ear pain in airplanes--suggestions please!!!!

[gs4life]

i have somewhat of a dilemma. i've been raw for a little over a month now and in that period of time have come to notice all of the other toxins i was allowing into my body...such as the normal toothpaste, lotion, shampoo, etc. and i've stopped using them. i've switched to baking soda, coconut oil, castor oil and other natural things. i started oil pulling about a month ago as well and my teeth have even started to straighten and one tooth that was always kinda yellow has turned almost white!!!

anyway, i've always had ear pain while flying in airplanes. the pressure change just kills my ears and i'm almost always left in bad pain and crying...lately what has been working pretty well for me has been afrin (the nasal spray) and chewing gum. i'm afraid, however, after having been away from these toxic type things for over a month that my body will react very badly to them. i looked up the ingredients in afrin and they don't look good. also, gum has fake sweeteners in it.

has anyone else experienced bad ear pain? i've tried those ear plane things you put in your ears and that hasn't worked for me. any suggestions? alternatives to gum, afrin, etc?? anything you might think of i would really appreciate! i fly to spain on monday! thanks in advance!!

[rawstrength]

Instead of chewing gum, bring a bag of wheatgrass and chew on that.

[flyinion]

Are you having problems right now with plugged up sinuses? If they're clear and you feel normal then perhaps a technique used by scuba divers will help you. I use it all the time while flying. Basically when you start feeling the pressure, plug your nose by squeezing it with your fingers like you might when jumping in a pool and gently "try" to blow air out of it. Since you've plugged it the air doesn't escape and the pressure will "pop" your sinuses and ears. Do not blow hard!! You should only feel a gentle popping as things equalize.

[gs4life]

i don't have a problem with plugged sinuses now. i rarely feel congested at all when i have a flight. i have tried plugging my nose before and gently trying to blow and it never really seemed to work--maybe i waited too long to try?!

i think i might try to get some wheatgrass to chew on. also, i've seen some stevia gum online, but i think it's too late to order some now (my flight is monday). has anyone ever tried stevia gum?

any other thoughts?!?! thanks to you both for responding! :)

[gs4life]

i just wanted to say that i made it through both plane rides absolutely pain free!!! i am 22 years old and have had a problem with my ears and airplanes for my whole life. i started eating a primarily raw food diet this spring and have been almost 100% for 2 months now! i did get some wheatgrass to chew on for the first flight, but had to get rid of it because i landed in canada before flying on to spain. i just wanted to share this great news--raw food healing ear pain!!!!