Health Minute Audio Summary:
Cleansing constitutes a foundational aspect of health. Many kinds of cleansing are available and recommended for various health issues. Some of the more common include cleansing diets, cleansing fasts, juice fasts, liver/gall bladder cleanses, kidney cleanses, enemas and colonic irrigations. But there is another type of cleanse, unfamiliar to most people, that is very helpful for nasal and sinus congestion. We call it a Nasal Flush.
Nasal flushing is a simple technique for irrigating the nasal cavity with a salt water solution to cleanse out mucous, allergens and other debris. Though it can be done by simply sniffing a salt water solution up your nose out of the palm of your hand (while leaning over the sink), specific cups are made to facilitate the process.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
Though nasal cleansing is done in Hatha Yoga, this method is certainly not confined to any eastern religious practice. The practice is also found in France, Germany and even Jamaica. It’s a historic remedy in Scandinavia for colds and infections. The old fishermen claim to have avoided colds throughout their lives by sniffing salt water from their hand or a small bowl and then spitting it out of the mouth again. A hundred years ago it was common to find nose cleansing glass pots sold in Scandinavian pharmacies.
A story is told of a military base in south Sweden where they had a large container of salt water with a small valve and rubber hose at the bottom. If soldiers felt a cold coming on, they would put the hose in one nostril and let the water run through. It was the most effective remedy they knew for preventing colds.
Chief physician of the Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic in Falun, Sweden, Dr. Claude Laurent, states:
We recommend nose cleansing against dry mucus membranes, to people with allergies and when working in dusty environments.
BENEFITS
Some of the greatest benefits of nasal cleansing have been noted by sinusitis sufferers. A 19-year old student said:
I suffered from chronic sinusitis for years, with headaches, tiredness, etc. Medicine didn’t help any more, and an operation was necessary. After I had learned nose cleansing, together with a few breathing exercises, I used it daily. The operation became unnecessary, and today I am completely healthy.
Nasal cleansing also helps reduce environmental allergy symptoms. People doing nasal cleansing during pollen season report great improvements from their typical symptoms. A woman from Stockholm, Sweden that had suffered from hay fever every Spring — with the usual swollen eyes, tearing and completely blocked nose — is symptom-free even at the height of pollen season, as a result of nasal cleansing.
My own experience with nasal cleansing has involved cleansing and opening my nasal passages during a cold. It works wonderfully for getting my nose breathing functioning and getting rid of the mucous without harmful hard nose blowing.
PHYSIOLOGY OF NASAL CLEANSING
So what happens in the nasal passages when you practice nasal cleansing? Professor Paul Stoksted from Odense, Denmark states:
In the sinuses and mucus membranes microscopic hairs are found, the so-called cilia, that all vibrate in the same direction. Under a microscope they resemble a cornfield swaying in the wind. The cilia are coated with a layer of mucus that catch dust, bacteria, pollen and white blood corpuscles. Through their motion the mucus membrane acts as a conveyer belt, transporting the mucus and caught particles through the nose, down the throat and further on to the stomach. The movement of the cilia hairs can be paralyzed by virus and allergy provoking substances, and also when it dries out, the mucus becomes tough and crusty and looses its function. Cleansing with salt water keeps the mucus moist, the cilia hairs are stimulated and encrustations, dust as well as allergy provoking substances are removed.
The reason that nasal cleansing aids blocked nasal and sinus cavities is explained by Dr. Kenneth Uhre from Tallmogarden Sanatorium in Sweden:
The nasal cavity is connected to the sinuses with small orifices. When during a cold these channels are closed because of swollen mucus membranes, it can lead to sinusitis. By nose cleansing these channels are kept clear.
Nasal cleansing raises the pH in the nasal passages to the more alkaline range. This counteracts viruses, which require an acidic pH to survive and attach to the nasal mucous membranes producing infection. High pH and the viruses die.
EXPERT OPINIONS
People with chronic sinus conditions should use a nasal douche daily, as it promotes drainage of the sinuses and speeds healing of inflamed tissues.
Andrew Weil, M.D. Self-Healing newsletter
Of all the treatment options suggested in my book, [nasal] irrigation is probably one of the most helpful.
Robert S. Ivker, D.O., Author, Sinus Survival
REASONS TO DO A NASAL FLUSH
To remove excess mucous due to cold or congestion.
To prevent colds or sinus infections by creating an unfavorable environment for bacterial and viral organisms.
To cleanse the nostrils of irritating pollens or other allergens.
To cleanse the nasal mucous membranes of dust, smoke or other airborne contaminants.
To remedy nasal dryness, including dryness from flying.
To enhance the breathing overall.
NASAL FLUSH INSTRUCTIONS
Though nasal cleansing can be done by sniffing salt water out of a bowl or the palm of your hand, it is much more effective (and more comfortable) to use a Nasal Cup. A Nasal Cup looks like a miniature ceramic tea pot. Though many nasal flushing regimens recommend using refined table salt, I feel Celtic Sea Salt with all 84 minerals found in ocean water is superior. Given the history of using ocean water for nasal cleansing, this will give you the same thing. The only difference is that Celtic Salt comes from a pristine area, such that its purity is greater than just grabbing a cup of salt water out of the ocean. For purity’s sake, use distilled water to mix the Celtic Salt into.
Add 1/4 tsp. Celtic Salt (coarse or fine) into 1 cup lukewarm distilled water in Nasal Cup. Stir until salt fully dissolves. (Note: You may also add 1/4 tsp. of baking soda to buffer the salt — some people experience a slight irritation from the Celtic Salt alone.)
Lean over sink with head facing down, then turned to right or left.
Place Nasal Cup spout in nostril that’s now on top and gently tilt the cup until water is slowly flowing into nostril. Breathe through mouth. If water isn’t flowing through to the other nostril, try tilting your head at different angles to open passageway. The more you relax doing this, the easier it is for the water to flow through.
Water will begin flowing out other nostril and into the sink. Continue until half the water has gone, then turn your head the other way and run the rest through the opposite nostril.
When Nasal Cup is empty, bend forward and let your head hang loosely to help get any remaining water out of the nose.
Close one nostril with a finger and turn your head. Switch to the other nostril and do the same.
Blow gently through one nostril at a time, closing the other nostril with a finger to dry the nose.
Throwing your head back or bending over can also help get any remaining salt water out of the nasal passages.
TESTIMONIALS
Just a couple of examples of feedback our clinics have received from clients doing the Nasal Flush:
The Celtic Sea Salt has kept my sinuses uncongested since starting and I have not had any sinus infections.
— E. L. Kirkland, Washington
My son hasn’t had any sinus problems since we started using the Celtic Sea Salt.
— K. P. Seattle, Washington
CLOSING THOUGHTS
I can imagine some readers and radio listeners hearing about nasal cleansing and responding, “Oh, gross!” They would perhaps have the same reaction to an explanation of enemas, colonic irrigations, liver/gall bladder cleanses, parasite cleanses and the like.
My counsel is this: If you want to be healthy, learn to love detoxification by whatever method is necessary and appropriate. Nasal cleansing is simple and harmless. The conventional medicine alternatives of repeated antibiotics are full of harmful side-effects, and often don’t even work. How about sinus surgery? Now that’s really fun! A Nasal Flush may involve a little more effort and a slight discomfort for a couple of minutes as compared to just swallowing some drug. But with the Nasal Flush you’ll be helping your body detoxify, helping your body to heal, rather than competing with its natural healing and detoxifying by taking drugs.
Most people, after the first time doing the Nasal Flush, are so thrilled with the results that they need no motivation to practice this approach regularly. In my experience it is certainly one of the simplest, yet most effective healing approaches I’ve ever encountered.
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Better Health Update is published by Pacific Health Center, PO Box 1126, Pinedale, Arizona 85934, Phone (800) 255-4246, providing remote virtual health screening appointments anywhere in the world . E-Mail: drkline@pacifichealthcenter.com. Monte Kline, Clinical Nutritionist, Author. Reproduction Prohibited.
DISCLAIMER: The information contained in this publication is for educational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose illness nor prescribe treatment. Rather, this material is designed to be used in cooperation with your nutritionally-oriented health professional to deal with your personal health problems. Should you use this information on your own, you are prescribing for yourself, which is your constitutional right, but neither the author nor publisher assume responsibility.
Spot-on explanation of the mechanics behind nasal flushing! Supporting the body's natural mucociliary clearance with saline is such an underrated, low-cost way to unburden the upper respiratory tract without relying on suppressive decongestants.