DIY aromatherapy

given that i've had some small experience recently with using meditation to decrease acute pain by a modest but worthwhile amount...

given that aromatherapy uses peppermint oil in the treatment of headache...

given that i spent three days nursing the Academy Award® winner for Best Migraine...

i was eventually driven to improvise. this isn't a 100% foolproof cure, but it offers more relief than you might expect:

1) hold three Altoids against the roof of your mouth with your tongue. [i find an arrangement of one behind the front teeth and one just behind each set of upper bicuspids works well -- evenly spaced for efficient coverage]
2) meditate while you let the Altoids dissolve. [some Buddhists recommend holding palms together, but there are as many different techniques as there are people -- chacun à son goût, eh?]

anyhoo, that put a noticeable dent in the ol' headache, thank God... and the heavy-duty fumes linger in your sinuses for a good while for long-lasting reliefffffffff......

and hey: you wanna experiment with different numbers of Altoids? be my guest... :)

hard to believe

i never heard of Antonio Meucci until a couple days ago

... but man, what a wild tale...