Spring has sprung here in the Queen City of the Plains. The trees are blooming beautifully, and right on cue, I’m sneezing uncontrollably.

It’s that unbearable tickle inside the nose or the back of the throat, the itchy eyes, the foggy thought processes… Yep. Hayfever season has begun.

In my arsenal against hayfever, I employ a variety of methods. At the foundation, is, you guessed it, Sinus Rinse. This clears away the allergen particles so they can’t bother me. Always at night, to clean out the debris from the day, but sometimes during the day as well, depending on how I’m suffering.

My house remains a sanctuary with the help of two Sharper Image Quadra Ionic air purifiers. Yes, I know, Consumer Reports has asserted that these expensive things are worthless. All I can say is that there is a HUGE difference for me during hayfever season if we have them turned on. It means that I can sit in my house and not reach for a tissue every 5 minutes. When I find myself sneezing over and over in the house, that’s when I make my husband wipe off the collection blades and refresh the machine. (yeah, that’s his job. Why? Because I have other jobs, like the laundry, food shopping, meal prep, etc.)

So, this is the one time that I can think of where I strenuously disagree with Consumer Reports. Our air purifiers definitely work and make a difference in the air quality in our house. As such, they make a huge difference in my life. We think they’ve been worth every penny.

My mother has been complaining mightily about the pain caused by the bursitis in her hip joint. For nearly three months she hasn’t had a pain-free night and during the days has had difficulty walking.

I suggested she do a castor oil pack on the hip. So yesterday, she bought some castor oil and soaked a flannel or small rag with it. Then she placed it on the hip and the sciatic nerve and wrapped plastic wrap around her body to hold it in place and keep it from leaking. For 30-40 minutes she lay with a heating pad on top of the castor oil pack. She did this two separate times during the day.

This morning she called me excitedly. “I slept through the night because I had no pain in my hip!” she exclaimed. Today she feels pain-free for the first time in months. “Will it last?” she wondered.

I don’t know how long it will last, but castor oil packs are great for pulling out inflammation and the toxicity that occurs when fluid builds up where it shouldn’t in the body. Her physical therapist is addressing the cause of the bursitis, but she can now find relief with the castor oil packs and cut down on the Advil. I’m very pleased for her.

Castor oil, of course, has many other uses: a dietary aid, a laxative, etc. It’s an old-fashioned remedy that still has value today.