How To Clear A Stuffy Nose: Suggestions + WARNING

How to Clear a Stuffy Nose
* Suggestions *

A congested or stuffy nose is caused by inflamed blood vessels in the membranes lining the inside of your nostrils, usually due to the flu, cold, or allergies. While this can be life-threatening to newborns, it's simply annoying and uncomfortable for most kids and adults. Here's how to relieve the stuffiness.

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Method One: 

Quick Fixes for Kids and Adults

1  Stop blowing your nose.
Blowing your nose when it's stuffy but there's nothing to expel will only make the congestion worse. Step away from the tissues, and resolve to use them only when you need snot removal.

Blowing hard repeatedly will make the delicate membranes inside your nostrils get more inflamed, leading to increased stuffiness. It seems counter intuitive at first, but you really will feel better if you use tissues less.

2  Take an over-the-counter decongestant or antihistamine. Depending on the cause of the stuffiness, you might be able to find some relief in widely available medications. Here's what to choose:

* If you have a cold, pick up a decongestant. 
Decongestants will ease the swelling and inflammation in your nasal passages, leading to easier breathing. You can take them orally, as a pill, or use a decongestant nasal spray. Be aware that decongestant nasal sprays are only recommended for three consecutive days of use; oral decongestants such as Sudafed can be taken for much longer.

*   If you're suffering from allergies, such as hay fever, get an antihistamine. 
*  If allergies are at the root of your problem, an antihistamine will both relieve congestion and take care of other symptoms, like sneezing. Be aware that antihistamines can cause drowsiness, and that kids will need doses specifically formulated for children.

3  Use a saline nasal spray. 
Saline nasal sprays are simply salt water in a convenient applicator — no medications or drugs are included. The water will soothe the inflammation in your nose, as well as flushing out any mucus or bacteria.

*Buy the spray, or make your own. 
You can purchase sterile saline sprays at most drug stores. Or, if you own a nasal aspirator or bulb syringe, make your own by mixing 1/4 teaspoon of salt with 1/2 cup warm water.

*Lean over a sink, with the tip of your nose is pointing toward the drain. This position allows the water to easily run out of your nose.

*Slowly spray the saline into one nostril at a time. If you're using a bulb syringe, squeeze it a little to evacuate the air, dip it into the saline solution, and release the bulb. Squeeze the bulb again to put the solution into your nostril.

*Allow the solution to drain from your nose completely before spraying again.

*Use the saline solution two to three times a day.

*Check out How to Use a Neti Pot for an alternate way to irrigate your sinuses with saline solution.

http://yoga108.org/pages/show/106-how-to-use-a-neti-pot-without-danger

Where Can I Get a Neti Pot?

 http://www.neti-netti-pot.com/where-can-i-get-a-neti-pot.html 

4  Use steam to ease congestion. The moisture and heat from steam will ease the inflammation and help you breathe easier. The good news about this method: you can do it as often as you need to, including running a humidifier constantly until you feel better.

*Take a steamy shower. Put a towel at the bottom of the bathroom door so that no steam escapes, and turn the temperature up. If you don't want to bathe, simply get the shower going and inhale the steam as it fills the bathroom.

*Inhale the steam from a boiling pot of water. Bring the water to a gentle boil, and carefully lean over it to breathe in the steam. (Just make sure you don't burn yourself!)

*Run a humidifier or vaporizer. This can be especially helpful while you're sleeping. To keep the steam even more concentrated, build a tent over the humidifier with pillows, blankets and furniture, making sure there are no large gaps that would allow the moisture to escape.

    

5  Stay hydrated. Drinking plenty of fluid will thin out any mucus in your nose, making it easier to expel. The extra moisture in your system will also soothe irritated nasal passages and prevent sinus blockages.

Some people find it helpful to drink warm fluids when they're congested. Consider herbal teas, broths, or soups.

    

6  Put a warm compress over your nose. Wet a washcloth with water that's as hot as you can stand, lie down, and lay the cloth over the bridge of your nose so that it covers your sinuses but leaves the path to your nostrils clear. Rewet the washcloth when it starts to feel uncomfortably cold.

It might take a few rounds of reheating the washcloth for you to feel any benefit, so be patient. Try using a compress while you do something relaxing, like listening to music or watching TV.

    

7  Use a vapor rub. Most chest or vapor rubs contain menthol, which can help ease congestion when it's inhaled. Popular rubs that can be used for this purpose include Vicks, Tiger Balm, and IcyHot. Try these application methods:

*Rub it on your throat or chest if you're going to sleep. It's close enough to your nose that you'll be able to breathe it consistently as you sleep, but not so close that it will irritate your eyes.

*Put some vapor rub on a tissue, then hold the tissue to your nose and inhale deeply.

*Or, if you don't have any vapor rub on hand, dab a drop or two of peppermint oil beneath your nose. It should have the same effect.

    

8 Rest in an upright position. If you find that the congestion gets worse when you lie down, try to elevate your head a little bit. Put an extra pillow beneath your head, or try to sleep in a recliner.

    

9 Use nasal adhesive strips. These thin white strips go over the bridge of your nose, and are meant to manually widen your nostrils just enough to help you breathe easier. They might be marketed as anti-snoring strips in some stores.

    

10 Eat spicy food. If your sinuses are congested, consider chowing down on a dish that's slightly spicier than you usually enjoy. Drink plenty of water as you eat, and you should find that your nose is running by the end of the meal. Blow out as much mucus as you can.

Method Two: 
Treating an Infant

1      Watch for nasal congestion in infants. Because infants can't breathe out of their mouths yet, nasal congestion can become a serious condition, especially during breastfeeding. Because you can't simply blow a newborn's nose, you'll have to clean out the mucus via other means.

2      Use saline drops to loosen any mucus. Place the infant on a flat surface, with a rolled towel beneath the shoulders to tip the head back. Place a few drops of saline solution in each nose, and wait 30 to 60 seconds.

*To make your own saline solution, mix 1/4 teaspoon with 1/2 cup lukewarm water.

    

3      Drain the mucus. Turn the infant on his or her stomach to help the mucus drain out. You have two choices when it comes to manual removal:

*Roll a tissue into a small cone, and swab it around the nostrils. Do not insert cotton swabs into an infants nose, ever.

*Use a bulb syringe or nasal aspirator to remove mucous. Push out a small portion of air, insert the aspirator into the very front portion fo the nostril, and gently release the bulb. Squeeze any mucus you remove onto a tissue.

4      Know when to call a doctor. Nasal congestion can cause serious problems in infants if it continues for too long. Get help if you notice the following symptoms:

*The congestion interferes with the baby's ability to feed.

*The baby has a fever.

*The baby's breathing is extremely labored and fast.

Method Three: 
Knowing When to See a Doctor

1 Schedule an appointment if your congestion persists for more than 7 days. If a severe stuffy nose lasts longer than a week, you're probably dealing with something more severe than allergies or a common cold. Other signs to watch out for:

*Swelling around the forehead, eyes or cheeks that might indicate a sinus infection.

* Blurred vision.

*White or yellow spots in the back of the throat.

*A cough that produces mucus that's yellow-green or gray.

*Don't blow your nose roughly. The excessive pressure can push mucus back up to the sinus and inflame or infect them more, exacerbating congestion. Never swallow mucus as it gets clogged up in your throat and causes you to cough. If you have to blow, do so gently.

*The use of the neti pot is not advisable for people with flu.

*If the salt concentration is too high in the neti pot, it can cause burning of the tissue.

*Be careful when using steam or a steam inhaler, as boiling steam can cause nasty scalds.

*Don't be too hot, keep you room nice and cool.

http://www.wikihow.com/Clear-a-Stuffy-Nose

Woman dies from brain-eating amoeba after using Neti pot with tap water
December 7, 2018, 

A Seattle woman died after becoming infected with a brain-eating amoeba. The woman told her doctor she had used tap water in a Neti pot, instead of saline or sterile water, CBS affiliate KIRO reports. 

Doctors believe an amoeba entered in through her upper nasal cavity and got into her bloodstream, eventually reaching her brain.

A neurosurgeon from Swedish Medical Center in Seattle said this is a rare situation but is warning patients to be sure to follow the directions when using a Neti pot for nasal congestion, and use only boiled or distilled water. It's believed that the woman used tap water she'd put in a pitcher with a filter.

The neurosurgeon, Dr. Charles Cobbs, operated on the 69-year-old woman last January. She arrived in the hospital's emergency room after suffering seizures. At first doctors thought the woman had a tumor, as she had been previously diagnosed with breast cancer. She also had a sore on her nose that would not go away. 

How brain-eating amoeba infections happen

According to the CDC, most brain infections from amoebas are associated with swimming in warm freshwater lakes and rivers. 

However, very rarely, there have been deaths associated with an amoeba in tap or faucet water going up the nose. 

A person cannot get infected from swallowing water contaminated with it, and it cannot pass from person to person. Infection can only occur when infected water goes up the nose. 

The woman's doctors say they think her death was ultimately tied to her use of the Neti pot.

"She had not been boiling water, using sterile water or using sterile saline. 

She had been using water that had been put through a filter and maybe it had been sitting there and somehow the amoeba from somewhere else got in there. So that's what we suspect is the source of the infection," said Cobbs. "This is so rare there have only been like 200 cases ever."

READ MORE:

• https://www.cbsnews.com/news/woman-dies-from-brain-eating-amoeba-after-using-neti-pot-tap-water-to-rinse-sinuses/?ftag=CNM-00-10aab6i&linkId=60755581
•  

  Fatal brain-eating amoeba may have come from woman's neti pot - CNN

• https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/07/health/seattle-brain-amoeba-neti-pot-bn/index.html

• A woman died of a brain-eating amoeba infection - Vox

• https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/12/10/.../neti-pots-safety-brain-eating-amoeba

Related
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Home Remedies to Clear a Stuffy Nose
Natural Antihistamine
http://www.ehow.com/way_5286293_home-remedies-clear-stuffy-nose.html
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How to Clear Nasal Congestion Naturally
http://www.ehow.com/how_5677228_clear-nasal-congestion-naturally.html
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How To Clear A Stuffy Nose: Suggestions
http://howtostop-arunnynose.com/how-to-clear-a-stuffy-nose-suggestions/
* http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0003540/.

* http://www.webmd.com/allergies/sinus-pain-pressure-11/sinus-congestion?page=2 

*http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0003540/

How to keep a stuffy nose clear and unblocked 24/7

How does it work? When you hold your breath and do some physical movements (nodding your head or walking, but with the nose pinched), your airways, lungs, blood-and-body cells, including the stuffy nose, accumulate more carbon dioxide. CO2 is the most powerful known vasodilator and dilator of all tubular layers of smooth muscles, including those in the sinuses, bronchi and bronchioles. As a result, airways dilate and this leads to quick relief. Additional effects are due to dilation of arteries and arterioles when arterial CO2 is increased. CO2-induced vasodilation improves blood-and-oxygen supply to your stuffy nose.

Both of these mechanisms, vasodilation and dilation of airways, have physiological similarities since the expansion mechanism is based on relaxation of all smooth muscles of the human body due to the higher CO2 content in the arterial blood.

Why stuffy nose problem is so common?

Numerous medical studies have shown that modern people or "normal subjects" breathe about 2 times more air than what is considered the norm. Hence, overbreathing and a lack of CO2 constricts blood vessels and airways. In addition, hypocapnia (CO2 deficiency) creates tissue hypoxia (low body-oxygen content) and suppresses the immune system. As a result, your sinuses become the breeding ground for bacteria, viruses, fungi and other pathogens. It has been shown in Buteyko's research that the reason that one's nose gets blocked or stuffy is due to a CO2 deficiency that in turn is caused by breathing too much.

Permanent solution 

to have a blocked nose clear

The solution to all these constriction problems is to increase your body CO2-and-oxygen content 24/7 by reducing your breathing. There is a simple body-oxygen test that provides the criterion for a clear nose. If your score is higher than 20 seconds on this body-oxygen test, your nose will be clear all the time. If your body oxygen level drops below 20 s (e.g., after meals, due to mouth breathing, supine sleep, allergies, during night sleep, etc.), you will start to mouth breathe (causing advance of pathogens, constriction of airways, and other effects of the over breathing) and will again need to clear the stuffy nose of its extra mucus.

In order to achieve a good body-oxygen level, you have to change your automatic breathing pattern. You need to make it slower and lighter (have easier breathing, in contrast to the heavy breathing that you likely have now). This goal can be achieved if you practice breathing exercises and follow a natural lifestyle for higher body-oxygen content.

 

http://www.normalbreathing.com/art-stuffy-nose-clear.php#.UN5HNPLNmSo

A Stuffy Nose Clear in 1-2 Min 

(Easy Breathing Exercise)

This simple breathing exercise (how to clear a stuffy nose or get rid of nasal congestion) was developed by Russian doctors practicing the Buteyko breathing method. Around 200 physicians taught this exercise to hundreds of their patients with blocked noses. Most people can make their stuffy nose clear in less than 1 minute.

Breath-work: how to clear a stuffy nose Sit down and after your usual exhalation, pinch your nose to hold your breath, while nodding your head up and down. Hold your breath as long as possible but remember to breathe only through your nose when your later release your nose. When you get a strong desire to breathe, release the nose and take a small gentle inhalation and then relax your body muscles to exhale.

Then again, take a small inhale and relax for the exhale. Your goal is to breathe less than before this breathing exercise, but with total relaxation of all body muscles. Hence, you are going to have air hunger or the desire to breathe more for about 1-2 minutes.

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Neti Pot Instructions
http://www.neti-netti-pot.com/neti-pot-instructions.html
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Neti Nose Blowing Do's and Don'ts

So, what's a neti pot user to do? Simple. Follow a few basic tips, and you should greatly reduce your chances of a neti blowing nose "hangover."THE DON'TS: 
Neti Nose Blowing the Wrong Way

    Don't block either nostril when blowing.
    Don't pinch the bridge of your nose.

Why? Because these things help expel mucus by boosting the nose-blowing "air pressure." This is similar to the way you partially cover the end of a garden hose to shoot out a more powerful stream of water when washing the tires of your car. But when it comes to using a neti pot, this can backfire -- literally and figuratively. Remember, you don't want to blow anything where it doesn't belong.THE DO'S: 
Neti Nose Blowing the Right Way

To help keep from blowing the mucus (and not to mention any bacteria -- *shudders*) where it doesn't belong, keep a few basic things in mind.

1.     Be gentle.
2.     Keep both nostrils open at all times.
3.    Bonus points if you take a long, hot shower before using a neti pot, because this will help clear things out ahead of time.

And don't forget, throw out those tissues!

http://www.neti-netti-pot.com/blowing-nose.html
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Relieve Sinus Pressure with Acupressure
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http://paulcpw.blogspot.com/2013/01/relieve-sinus-pressure-with-acupressure.html