Keeping the nostrils clear for breathwork

[Aeran]

Any suggestions?

 

I know that it's common for one nostril to be less open than the other at a given time, and was under the impression that this was supposed to cycle, but for at least the last 2 months it's been almost exclusively my left nostril, and far more severely blocked than normal (sometimes almost completely). This is a real pain during qigong, and even more so during some pranayama I'm trying to integrate into my practice which requires alternate nostril breathing.

 

So far I've tried a nasal spray with eucalyptus and mint - at first this seemed to work well, but long term it's been very hit and miss. Sometimes it will restore normal function for a few hours, or a day, but always the left nostril starts to block up again. I've also had several chemical sprays recommended, but I'm not too keen on using pharmaceutical sprays if it can be avoided.

 

Working on removing environmental factors (house is v. dusty, and I suspect the dogs don't help).

 

I've been thinking about trying a Neti Pot, any of you guys had success with them? Or are there any other less extreme methods I could try out?

 

Much appreciated

 

 

[Bubbles]

Hi Aeran,

 

It seems to me that you have already asked a similar question some time ago (perhaps it was someone else), and as I don't remember clearly what was said, I'll suggest what worked for me: stop any dairy product of any kind and limit refined sugar/products.

 

It happens that I am vegan too, but I think removing dairy products might work as a stand alone measure if your nasal congestion is not resulting from some specific condition.

 

Be well,

[silent thunder]

Dairy and processed wheats, sugars or their derivatives cause inflammation in me within minutes of ingesting them, so I'll add a +1 to that suggestion.

[thelerner]

Neti pots make my mucus run clear a few minutes after I use them. They take some practice but they're cheap, probably a good thing to try.   At bedtime, lying on the right side, clears the left (top) nostril and vice versa. Long slow breathing/meditating clears my nostrils. 

 

Michael Winn has a chi gung form (Fundamentals 2 I think).  One part is a simple sun/moon form.  You feel energy going up your right leg, up your right side meridian to just above the shoulder, look there.  It goes down the right side, beneath your legs, then up the left foot, left meridian, to just above the shoulder, look there, repeating like the letter U.  I find as the energy moves up the left side the left nostril opens and I breath from it.  Same with the right.  It feels like yogic alternate nostril breathing but more dynamic.

[cheya]

Neti pot will not seem anywhere near as extreme after you've done it a few times.   

It's a great tool to have available if you ever get colds or sinus congestion, especially before bed so you can breathe without needing decongestants or antihistamines. 

[Aeran]

Thanks guys - sounds like the Neti Pot is a go. Any suggestions on good brands/sources, or will any old thing from the local shopping center do?

 

 

Hi Aeran,

 

It seems to me that you have already asked a similar question some time ago (perhaps it was someone else), and as I don't remember clearly what was said, I'll suggest what worked for me: stop any dairy product of any kind and limit refined sugar/products.

 

It happens that I am vegan too, but I think removing dairy products might work as a stand alone measure if your nasal congestion is not resulting from some specific condition.

 

Be well,

 

Hey Bubbles, I don't believe I've posted regarding this topic before, since it's something I've only been having real problems with in the last few months - but of course I could be wrong, since I've been posting here on DB on and off for a few years. I know I've posted a few things only to forget about them then come back and find them some time later.

 

Anyway the suggestions of a dietary source are interesting - I've been experimenting with my diet a lot over the last year or so, since my digestion is another area where I've been having trouble. I haven't tried actively cutting out dairy or grain, but it sounds like it might be worth a shot. I'll definitely look into it, thanks

 

 

 

Michael Winn has a chi gung form (Fundamentals 2 I think).  One part is a simple sun/moon form.  You feel energy going up your right leg, up your right side meridian to just above the shoulder, look there.  It goes down the right side, beneath your legs, then up the left foot, left meridian, to just above the shoulder, look there, repeating like the letter U.  I find as the energy moves up the left side the left nostril opens and I breath from it.  Same with the right.  It feels like yogic alternate nostril breathing but more dynamic.

 

That sounds interesting, I'll see if I can look it up, cheers.

[[email protected]]

Try to do some physical exercises, before practice, may be it can help.

Rgrds, Ilya

[cheya]

Re neti pot. Any one from the shopping center will probably do... I like the ceramic glazed ones from the health food store (see Baraka online for image), but even a plastic drug store version will do the job for starters.

[Papayapple]

Neti is awesome. However, I use plastic injectior(the biggest I could find). Its much easier to control the water stream.

On the other hand, nothing clears the resp track and throat like water fasting, although of course, it might come back just as fast heh.

 

The only time I didnt have that shit in my nose was when I was eating only raw fruit and vegs. But I guess thats not for every1.

[cheya]

Aeran, this old post might interest you...

 

I downloaded an episode of "Bizarre foods", this episode was from Korea. 
Andrew Zimmern went to a sort of TCM restaurant where he had a tea that cleared the sinusses immediately.
Anyone know which herb this could be, specifically?

"Im not sure but it could be astragalus.. The first time drinking it, RIGHT after my second gulp of the tea.. I had a large ball of mucus/blood drop onto my tongue, went to the bathroom quickly and spit it out.

For months/years one side of my nose would very often be closed, since then it hasn't.

It could very well be Astragalus, I would only take it under supervision/being diagnosed by a TCM doctor.

Taking any during a fever or sickness can be very very dangerous."

Edited January 28, 2017 by cheya

[thelerner]

Just used a neti pot for the first time in a while.  Good, gotta remember to use warmer water though. 

 

Also, when allergies get bad, I don't see anything wrong with occasionally using some over the counter medicine to ease the symptoms.  Particularly if it'll help you sleep or get through the day. 

 

Last year I was getting allergy symptoms during the winter, which seemed strange.  I believe it was my car.  I was tracking in snow, it warmed melted repeatedly, ultimately creating mildew, causing mold that triggered my allergic reaction.  Since then I bought plastic floor covers with deep wells.  So water may evaporate but doesn't stay on the carpeting for long periods.  It's solved the problem. 

 

Sometimes taking a deep look at cause and affect.  My daily paper's weather section shows which allergens are high.  Its good to track that against how you're feeling so you know what your triggers are. 

 

 

 

addon> I should probably confess.  This was the first time I used a neti in maybe a year.  Clearing the second nostril I threw up a little.   It's such a strange queasy feeling.  I usually use warm water but this time was using a gallon of distilled that felt cold.  It's a good practice, but not an easy one til you do it regularly.   

[Rocky Lionmouth]

I've tried a spray containing the flower Cyclamen europeum L. for a few days now, it causes a sort of allergic-ish reaction and clears a lot of stuff out, i dont know the marketing name outside of Sweden tho. It's pretty intense and might last up to 2 hours, Mrs Lionmouth tried it first and spent the next hour expelling a lot of old crap from there. I get a runny thing with some blood in it.

Stings horribly and its not recommended if you're allergic to the flower.

 

I've also had good results with neti-injector and strong saline solution coupled with cortizone nasal spray to tale the swelling down. Takes a couple of days for the spray to help (maximum time of use is 14 days with 14 days off) and i highly recommend the nasal injector over the spray.

[Kar3n]

I've tried a spray containing the flower Cyclamen europeum L. for a few days now, it causes a sort of allergic-ish reaction and clears a lot of stuff out, i dont know the marketing name outside of Sweden tho...

 

 

 

I've seen it marketed as Nasodern, you can buy it online, but you might check with stores like Sprouts, Whole Foods or GNC and the like to see if they carry it.

[Rara]

I can relate to this - I get a lot of dust and animal allergies and once, I went to the hospital and to make things even more annoying, they told me that I have narrow nasal passages. So there's nothing much I can do!

 

No wonder they kept saying in Kung Fu "you breathe so heavily - and you tense up easily"

 

The doctors suggested washing clothes above 60°C to kill allergens. I've also tried dropping dairy etc but there were no significant changes to be quite honest.

 

I can't speak for neti - in fact, I've never heard of it so will give that a google!

 

+1 To orshavskiy though. One thing that does always work is being active. Moving around a lot, even if just washing up with some "gusto" can help. Doing light exercises, gentle jogs, martial arts, weight lifting. All those things say to my body "you need to breathe so I'm going to allow it"

 

Hope you find the right tool for you.

Edited January 28, 2017 by Rara

[[email protected]]

One thing that does always work is being active. Moving around a lot, even if just washing up with some "gusto" can help. Doing light exercises, gentle jogs, martial arts, weight lifting. All those things say to my body "you need to breathe so I'm going to allow it"

Pushups are quite useful in this case - when you stay with your hands and foots on the floor and then move the body down and up with your hands. This thing always helped me in 100% cases.

[Rocky Lionmouth]

Ugh, allergies are the worst. I started having them at the tender age of 25, have no idea what happened.

 

Neti is pretty awesome, just as long as you just let it happen and breathe with your mouth while pouring. I've read you can pull the water from your nose to the back of your mouth to rinse even more but i never dared to try as of yet

 

You can use isotone salt solution, it has approximately the same ratio of salts to water as the body. Hypertone is doable also, meaning that there is more salt to water compared to the body, i'd recommend rinsing with isotone after though so you dont dry out the tissue. Use boiled water to mix the solution, let it cool to body temp or lower and use at least a deciliter per nostril, do it a few days in a row, see if it helps.

[Rara]

Pushups are quite useful in this case - when you stay with your hands and foots on the floor and then move the body down and up with your hands. This thing always helped me in 100% cases.

Good then. Diamond pushups are a part of my .... routine? I do them twice a week on average

[Rara]

You can use isotone salt solution, it has approximately the same ratio of salts to water as the body. Hypertone is doable also, meaning that there is more salt to water compared to the body, i'd recommend rinsing with isotone after though so you dont dry out the tissue. Use boiled water to mix the solution, let it cool to body temp or lower and use at least a deciliter per nostril, do it a few days in a row, see if it helps.

I had a salt-water nasal spray once, but that didn't really help. I'll have a look at your methods though

[Rocky Lionmouth]

I had a salt-water nasal spray once, but that didn't really help. I'll have a look at your methods though

The spray never reaches the good stuff more than a little at a time, neti and injector fills the cavity and starts to pour over to the other side where the water exits through your other nostril, gives the solution some time to loosen stuff up in there. It's no miracle thing but it can help! I'll let you check it out now, sorry for the plug my friend

[dwai]

Any suggestions?

 

I know that it's common for one nostril to be less open than the other at a given time, and was under the impression that this was supposed to cycle, but for at least the last 2 months it's been almost exclusively my left nostril, and far more severely blocked than normal (sometimes almost completely). This is a real pain during qigong, and even more so during some pranayama I'm trying to integrate into my practice which requires alternate nostril breathing.

 

So far I've tried a nasal spray with eucalyptus and mint - at first this seemed to work well, but long term it's been very hit and miss. Sometimes it will restore normal function for a few hours, or a day, but always the left nostril starts to block up again. I've also had several chemical sprays recommended, but I'm not too keen on using pharmaceutical sprays if it can be avoided.

 

Working on removing environmental factors (house is v. dusty, and I suspect the dogs don't help).

 

I've been thinking about trying a Neti Pot, any of you guys had success with them? Or are there any other less extreme methods I could try out?

 

Much appreciated

NAdi shodhan

[Aeran]

NAdi shodhan

 

It was actually integrating nadi shodhan as a daily practice which made me realize how severely clogged my left nostril was.

 

Interestingly, the problem has improved remarkably in the last week or so. I'm not sure why, but I've been practising the alternate nostril breathing regularly, practising Flying Phoenix Qigong (which seems to have a habit of clearing up small health issues like this fairly quickly), using the eucalyptus/mint nasal spray and also made a significant effort to clear my living space of dust and any other potential triggers, any or all of which could have contributed.

 

I still plan to try out the neti pot though.