Vajra Fist Posted March 29, 2022 (edited) I got COVID the other day. I'm jabbed three times, so thankfully it wasn't too bad. But I've been doing a few exercises to make sure it doesn't worsen. Here's my attempt at bro science, along with some woo woo to possibly help anyone if they're worried about symptoms getting serious. I've no medical training, but from what I can gather, a shortage of a substance produced in the sinuses known as nitric oxide is potentially a factor in the significant worsening of symptoms, known as a cytokine storm. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3271/10/1/3/pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjtra2B1Ov2AhXMi1wKHU5GBQsQFnoECCQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw2lwzNnt-kN4f3MEBpSw_hC Tldr Quote Having successfully developed a nutritional formulation intervention based on nitrate, a nitric oxide precursor, the authors hypothesis is that both the comorbidities associated with negative clinical patient outcomes and symptoms associated with COVID-19 sickness are linked to the depletion of a simple molecule: nitric oxide. So how do we increase nitric oxide ? According to the respected Buteyko teacher Patrick McKeown, the first thing you should do is breathe entirely through your nose. Mouth taping In order to ensure this, Buteyko practitioners typically tape their mouths up during sleep. That's right, surgical tape across the lips. Normally when I get a cold and go to sleep, my nose gets bunged up, meaning I breathe through my mouth. According to some, this means that my body is producing less nitric oxide and therefore I'm at a higher risk of having symptoms worsen. After a couple of nights mouth taping, my nose has thankfully remained clear. Humming Another thing that supposedly works is humming. Yes, I know how weird that sounds. According to the eggheads, humming produces a 15-fold increase in nitric oxide https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/10.1164/rccm.200202-138BC Thankfully, there is a pranayama exercise known as bhramari (or 'bee breath') which offers you the option to hum in a structured way. Here's a decent tutorial As you can imagine, the scientists are already exploring this: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7239502/ Tldr Quote Bhramari by enhancing the expression of Nitric Oxide and increased Carbon dioxide by extended exhalation and alkaline pH prevents coagulopathies and morbidity due to Covid-19. Now, bhramari is basically the internal vibration of the syllable 'om' (or aum for purists). I've been doing a bit of bhamari for sure, but I've also been doing a lot of 'omming'. If you're curious on the right way to do this, and you happen to be a member of Lotus Neigong Academy, then Damo Mitchell explores this in depth in his 'energetics of sound' course. Beetroot In this one, the science is a little less cut and dried, but what the hey. Basically beets are an excellent dietary source of nitrates, which your body converts into nitric oxide. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26653541/ I've been necking a couple of glasses of beetroot juice a day during this period, as a way of covering all my bases Conclusion If you made it through this wall of text - congratulations. These are the assorted methods I've accumulated in a bid to help me recover from Covid quickly. They might not work for you, but you're probably going to lose very little if you try them. Of course, if I'm untubated this time tomorrow, then chances are they didn't work for me either. But so far they've been helping me, an early shortness of breath I had early on seems to have largely disappeared and I'm breathing a lot better. Good health to all 😀 Edited March 29, 2022 by Vajra Fist 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EFreethought Posted February 9 On 3/29/2022 at 11:22 AM, Vajra Fist said: I got COVID the other day. I'm jabbed three times, so thankfully it wasn't too bad. But I've been doing a few exercises to make sure it doesn't worsen. CONTENT REMOVED So how do we increase nitric oxide ? According to the respected Buteyko teacher Patrick McKeown, the first thing you should do is breathe entirely through your nose. Mouth taping In order to ensure this, Buteyko practitioners typically tape their mouths up during sleep. That's right, surgical tape across the lips. Normally when I get a cold and go to sleep, my nose gets bunged up, meaning I breathe through my mouth. According to some, this means that my body is producing less nitric oxide and therefore I'm at a higher risk of having symptoms worsen. After a couple of nights mouth taping, my nose has thankfully remained clear. CONTENT REMOVED I have been reading "Breath" by James Nestor, and in it he mentions taping the mouth shut at night during sleep. Has anyone else tried this? How did it go? Maybe this will sound irrational, but I have this nagging fear if I tape my mouth shut that I will bury my face in my pillow and suffocate. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RobB Posted February 9 I have done mouth taping and still do (it's a bit of a disincentive having my seasonal beard in place as tearing off some micropore first thing isn't the relaxing start to the day I prefer). Its worth remembering that sleeping with your mouth closed is a totally normal thing to do. The taping just keeps your jaw in that position. It does feel a bit odd and takes some time to get used to but once you've got your head around the sensation it's fine. A short vertical tape across the centre of the mouth is sufficient. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keith108 Posted February 12 (edited) I hope you have recovered well, Vajra Fist! I had to chuckle a little, because except for the humming, I have done these things at various times, although usually for physical fitness reasons. And yeah, there is some bro science in there! I only did the mouth taping thing a couple times, because I found ripping the tape off (even a small piece of micro pore tape) to be pretty awful. I have been practicing mouth closed belly breathing for many years, so unless I am sick, I rarely open my mouth at night. Anyway, interesting stuff! Edit: oops -did a little necro posting. Didn't realize how old this thread is. Sorry! Edited February 12 by Keith108 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EFreethought Posted February 14 On 2/12/2024 at 4:16 PM, Keith108 said: Edit: oops -did a little necro posting. Didn't realize how old this thread is. Sorry! I replied to an old thread. It happens here fairly often. I bought some tape. Nestor recommended 3M Nexcare tape. So far I have only used it a couple of times. On the plus side, I did not suffocate with my face down. I did not feel alive with pleasure when I woke up. But I have not used it every night. I do feel better when I remember to put it on. I think part of my issue is I sleep on my stomach. I have heard sleeping on your side is best. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keith108 Posted February 14 1 minute ago, EFreethought said: I replied to an old thread. It happens here fairly often. I bought some tape. Nestor recommended 3M Nexcare tape. So far I have only used it a couple of times. On the plus side, I did not suffocate with my face down. I did not feel alive with pleasure when I woke up. But I have not used it every night. I do feel better when I remember to put it on. I think part of my issue is I sleep on my stomach. I have heard sleeping on your side is best. Yes, apparently sleeping on the right side is preferable. Fortunately, that's the side I like to sleep on, in more or less a fetal position. Very happy to hear you didn't suffocate yourself! _/|\_ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Keith108 Posted February 17 Today I managed to get through all 108 prostrations I do daily with strictly nasal breathing. It's 10-15 minutes of pretty strenuous effort, so that was a good development. I notice if I do them later in the day, it's all huffing and puffing. 🤪 If you win the morning, you win the day! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thelerner Posted February 25 (edited) VF hope you feel better soon. I read about humming/Nitrous Oxide connection years ago. Might be something to it. Humming moves through our bodies, vibrating tissues.. different tones seem to connect to different places. Humming, sick or not seems very worthwhile. I enjoy guided meditations. When I was visiting my dad, he and my sister came down w/ Covid. I was lucky enough not to. I also listened to this hypnotic often, Unlock Your Life Cold and Flu healing. Not a miracle cure but I've found it useful. https://youtu.be/CK7Y6mTjtrc?si=Mgxt8CDDo85z9Kug Edited February 25 by thelerner Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
