Amy (Denver, CO) on 06/01/2009:

1. ACV: while I'd read that this works best at the first signs of a cold and I was already five days in, I tried it anyway. About 1-2 Tbs in hot water with a dash of lemon juice and some agave syrup to sweeten it and I drank it like a tea. Very pleasant with the agave and I started to feel some relief soon after drinking (I also inhaled the steam after mixing and felt some relief from that too.) Since it didn't provide as much instant relief as I was hoping for, and WAS providing some canker sores in my mouth, I limited this to just the first day or two and then stopped.

2. Oil Pulling: I started this at the same time as the other remedies so I'm not certain what the effect has been on curing my sinus infection, but I can attest that I feel better, my skin looks amazing, my breath has significantly improved and I no longer see a white film on the surface of my tongue. This is after just 3-4 days of use. I'm using 1 Tbs of organic sesame oil, swished around for 15-20 minutes every morning right upon waking, then spit out, of course.

3. Grapefruit Seed Extract: I think this was the magic bullet for me. I've been using 2-5 drops (teeny, tiny drops) in with my saline sinus irrigation twice a day for the last 4 days and I am almost 100% better. This (and the oil pulling) I've been doing consistently. While I didn't feel immediate relief after my first irrigation with the GSE, every time since then I feel the pressure release from behind my face and my cheekbones stop aching. Now my symptoms are almost completely gone; I cannot believe it. On the first couple of days I was using more drops (4-5) and now I'm down to 2 drops. It doesn't taste the best when it runs down your throat and there is a funny sensation that it creates that is kind of like burning but not painful, but all in all it's really easy; not much different than just plain saline.

I have to say I'm totally blown away at how much better I feel and without aid of antibiotics. I did continue to take ibuprofin in limited amounts (no more than once a day) when the pain was more than I could take), but other than that I've been cured by these holistic remedies. I'm so grateful for this website and all of the people who have posted their success stories on here! I never would have known to try these things had it not been for finding this resource. Thank you!!