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Step 8
Create your own nasal saline solution using 1 cup warm water, ½ tsp. salt and ½ tsp. baking soda. Dissolve salt and baking soda in the warm water and instill 3 to 4 drops of the solution in either nostril using a squeeze bottle or dropper, as necessary for relief. Expel excess fluid gently, if necessary.
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Step 9
Wet a clean washcloth with warm water and add 2 to 3 drops of diluted eucalyptus oil (see "Tips" section) and apply directly to the upper cheekbones for external relief. Hold the cloth in place for 3 to 5 minutes to ease sinus pressure. Repeat as needed.
