Ear pain while flying may require more than decongestants, chewing gum
Q: I cannot tell you how much pain I suffered on airplanes. My ears felt like someone was putting knives in them. I screamed during flights. My ear bled. The pain was worse than giving birth to my children.
Decongestants didn’t work for me. I refused to travel, as I couldn’t bear it.
I now have grommets in my ears. These tympanostomy tubes have changed my life.
Others with problems flying, who are not helped by Sudafed or yawning, should talk to an ENT specialist. This operation might help them as it helped me.
A: Many people find that long-acting nasalspray decongestants help reduce ear pain due to flying. Chewing gum, blowing the nose on descent or using Ear Ease ear cups can equalize the pressure on both sides of the eardrum.
People like you who don’t get relief from these tactics may indeed want to discuss their situation with an ear, nose and throat doctor (ENT).
Q: Last year, I felt really ill and was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I was told my glucose levels had been elevated for some time.
In talking with two friends, I mentioned I was taking Crestor. They both were taking 5 mg. When I checked my dose, it was 40 mg. I was on Lipitor for many years prior to Crestor.
I have cataracts and diabetes, and I feel Crestor caused them. Since I stopped the drug, the rash I have had on my arms is starting to heal. It was itchy all the time.
I have improved my diet by adding walnuts, almonds, beetroot, fish, eggs and lean meat. I am walking a couple of kilometers per day and starting to feel a lot better. Is it possible to reverse diabetes?
A: The first reports of a link between statin cholesterol-lowering drugs and Type 2 diabetes were dismissed by many health professionals. More recent research, however, has suggested that statins do, indeed, raise the risk of this serious metabolic disorder.
A new study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine (online, May 19, 2015) found that statin users were 87 percent more likely to develop diabetes and more than twice as likely to experience complications.
Type 2 diabetes can sometimes be reversed with weight loss, diet and exercise. To learn more about natural approaches, you will want to read our Guide to Managing Diabetes, available online at peoplespharmacy.com.
Q: I have chronic nerve pain that is never-ending in both legs. Walking helps me reduce the spasms in my legs.
I was out for a walk and a fire ant bit my big toe. That hurt plenty, but 10 minutes later, the pain and spasm stopped in the leg that was bitten. There was no change in the leg that wasn’t bitten. Could that bite actually have eased my pain?
A: Several years ago, we heard from another reader: “I had such unbearable hip pain that I had to be helped in and out of chairs.” After being bitten by fire ants, “I was sick and dizzy most of the day, but a miracle happened: My severe pain has gone.”
Scientists are studying the molecular biology of fire-ant venom, but there don’t seem to be studies of its use to relieve pain. We caution that this is not a do-it-yourself project, since people can have terrible allergic reactions to the bites and go into shock. Some individuals have suffered seizures or heart failure as a reaction to fireant bites.