Cure for the common cold? It's right under your nose

NEW YORK - Can you really cure the common cold just by swishing salt water through your nose? Yogis have been swearing by it for ages. Now, even Americans who've never said "om" are saying "ah" after trying the ancient Indian art of nose washing.

To get at the source of their stuffiness, nose washers use a tool that looks like a tiny Aladdin's lamp, called a neti pot. They fill the pot with warm salt water, then ever-so-gently insert the tip of the spout into one nostril. Then they tip back the pot and let the waters flow.

As the warm stream swishes through one side of the nose, loops around the sinuses and pours back out the other nostril, the salty solution washes away mold, pollen and dust. Gross? Sure. Effective? For many, it's the Holy Grail of sinus relief.

"The first time I saw someone wash their nose two years ago, I thought, 'I am so not doing that,' " said Monica Groth, 26, a meditation accessories business owner from Colby, Wis. But Groth was so tired of getting colds year after year that she tried it anyway. She's been rinsing and draining - and free of colds, she says - ever since. "Just think of all the grime we breathe in every day," she said.

I don't mean to be nosey....but...More can be done in addition to use of the Neti pot. Before leaving your safe, germ-free domicile for public places (which are overcrowded with feverish, hacking, snuffling, coughing disease carriers who don't wear snot-barrier masks) swab a little heavy oil (sesame, olive, or vitamin E oil) into the upper nostrils to help trap the nasty little invaders as they enter throughout the day, like flies on glue paper. Back at home, perform Neti. If you don't have a pot or you have an injury and find it difficult to twist the neck, snurfle body temp saline water (like your tears) from the palm of your hand a few times to remove the oil. Next, a tissue; Aaaaaah! There's also a nice combination oil for that purpose called Nasya Oil, which adds herbs and eucalyptus to the above oils to soothe and cleanse the nasal tissues. Blog littlejeremiah if interested in oil sources. Last note: discomfort is usually due to too hot or too cold water; too little or too much salt. Test for body temperature and salinity first.

Just checking my pings and found this thread. I have a friend who used some kind of squirt bottle for nasal rinsing and injured his ear due to the pressure. Neti pots (which I am familiar with and have used for years) or just using one's palm to "snurfle" the saline solution, pouring into the palm from a cup, work well.

But be careful with using any pressure to put anything in your nose! Ears are very precious.

I use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pure sea salt (no additives) per pint of lukewarm/body temperature water. I do it often, but now that it's flu season I'll do it at least once a day. If it's the right salinity there is no discomfort at all, but feels very cleansing and pleasant. I have a friend who suffers from very bad allergies and he does it several times a day and has noted great improvement in his allergy symptoms.

The 'crud' you keep for the rest of the winter is probably a sinus infection. Irrigating your sinuses 4 X a day as soon as the cold shows up, will go along way to preventing the bacterial sinus infection.

My husband is so bad about getting and keeping a sinus infection for months that no amount of anti biotic can cure. Last year the doc tried a new medicine on him. It was a 2 x a day sinus wash with liquid Bactriban. I had only seen Bactriban in cream form in a tube before. It worked! It took about 3 weeks but he had been sick with that crud for months and had taken several prescriptions for it. He is a diabetic and I think they have even more problems than the rest of us with infections.

New to this website I am looking for the most appropriate area to post a legislative link regarding a health bill. While I do that, I feel many of you might be concerned about the following, which I post in full with its enclosed link until I learn this site better. I notice that most Bloggers here are actively concerned about health issues and I thought they would appreciate the following information. Feel free to pass it on if interested. Letter from Raintree Nutritionals follows:

A very important bill was introduced to the House of Representatives last week that needs a grass-roots support effort to pass. The bill is called the Health Freedom Protection Act and it is intended restore the First Amendment rights of consumers to receive truthful information regarding the benefits of foods and dietary supplements and to stop the FDA and FTC from censuring this information.

PLEASE take a moment to read the bill and educate yourself on the issues and then write your State Representative and tell them how you feel about protecting your rights to obtain truthful information about the benefits of dietary and herbal supplements by simply clicking here: http://www.healthactioncenter.com/ctt.asp?u=3978495&l=110761 Please feel free to forward this email to your friends and get others involved as well.

To read the speech of Congressman Ron Paul when he introduced the bill see: http://www.lewrockwell.com/paul/paul288.html
To see a press release about the introduction of this bill see: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=33525

The purpose of this bill is to amend the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to ensure that:

1. Accurate health claims are not suppressed
2. Consumers are given truthful and full information about the science supporting the health-enhancing effects of foods and dietary supplements (including scientific evidence that foods, dietary supplements and dietary ingredients may provide benefits relating to the cure, mitigation, treatment and prevention of disease (not drug effects).
3. The FDA honors the intent of the Congress to not censor accurate health claims

Passage of The Health Freedom Protection Act, H.R. 4282, would yield more health information on the foods and supplements we buy, potentially cutting our drug costs by educating us about natural alternatives.

Please, send a letter to your State Representative and encourage them to support The Health Freedom Protection Act, H.R. 4282 by clicking here: http://www.healthactioncenter.com/ctt.asp?u=3978495&l=110761

Please don't settle for scientific censorship. Stand up for your First Amendment rights by sending a message to your Representative telling them you want the Health Freedom Protection Act, H.R. 4282, passed into law.

Thank you for your support,
Dr. Leslie Taylor, ND

--
Raintree Nutrition, Inc.
3579 Hwy 50 East, Suite 222
Carson City, Nevada 89701 USA
(775) 841-4142 (800) 780-5902
Fax: (775) 841-4022
http://www.rain-tree.com

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