I sneeze a lot. Quite violently, too. Despite some rather icky (and often bloody) stuff found in my left nasal passage, both my regular doctor and an ear-eye-nose specialist tell me I’m perfectly fine and that I just need a little ointment twice a day. I suppose it makes sense … after all, the ointment will keep all the insides moist while I dry sinuses up with some anti-histamines, which I take because I sneeze so much my nose is always runny, and the more mucus there is, the more it builds up, which then blocks the passage making it hard to breathe, but when I blow my nose really hard to clear it out, the mucus-y bits get ripped off the walls (so to speak), therefore leaving me with a bloody nose.

(Yay for run-on sentences!)

Anywhoo, I’m rather tired of taking Claritin, and I don’t really want to use Vaseline to lube up my nasal passages, so I’m looking into experimenting in more natural remedies. Specifically, there’s the idea that taking a little bit of bee pollen every day can help build some sort of immunity or tolerance against pollen allergies. I did pick up a bottle of bee pollen tablets tonight, though I may check out the granule variety at this Saturday’s farmers’ market in order to control how much I’m consuming; there’s a local honey vendor who’s always there, and I’ve definitely seen some at their table. While I don’t have severe allergic reactions to anything (as far as I know), obviously I’m wary about purposefully introducing something to my body that I may have some sensitivity to.

The other part of my experiment is a bit safer; basically, instead of greasing up my nasal passages with a petroleum-based product like Vaseline, I’m trying some Un-Petroleum multi-purpose jelly. It’s made by the same people who make Avalon Natural Products, Alba, and Avalon Organics. The ingredients include: castor oil, coconut oil, beeswax, castor wax, soybean oil, tocopheryl acetate, and tocopherol (vitamin E); it’s made without petrolatum, parrafin, mineral oil or artificial fragrances. Hypo-allergenic and not tested on animals, natch.

Filed by Maria in health