I’d never suffered from allergies until moving to Austin, TX. The first time I experienced severe allergies, I thought I had the flu. A friend gave me a clue about cedar fever. Using a combination of hot toddies and a neti pot, I recovered my voice and sinuses.
A year later, I started going to Bikram yoga. That hot yoga sweated out most toxins, including allergens, which kept everything in check.
Fast forward several years. My allergies flared up as if it was Year One in Austin. I discovered a few days later that an invasive species, zebra mussels, had infiltrated our water supply. I credited those creatures with my newest allergy symptom–a clogged left ear.
Periodically, my left ear opened and closed like a bivalve. Drops of hydrogen peroxide into the ear canal initially opened it. Then, I used my neti pot for my sinuses to attack the problem from the other side. Once the water problem cleared up, so did my ear.
Months later, strong winds turned up the air. All allergy suffers got anchored. Turns out, a clogged left ear was a new normal. I did my usual: Bikram, hydrogen peroxide, neti pot. Those things relived other symptoms, but not my ear. This time around, I broke down and got a new allergen weapon: garlic oil drops.
Originally, I thought I’d be cheap and make it myself, but when I looked at how to press my own oil and then buy an ear dropper especially for that purpose or a small container with a nozzle top for that use, hell, it was much easier to pay less than $10 for it already made and compounded with other good shit.
As I periodically coughed and blew my nose throughout the day, I saved the garlic drops for nighttime since there was a bit of a ritual involved. I had to lie sideways on my sofa, watching TV as a distraction since I couldn’t multitask while the drops were in my ear. Not really in my nature to merely watch TV. I usually eat or paint or sew or do anything other than allow the TV to entrance me.
So the drops relieved the pain, but did not unclog the ear. Apparently it’s an inside job. Like many other sinister things in life.
In my attempt to humor this on-going situation, I fancy that my left ear is the political one. Refusing to completely reopen due to all the bullshit swirling around the political arena. Perhaps that’s what it’s trying to do.