You wake up to a scratchy throat, faint ear pain, or building sinus pressure. Perhaps you caught the seasonal cold or the latest H1N1 strand, but it could also be H20 contamination or cold temperatures working against you.

To evade dirty water or winter surf concerns, take some home remedy action.  First, visit your local CVS and score a Neilmed bullet and the silicone packets combo for less than $12.00.  On your way home, make a pit stop at Henry's or Chamberlin's and splurge on a bottle of GSE (Grape Fruit Seed Extract), a natural antibiotic for $14.00.  Tada, now you have a simple way to free your schnoz-ola from crapola.     

Another smart option is to invest in some earplugs.  You may want to go clear, but they come in Life Preserver Orange to match your wetsuit.  If plugs throw you off too much in the water, then go for some Auro-Dri Ear drops to dry you out.  

Obviously the benefit here is to eliminate bacteria growth caused from water trapped in the ear canal which can lead to sinus infections, aka "swimmer's ear". During cold water seasons, you're also keeping "surfer's ear" at bay.  This is when long term exposure to cold water causes irritation and abnormal spiny bone growth in the ear canal.  I won't bore you with the technicalities, but just know that both can bring you to your knees.  Be safe.  

Fab