It’s raining. How’s that for shocking news? It’s supposed to rain most of the week.

Yesterday was both rainy and hot, so the sweaty humidity was very unpleasant. Today is cooler, so far.

I’m not sure if it was the humidity or stress level, or what, but I had an almighty asthma attack last evening. I haven’t had a bad one in a few years, but this was about the worst I’ve ever had.

I don’t use a medical inhaler. Partially because my asthma isnt frequent enough to justify the cost. Partially because I don’t respond terribly well to steroids, and partially because I prefer not to use synthetic medications unless absolutely necessary.

I use herbal medicine almost exclusively. A great deal of it I grow myself. For chest congestion and asthma, I use Mullein, in tea, tincture and smoke form, depending on the need. Tea is the mildest and also the slowest. I started with that, but I had waited too long, do it didnt help much. I don’t have my tinctures unpacked yet. So that means it was a pipe night.

I don’t smoke ANYTHING recreationally. Never have. I have only ever smoked mullein, and only when the need is immediate and somewhat dire. Usually 3 puffs or less is enough to release the tension in my lungs. Last night I needed somewhere around 12 over a 5 hour period. Like I said, it was a bad one.

Today, the chest still feels mucky and heavy, but I can breathe. Some dry air would be nice, though. 100% humidity can be rough.