Posted by Tild under Old Tildblog posts at:
http://tildology.com/2005/02/27/nose-wash/

working at the Nose Wash, yeah

[This evening my kids have been listening to several CDs worth of 70s and 80s tunes packaged as Pure Funk, so that's my excuse. Up next: Kung Fu Fighting!]

Anyway. Tonight I want to tell you all about sinus irrigation. AKA nose washing. Come on, everybody!
Here's the reason for my little spiel. As you may know, I've been sick for several weeks now with this winter's edition of the Endless Creeping Crud. In fact, nearly my entire family has had it; all of us except SYTU, who inexplicably remains unaffected. I dunno; maybe it’s the rigorous diet of Marshmallow Mateys cereal, Sour Apple Altoids and Canada Dry seltzer water that's making him immune. Hunh.

With me, the particular path of mutations this malady has taken over the course of the last month is thus:

Starts out like the flu: you’re suddenly socked with body aches all over; extreme fatigue; chills and fever; nausea. This lasts about 4 days.

Then it morphs into a massive chest cold. No, not a massive chest –shut up, Beavis!
a massive cold in the chest; lungs filled with phlegm; paroxysms of coughing so severe that each time you cough little stars pulse like strobes behind your eyelids. You have this for four days and then laryngitis also sets in; you have laryngitis for another 3 days.

By this time you have probably gone to the doctor and gotten a prescription for antibiotics. You take the antibiotics and after about three more days you’re starting to feel halfway, borderline, just-maybe like you’re gonna survive. You made it!

But now here’s where the thing gets really insidious. Just as the lung congestion and laryngitis vanish, you feel yourself starting to sneeze; your eyes squinch up and start watering; your nose starts running, and within about 12 hours you are in the grip of a monster head cold.

For four more days, you can expect that your head will feel like a giant brick stuffed with cotton batting and library paste. Each night you mix yourself a Sudafed and Nyquil cocktail and add a Robitussin chaser, in an attempt to get 3 or 4 hours of fitful sleep.

The whole sequence of events by this time has gotten Old. Real Old. It is at this point where, if you take my advice, you will do yourself a gigantic favor and add one quick, painless routine to your day; a routine which will make you feel instantly better — about 1000% better. And no drugs involved.

I’ve written about this before; last fall when I had a cold that seemed to drag on for weeks. My doctor recommended something that worked so well; worked such wonders, that I’m now become the wild-eyed lunatic standing on the streetcorner preaching the miraculous powers of the ancient art of nosewashing; Sinus irrigation. In the yoga tradition it’s called jala neti.

So. How do you wash your nose? You start by getting yourself some kind of a neti pot. A neti pot looks usually like a little teapot; you can get neti pots made out of a wide variety of materials, from ceramic to porcelain to stainless steel. Then you put 8 oz of lukewarm water in the neti pot and add to it 1/2 tsp. of salt [ideally use sea salt, or rock salt - - no iodine] and 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Mix this solution until the salt and soda are completely dissolved. What you now have is an isotonic solution — the same saline level as the human body.

It’s a good idea to stand over a sink at this point. Now you put the spout of the neti pot into one nostril and lean forward slightly over the sink. Tilt your head over to one side, so that the nostril with the spout in it is directly above the other nostril. Tip the neti pot, and the saline solution will flow into your sinus cavities and work its way through to the other side of your nose, where it will come running out of your lower nostril and into the sink.

Breathe thru your mouth and lean forward slightly to keep the saline from going down the back of your throat. Empty the full potfull of water into your nostril.
Then, mix up another 8 oz of saline solution, and repeat the procedure in your other nostril. Altogether, the whole process takes about 5 minutes. Blow your nose gently afterwards.

Now, marvel at how much better you feel. And with no prescriptions and no OTC medicine whatsoever. Do this every morning, and again at night before you go to bed, and I promise you, — you will take at least two or three days off your total cold recovery time. The sinus irrigation/nosewashing not only washes dust, bacteria, mold spores and viruses out of your nose and thins mucus secretions, but also cleans and moisturizes your nasal passages so that the cilia in your nose work at top efficiency to catch and clean out all sorts of crud-bearing germs.

published at:
http://www.recipeland.com/ara/article/507/

(ARA) - Sinus problems typically drive many of the 70 million American sufferers to drug-based commercial remedies like psuedoephedrine pills or chemical nasal sprays. But a new study, published in the medical journal Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, shows that the simplest approach might be the best - regular nasal washing with warm water and 2 percent saline. Researchers found that the all-natural treatment not only clears up sinus symptoms associated with cold and flu, allergies and sinusitis on a long-term basis, it is proven to improve overall quality of life in patients with sinus symptoms.

The findings could point to an effective sinus remedy for Americans who experience annoying or painful symptoms - brought on by common cold, allergies and air pollutants - but who have grown leery of antibiotics and other drug-based commercial products. A consumer survey conducted last year by Impulse Research found that 82 percent of sinus sufferers said that over-the-counter drugs they have tried do not provide long-term relief.

The solution, according to the new study, is in regularly cleaning the nose with a simple method based on the ancient yoga nasal washing pot.

"The nose is a complex thing that, by design, collects pollutants to prevent them from entering the body," said Dr. Diane G. Heatley, a Madison, Wisc., otolaryngologist. "But the nose itself needs to be cleaned regularly or sinus symptoms will develop. This new study shows nasal washing with a neti pot to be an effective treatment for the root causes of sinus problems."

The study is the first to follow participants using nasal wash treatment, or hypertonic saline nasal irrigation (HNSI), over a long period of time. Three primary outcome measures, including Sino-Nasal Outcomes Test (SNOT-20), all showed significant improvement over the 18-month trial. Secondary outcome measures including frequency and pattern of HSNI use, side effects and satisfaction showed that participants reported improved quality of life and frequent, satisfying use of nasal washing.

The 2-percent nasal wash solution was self-administered by participants through a SinuCleanse neti-pot. Results of the study showed decreased sinus symptoms, overall improved health and, particularly intriguing according to the authors, a decreased use of sinus medication among nasal wash users.

The study's lead author, Dr. David Rabago of the Department of Family Medicine, University of Wisconsin Medical School-Madison, concluded, "The study strengthens the argument that HSNI is a safe, well-tolerated, inexpensive, effective, long term therapy that patients with chronic sinonasal complaints can and will use at home with minimal training and follow-up."

The research results ("The Efficacy of Hypertonic Saline Nasal Irrigation for Chronic Sinonasal Symptoms") can be found at the Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery Web site: http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/ymhn/issues/contents

These results add to initial studies that were done by the University of Wisconsin supporting nasal washing as a successful way to treat sinus problems over a short period of time.

"This study provides further scientific data to support nasal washing as a safe, effective and satisfying method for relieving and preventing sinus problems," said Dr. Heatley. "Chronic sinus problems will not go away on their own. Like weight control, sinus problems must be managed over time."

Dr. Heatley has been recommending nasal washing to patients of her ear, nose and throat practice for more than 10 years. In 1997, she developed a commercial version of the neti pot suitable for family home use. Now widely available in U.S. drugstores, the SinuCleanse system, manufactured by Med-Systems Inc., includes an unbreakable neti pot, dry ingredient packets for a comfortable saline rinse solution, and directions for use.

According to Heatley, nasal washing is safe for everyone, including children and pregnant women, because it is drug-free. And, because it is natural, there is no risk of drug interactions. The process treats the root of nasal problems using a saline rinse to remove thickened, bacteria-laden mucus from the sinus cavities. This soothes nasal passages rather than just masking the symptoms.

Courtesy of ARA Content