All hands on deck!
Yuri either has terrible allergies, a cold, a sinus infection, or he’s been possessed by a jinn specializing in cruel bouts of sneezing and mucus production. His stuffy nose is the kind that alternates one nostril and the other. It’s a “half-stuff.”
We tried 24-hour Claritin; it made Yuri feel worse. He tried Sudafed; same. He got plenty of rest over the weekend, since I was working the whole time, but he’s still sick or allergy-ing terribly, whichever it is. We did a dollop of VapoRub in a big bowl of boiling water and he steamed his head over that, under a big towel, just like my dad used to do. He neti-potted. He nose-sprayed. He got some of the little bands that stick to the bridge of the nose and open the passages while he sleeps and those help a little, but not a lot.
Yes, there’s always the doctor. It’s the next step.
Until then, educated, intuitive, Dr. Quinn-was-my-homegirl reader, what home remedies might you have for clearing a stuffy nose — or for at all relieving the symptoms I’ve outlined.
Surely none of your suggestions will involve honey suppositories or bathing in tomato juice or anything weird like that.**
**Fine: the weirder the better — but we do want something to work. Go!
Amber
Use a warm water & salt in a netti pot to clean out the nasal cavity. it works!
Taylor
I have a chronic runny nose thanks to years of allergies. And I just happen to have gone to nursing school. 🙂 What works for me is actually putting a small amount of vaporub onto the skin below the nose (just a little, it’s strong… Use a q-tip). Use a breathe right strip at the same time, this will fully open the nasal passage and allow him to breathe as much of the vapors in as possible. If this is too strong for him (some people love it, others find it torture), try peppermint essential oil (the kind you find at whole foods in their apothecary aisle, not the kind you cook with) brushed on the same way… aka minty moustache. And again use the strip at the same time. Finally, spicy foods can also clear you out in a hurry, might be worth trying if y’all like spicy food. It might be a good idea to visit a doc anyhow even if it clears, so you can identify the source. If he’s running a fever or has odd colored snot, chances are it’s an infection that won’t go away on its own (at least for awhile) without medication. Good luck! 🙂
Susan Davies
Nasal saline spray from the drug store!
Cruz
Claritan is an antihistamine. Good for runny nose, sneezing, itchy eyes, etc. A stronger anti-histamine is Benadryl. It can make you feel drowsy, so best to take at bedtime. Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant, it unstuffy the nose. Take 60 mg three to four times a day. If is is a cold (a viral infection), it will pass. Allergies are usually chronic and can be managed, but not “cured”. Love from a fellow allergy sufferer!
Jenelle
A HEPA filter might be a good thing to look at if all else fails. I have one that has a built-in UV light, so it’s great for allergies AND killing cold viruses (possibly Jinns too, although that’s not explicitly stated on the packaging). 😉 Personally, my pet allergies are really kept at bay by using the filter at night when sleeping. For less than $100, it’s been a pretty cheap and effective fix for me. I hope you find a good solution for Yuri! He has my solidarity.
Mary Fons
Thank you to everyone! You are great! We have ideas and a new, full box of Kleenex. Love,
Mary (and Yuri)
Amy
My cat loves your book.
https://flic.kr/p/npbgxq
I added a link to my flickr, but that will probably turn this into spam…
Bethany Wise
Cruz has good info, I too am a lifelong allergy sufferer. The kind that took allergy shots for like 30 years, till Claritin came on the market. But one clue no one mentioned is; what color is the stuff Yuri is emitting? Mostly clear and runny? Allergy. Mostly yucky colored? Cold or Sinus infection.
Jody
One thing my doc told me is that Sudafed can actually irritate the nasal passages, causing a bigger problem. He also told me to use a saline spray, rather than any medications. A friend of mine swears by doTerra essential oils. I am a skeptic, but I will admit that I tried onGuard, and it has helped me through a few viruses. Lots of luck to Yuri, and blessings to you both!
Julie Parrish
You were ah-maaa-zzzzing last night at City Quilter.
Thank you for all of your crazy good insights.
And the book—I was up until 2 a.m. perusing and plotting.
OK, I digress.
The stuffy nose cure is (drumroll, please)
Simply Saline
Buy the yellow can and use it like a neti pot.
Hold one nostril closed while irrigating the other.
It is completely without side effects and will give you unfettered
respiratory efforts for about two hours.
Thanks again for being the real deal.
Enjay
I get dijon/horseradish mustard and eat it by the (small) spoonful during allergy season. I’ve also been known to use hot sauce and hot peppers but I find I get more burn and less clearing with those. You can just add it to food but I tend to mainline it because I want it over with although I will spread it on a sharp, raw onion sandwich sometimes when I’m desperate. I usually follow those with a good hot cup of honey/lemon “tea.” I slice up lemons then chop up the slices and put them in a jar, peel, juice from the cutting board and all, until it’s just about full, then I fill it up the rest of the way with honey and stick that in the back of the fridge until needed, it keeps for ages and only gets better as it mellows. Spoon some out into a cup of hot water or tea, stir et voila. Fragrant, soothing and tasty, I keep it on hand at all times. Whenever I’m using lemons I tip the juice and leftovers into the jar and top it off with honey.
Jude
A spoonful of horseradish can really open things up.
Petrina
My very sprightly 93 year old grandmother swears by this lemon and garlic remedy. This is how she says to make it. Find yourself a nice lemon, cut the tough ends off and chop into smallish pieces. Place into a small saucepan and just cover with water. Add about 3 or 4 (or more!) garlic cloves and simmer until the lemon softens. This takes about 10 to 15 mins. Allow to cool a little then blend. It will become a smooth emulsion. Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to a week.
My grandmother takes a tablespoon every morning and she never catches a cold or flu. If you are already sick, take a number of tablespoons throughout the day and it will quickly reduce the symptoms. My grandmother also adds a little cayenne pepper!
I feel that my grandmothers advice is definitely worth following – she is in such amazing form that she actually went sky-diving to celebrate her 90th birthday! And she plans to do it again for her 95th!!
Ruth
Mary! I think the topic of Yuri’s nose wins the prize for the most comments to date for Paper Girl! Who would’ve thunk….