QuasiMojo

Does anyone else practice this often overlooked form of sinus hygiene? Essentially, it is the infusion of a warm saline solution throughout the sinus cavities.

I had read about this westerner who was in India and picked this up from a yogi who had this as part of his daily meditative practice. Well this guy started doing this and after a while ended up ejecting the end of a blackish grey threadlike object out of his nose. And when he finished pulling it out it was like, a foot long.
evidently it was the culmination of years of dirt and debris that had managed to form into this threadlike amalgamation...

Anyway, I don't know how true this was but was intrigued by this method of purging and about two years ago I brought this up with a girl I was seeing and being an adventurous type she agreed to do this with me. Heh heh..what a date that was.

I bought one of those red plastic ketchup bottles (like you have for picnics) in lieu of the traditional neti pot, and some standard
sea salt. WELL...after a few aborted efforts we both finally got it...imagine both of us, head over my kitchen sink sqirting warm salt water up our noses!
~I don't want to gross anyone out by giving you the visuals~

So the reason I do this IS
I used to have minor sinus congestion a lot of the time and head colds and the like...and since I've been doing this these ailments have ceased. And I just like the idea of everything being clean up in there.

If you ever decide to do this I would suggest that you use an organic sea salt that contains NO calcium silicate(a preservative)
which gives you bad aftertaste.
And once you realize that you CAN breathe through your mouth and that you will NOT drown...

please don't tell any of your casual aquaintances!
they will begin to look at you funny

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AzAbOv ZoBeLoE

popo

I had sinus surgery a couple months ago and had to do this daily for 2 weeks after that. It wasn't fun the first time but I agree, it began to feel great to be completely clean in there after irrigating.

Then again, I haven't done it since so I guess I didn't enjoy it that much.

sngx1275

Don't you get dependent on it? Nasal sprays are similar and they say not to use for more than say 3 days in a row. I always figured it was because you would become clogged up all the time without it. Maybe that was just bad assumption. Can someone clear this up for me?

QuasiMojo

Actually, most nasal sprays have other ingredients in them that make them habit forming. The seasalt solution is just a mild
way(although it may sting) of cleansing all the crap that accumulates up there.

I just want to point out that this procedure is an actual irrigation, not just a spraying. You know...in one nostril/out the other.

The first time I was a bit disappointed with what was produced. I think I expected too much...after the 3rd or 4th time I started hauling up these blackish....globules(is that a word?) which were the product of the oft-dusty environment that I work in.
But- you will immediately tell a diff in your sense of taste and smell. Cigarettes reeeeally taste like the sheeeeeeyit they are.
And if I were serious about quitting them at this time I would do this on a more regular basis.

Hey Sngx...is this a pun?!!!!
and is your name the sound of a sneeze!?







The only drawback to this habit would come(I think) if you did it every day. I think you need the mucus membrane for the reason of catching foreign particles and germs and If you practiced nasal irrigation EVERY day... it might wear it down. Once again, moderation may be the key.

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AzAbOv ZoBeLoE

sngx1275

didn't intend for it to be.
And no its not the sound of a sneeze, its actually Sigma Nu Gamma Xi and I'm the 1275th initiate.

Reacharound

I always do this when I go from a low altitude to a high altitude place for a week or so after, they told me this would stop nosebleeds. Just use a syringe its easier !

gonadman

Nasal sprays clear the nose by causing constriction of the small blood vessels in the lining of the sinuses. Unfortunately, the drug that does this irritates that same lining, so when the constriction wears off, the irritation has caused slightly more swelling than you started with. This is called rebound congestion. It won't cause much of a problem for the first few days, but use the spray longer and the swelling becomes quite pronounced. Its actually a medical condition called rhinitis medicamentosa, and is usually treated with steroids.

Fortunately salt water/saline nasal sprays don't cause this problem

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For me there is only the traveling on paths that have heart, on any path that may have heart. There I travel, and the only worthwhile challenge is to traverse its full length. And there I travel, looking, looking, ...breathlessly.
-Carlos Castaneda