I am so incredibly passionate about being healthy...being in harmony with nature, my surroundings, and my inner being. I am 8 months into a two year Candida cleanse. Yes, there have been times that I have struggled, times that I've wanted to kick and scream like a child, times that I have actually cried....but I've stuck with it. I have missed toasting champagne at my friends weddings, enjoying a slice of decadent pie to celebrate the holidays, and have only eaten out a handful of times because to order something that fits within my restrictions is near impossible. Overall I have felt pretty optimistic on this cleanse, and have (somewhat) enjoyed this simple, clean diet. Well, this morning, I woke up and it was just too much. Feeling crappy sucks....period. End of story. But feeling crappy while you have been actively working towards feeling good, while you have been forgoing your favorite foods, while you have been sober and all "shanti shanti" is a kick in the shins. In addition to this joint pain and fatigue that is nearly debilitating and an incredibly painful stomach ulcer, my brain has been foggy and I have developed an ear infection. Boom. Insult to injury. I'm not against medicine, but I would say that I am more inclined to go the homeopathic route. In all honesty (I'm sorry to all of my hippie readers out there) I have taken medicine, but truthfully- it doesn't work, and the result of the homeopathic goodies is nearly instant.
So this morning, once I wiped the sad tears of defeat from my face, I hopped online to find a cure for my latest ailment. It seems that all the naturopath remedies that I have been using lately leave me smelling like a salad....this one was no different.
Ear Infection:
Two tablespoons of olive oil (I brought back fresh, organic extra virgin olive oil from Italy) (helps clear wax build up), a few drops of Tea Tree Oil (antibacterial), two teaspoons of (Braggs) Apple cider Vinegar (kills fungus). Warm it up and add a few drops to your ear.
The relief was almost instant. The pain came back this afternoon though it was nothing like the pain that I had woken up with. And so, I reapplied. Again, instant relief.
Alas, there are three parts to the ear, and infections can occur in all three. And since I don't know where mine is, I'm treating them all. I also did a salt press, which felt great. I heated up sea salt, wrapped it up in cheesecloth, and placed it over my ear so it would pull out any moisture. I'm not sure if it helped in the long run, but it felt great.
To take care of the third part I applied a warmed water bottle against my ear. Again, it felt so nice.
The only thing that would have made this better would have been if I had gone to my moms house and she doctored me as I lay snuggled on the couch. And she would have if I had gotten my lazy, sad bum in the car and driven to her house. God bless her she listened to my sad mumbling self-pity-fest this morning and kept encouraging me that it was all going to be okay. Years ago she told me that you need to be your own advocate, and damn was she right. After I cleaned myself up I spent the morning talking to my array of doctors and healers, all with different advice (go figure). The only comfort that I took in all of the consultations was that an ear infection would be a result of my body purging toxins, so fingers crossed that this is part of the process. Being healthy has been quite a challenge for me, but I'm not giving up...because health is wealth....without it you have nothing. So if I smell like a salad, please don't mind....
