I’m seeing a naturopath, so the first line of defense is herbal stuff. (The second line of defense is still antibiotics; if I weren’t a whole lot better today, I’d be going on the amoxicillin. If this ND were strongly against antibiotics, I wouldn’t be there. Ditto if she were prescribing silver or homeopathic remedies.) It’s mostly just putting a little kick into the saline-rinse-and-wait treatment.

I’ve got a neti pot (which I love, against all expectations, and vow to use every day) and to the normal saline solution I add a few drops of a tincture of goldenseal, garlic, and oxyquinolone sulfate — stuff with a pretty mild topical antibiotic effect. I’m also taking extra vitamin C and, for the cough, an elderberry mixture in hot water.

Plus I’ve been told to limit dairy and sweets, get lots of rest, get a little light exercise, and drink a whole lot of hot water with lemon and a little honey.

I was so sure this wasn’t going to work well at all. I was humoring the hippie stuff, and then by God I was going to get some mainstream drugs to kill off the evil stuff breeding in my head. But I’ll be damned if I’m not feeling better than I have in six weeks.

What are they treating sinus infections with these days? Last time I went to the doctor for one, about seven years ago, I was given antibiotics which seemed no more effective than warm salt-water rinses and waiting. So I’ve never been back.

At least it has started to seem like spring already…