Gravity flush

Effects of dry air

Twist of toilet paper

Breathing at high altitude

This page was originally intended as a letter to those who suffer from a particular respiratory problem but it applies in a much broader manner.

  Since coming to the Phoenix valley area i've been hearing about people having problems with airborne spores and their affect on them, and in all that time I've never heard anyone discuss their respiratory maintenance to counter all that we are exposed to. Additionally, I've never heard anyone speak about proper breathing methods to fully utilize the filtration mechanism that we were made with, our nose.

  Regular maintenance is necessary when you begin to experience the sniffles or when congestion has occured, without agressive procedures the particulates and spores can accumulate and possibly place an adverse strain on our systems as it tries to wash them out. It is only doing doing what it was designed to do, however, you should not try to wash out your sinuses with vapors or fluids for you may not effectively control where they go and your lungs are no place to send fluids.

  Those substances that are microscopic are no help either, but people think they are helpless to deal with them, and without defensive measures this is probably the case, so considering not having heard about any measures being practiced, I believe it is time for me to contact people, through this site, who are having respiratory problems and share with them what i've been practicing since my days in an automotive/machine shop and a cabinet fabrication shop. In each if these places the dust and particulates are abnormally abundant and material such as asbestos, road dust and salt are so fine that they are hard to avoid or contain for capture. The same holds true of the dust from wood sanders. They are not microscopic or living spores but they do cause the same physical reaction from the body when they invade. The body goes into overtime with it's defensive mechanism and this can sap the energy out of a person.

  The best defense is a good offense and taking pro-active steps to contain-for-removal the particulates is accomplished initially by inhaling primarily through your nose, it is designed to capture those particulates. Once they are captured, extraction is easy with a twist of toilet paper. When the sinuses feel crusted, then, it is time and if you can't inhale through your nose then it is past time. The reason you should breath through your nose amounts to the way it was designed, As air flows upward into your nose it changes direction to enter your sinus cavity, as it changes direction particulates are separated from the air and collect in a pocket and in the hairs. Automobiles of the 50's used an oil-bath filtration system for their air intake system to deliver clean air. It pulled the air downward and then changed its direction depositing the particulates in a bath of oil.

  In the event of some particulates getting by, to the point of causing irritation and accumulation of fluids in the wind pipe then it is time for gravity flush measures.
  Your body will want you to cough that material out but air is not as effective as gravity. Since we spend most of our time vertical or on our backs, the fluids that the body generates to extract these trapped particulates never can achieve an exit strategy.

  Gravity flush involves positioning yourself for an extended period of time, as much as 20 minutes, in a face-down, slightly inclined head-down position. Think of it as draping yourself over something or just bent over or kneeling with your head on something comfortable. If you chose to drape yourself over something be sure to support your head so you can relax. If you feel comfortable enough to fall asleep, you are there. The corner of a bed or foot rest are objects to consider for draping over to accomplish a gravity flush of congestive fluids. You'll fell the need to swallow during this process, so do so, but use proper swallowing technique, press your tongue to the roof of mouth (not teeth) this causes a vacuum in your sinus passages with favorable results.

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  Often times in my many years in the valley i've use these methods to counteract the affects of the fine dust and other airborne substances and I hope you will also find it useful as a defense against further contamination so your body can get ahead of the environment rather than be overwhelmed by its unnatural conditions. Much of that material would normally be washed out of the air.

  There are additional techniques to deal with the effect of dryness on our breathing and eyes so if you are interested i'll fill you in.

  We are wonderfully made and have inspiration as our friend so that we don't become debilitated during the earth's recovery or dependent on mankind's devices

  You may have noticed that the dry air of the desert causes sinuses and eyes to dry out. This can be countered by covering your head and face with a mesh garment. If you are sleeping or working in an air-conditioned room you should cover your face to create a barrier against the dry air and re-breath the moisture you exhale. 40% of the moisture our body looses is from breathing.

The eyes, being a fluid-based organ, may have met their match now that air-conditioning and dry climates are favored by people. Can anyone imagine what happens when less moisture is available to the eye? Can you say dehydrated grape. If the function of our eyes is based on the light being focused on the back of our eye then the dimension of the eye would seem to be a reasonable factor to take into consideration. If the dimension of the eye is reduced by loss of fluid then the eye may not be able to adjust to achieve focus.

Since being in Arizona for 15 years i've notice a continuing dryness of my eyes. the only time they are comfortable is when being isolated from the dry air. I often accomplish this by wearing goggles. For the next twelve month i'll be experimenting with greater discipline how isolation of the eye from dry air changes my present need to wear glasses. I have noticed that my eyes seem to be deeper set in their socket than they were years ago. After several days of humidity protection I have already noticed an improvement in their comfort.
I've often wondered why the wearing of contacts can lead to improvement of sight. There may be some relationship to restoring the eye's original dimension as less fluid is lost to the dryness of the air. Replacing that moisture is the next step. Hyaluronic acid is the fluid contained in the eye. The Nutritional supplements, containing hyloronic acid, are taken to restore the fluids to our joints and skin and are also said to affect the eyes, but even these supplements may not be able to keep up with dehydration due to environmental conditions. I'll be post the results of my experiment periodically.

Toilet Paper Twist

  I've put the details of this method last so that you could get through all the other maintenance methods and not have the cloud of being grossed out blocking your attention.
  Most people can probably imagine what i'm suggesting through a twist of toilet paper to the nose. Yet to be sure there is no misunderstanding i'll go into some detail. As I mentioned above the air entering your nose changes direction before entering your sinus cavity and directly above where it enters is a pocket which can capture material and can become crusted and uncomfortable, go after this first so you can get a feel for the mechanics of a twist of toilet paper, two squares of econo-two-ply works well, more or less depending on dimensions.
 The material that gets by the pocket ends up in your sinus cavity and can be dealt with normally through proper swallowing as mentioned above, yet in the event of some serious congestion, taking the TP twist to the next level is advised. The passage is nearly a straight shot but it is found easiest by coming off the lower interior edge of the pocket. As you twist gently to capture the pocketed material maneuver the tip downward. Need guidance? Hold one nostril closed while lightly inhaling, this can help you feel the passage direction, do not force your way. Work the proper swallowing method in while doing this process, it seems to make this aspect of maintenance more effective.   Now that you're all grossed out keep in mind that we, as humans, are wonderfully made and or systems can deal with what gets to our stomachs so don't hesitate to send those airborne particulates to their demise.

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Breathing at high altitude where the air is thin.

Thin air means low pressure, you will need to force the air deep into your lungs by restricting your exhaling. Think about it as blowing up a balloon. More to come on this.

Update, 11-02-2007: Regular wearing of goggles for the last 60 days has had continuing favorable results in comfort and the presence of moisture. Vision seems to be improving.

  If you have any question i'll try to accommodate. Share this with others and contact me with your results.

Check back regularly, for these and other items will be expanded upon over time.