Hi Alohabird,
I started the use of cloves as a way to address my chronic bronchial infections associated with MMD2. They have analgesic and germicidal properties, and, according to the link following, are nature's most powerful antioxidant. They contain anthocyanins, flavonoids, and eugenol, an essential oil, as well as quercetin.
www.antioxidants-for-health-and-longevity.com/benefits-of-cloves.html
I presently eat four to eight cloves a day (nothing added).
I have used salsa for years to help me get over the common cold as the ingredients in salsas help to relieve congestion. I also sometimes add garlic to salsa. The specific ingredient that is beneficial is capsaicin, a natural blood thinner as well as blood vessel dilator. Consuming sufficient amounts can promote a head sweat. I use cayenne pepper (ground) as my primary source. I consume 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon a day. Cayenne pepper is also a good antioxidant, can lower blood pressure, etc. I also use cayenne pepper to help manage my atherosclerosis in my internal carotid artieries.
All three spices are antihistamines. One of the side of effects of my bronchial dilator is a constriction of nasal passages.
Cinnamon, in addition to being an antihistamine, helps to regulate blood sugar. Diabetics sometimes use it for this purpose. Since I am only able to create energy from the food I eat, and since I eat a fair amount of carbohydrates out of necessity, I use cinnamon in part to prevent diabetes.
At my last hospital visit, my blood glucose was 87. It tests normal nearly every time.
There is also research that suggests that cinnamon can help to reduce cholesterol levels. My cholesterol did drop fifty points the last time it was checked, and cinnamon may be one of the reasons. I use 1/4 teaspoon to over 1 teaspoon a day.
Due to my present circumstances, I take cinnamon and cloves as is, with nothing added. I have become accustomed to adding cayenne pepper to many cooked foods I eat. Without it, something is missing. I use black pepper sparingly, mostly because black pepper can be carcinogenic, according to Dr. Andrew Weil. I prefer cayenne pepper anyway. I will sometimes buy jalapenos as well. I have grown other hot peppers and used the seeds to spice things up a bit.
When first starting these spices, with the exception of cayenne pepper, I was quite reactive to them, meaning, I would experience a rush which would actually be like a mini seizure. As time passed, my reactivity to these spices has decreased, and, I have theorized that that decrease in my reactivity to them has coincided with an increase in my seizure threshold. This is not completely consistent because I have still yet to establish homeostasis overall, and I am not sure, given my disease, if it can be established. I go through cycles where I feel better, and where I feel worse. When I feel worse, I try to increase my consumption of these things. There is a point of diminishing returns, however.
So, in summary, all of these spices are potential ways to help prevent the causes of my sleep apnea. My breathing remains inconsistent, but my sleep apnea is considerably better than it used to be. I think that the rescue inhaler and the spices are helping, but I do not think that using one or the other would do the trick alone. I can only recall three episodes (that I am aware of) in the past four months, compared to one to two dozen episodes in the previous six plus months.
Ask your neurologist if s/he can have you undergo a sleep test for apnea to determine if you in fact do have this.
