Phlegm management in a polluted China

[onebir]

Xiao Kui's comments about pollution here reminded me that there's a partial solution: regularly pouring slightly salty water through your nose - in one nostril then out the other.

In yoga they call this 'neti'; I've also seen it described in a book on Taoist health practices (one of the Michael Reid ones).

To do it you just need a 'neti pot', a little salt & clean water (I've seen some sources suggesting bottled water, but I just use tap water - slightly warm is most comfortable). You put in a tiny bit of salt - just enough to be able to taste it, lean over a sink, then tilting your head back slightly pour in the water. You may need to experiment a bit with the head angle: tilted too far forward, the water won't go anywhere; too far back & it comes through the little holes at the back of your throat, which can make you gag.

It may take a while for the water to flow freely out of the lower nostril - in my case a month or so. I've read that the sinuses can be blocked by dried up encrusted mucus & guess this was true in my case. When the water does finally flow out freely, the whole procedure just takes a minute or two.

To get rid of any remaining water, use your thumbs to press on the little flap of flesh that covers your earholes to equalise pressure on both sides of your eardrums & blow your nose. You can also use a finger to block one nostril & blow to really clear the other (but don't blow too hard).

I find neti helps me get both nostrils operational in the mornings & can stop me feeling groggy. It also helped when I had a cold recently - by doing neti in the evenings as well I was able to go to bed with clear sinuses, which made breathing & sleeping easier & limiting the amount of infected mucus available for swallowing while I was sleeping, helping stop the problem spreading down to my throat/lungs.

Googling "neti" should throw up some more sophisticated procedures & descriptions of the benefits of the practice.

If you've read this far, you may well be thinking "what a weirdo!". But the other weirdos will be thinking "where will I find a neti pot IN CHINA?". The answer to this eluded me for some time, until I was sitting drinking gongfu cha with some friends - the little teapots looked perfect. The main requirements are a non-pointy spout that fits in your nostrils. In Kunming, the bird & flower market (花鸟市场) has a good selection, for RMB10 up.

[liuzhou]

I think I prefer the hawking and spitting.

[mr.stinky]

sounds more like the 'enhanced interrogation techniques' practiced at guantanamo.

[onebir]

It does take a bit of getting used to...

Dropped my pot this morning, need to get a new one!

[johnmck]

You would not be considered a wierdo in France, here you can buy a salt water spray at the pharmacy specifically for cleaning nostrils. Works a treat when your nose is blocked up.

[mr.stinky]

hey onebir, you wierdo, how's the neti going? found a new pot yet? but seriously,

i'm thinking about trying this out. i've always had nasty allergies - dust, pollen, mold,

small critters, etc. lots of sinus trouble, so usually use decongestants or nasal spray.

got all the info with a google search, seems simple and safe enough. moving to a new

apartment in 江岸小区on friday, will get a pot and try out once i move in. if any other

wierdos are interested, i'll post the results.

i guess this explains those weird late-night hospital commercials. i never understood

what they were doing, shoving a cotton rag in one nostril, then pulling it out the other.

[onebir]

hey onebir, you wierdo, how's the neti going? found a new pot yet? but seriously,

i'm thinking about trying this out.

I always suspected you were a weirdo, mr stinky!

I got a new pot yesterday & baptized it this morning. The RMB10 pots were no good - all too big & with pointy spout edges. I got a pumpkin shaped one for RMB30 - the lid's got a nice curve, & my ring finger fits through the handle, so with a bit of luck I won't drop this one...

I don't know what instructions your search brought up, but until i could get the water to flow straight through, I'd just keep my head tilted for a minute or so & just let it sit there to give it a chance to dissolve encrusted gunk. Then expel it through the same nostril. The experience was quite unpleasant at first - with cold water that's not salty enough it can almost be painful. But as you fine tune saltiness, temperature, head angle etc & get used to the procedure it's no less pleasant than brushing your teeth. The only downside seems to be occasionally getting water stuck in your ear for a day or too - I haven't quite worked out what I do wrong to cause that...

Quite tempted to try it with 谱洱茶

[roddy]

I was about to ask one of you to do a youtube demonstration video, but then I realized

. I'm kind of tempted by this as I suffer from hayfever sometimes, might try it next time I start sneezing (like a puppy, so I'm told).

[mr.stinky]

roddy, you picked the wrong video. i think this one will be more representative

of my coming efforts....

even better'n 谱洱茶!!

[cdn_in_bj]

I'd like to try this but it looks really uncomfortable!

[roddy]

It's got to be pretty bizarre at first, but I think you'd get used to it. Don't you end up with massive sneezing fits though?

[onebir]

It's got to be pretty bizarre at first, but I think you'd get used to it. Don't you end up with massive sneezing fits though?

No sneezing fits. Until you get used to it you can feel like you're suffocating, or gag on water going the wrong way, but that's about it.

I'd like to try this but it looks really uncomfortable!

With blood temperature, slightly salty water & the right head angle it's not even slightly uncomfortable when you've done it for a while - the water just pours right through at a pretty rapid pace. It can be a bit unpleasant at first though.

[muyongshi]

Too bad for most of us this method won't work for cleaning the ears...

[liuzhou]

Pardon?

[imron]

HE SAID TOO BAD FOR IT DOESN'T WORK FOR CLEANING THE EARS!

[atitarev]

In Australia this product is called FESS (salty solution). I don't think it helps for allergies, though.

[heifeng]

This couldn't be any worse than being slammed by a wave in the ocean, I might try it:mrgreen:

In my experience (long story, you know girls slumber parties as kids and torturing the person who falls asleep) Pepper or powdery seasonings will definitely make you sneeze in fits...but water and salt, I would suspect not so much, and if you do, it will probably still launch some of the nasty stuff out too.

[mr.stinky]

really, really, really gonna try this.

stopped by carrefour today, got me a neat baby bottle to stick up my nose.

it's sorta longish, holds 8 ounces, and is unbreakable plastic. has a nice curve to

it, and also bought some curved nipples. wasn't too kean on sticking a hard piece

of ceramic in me nostrils.

in case anyone is interested. baby bottle was 20 kuai, box of two curved nipplies 12.

i think saturday i'll git likkered up and give it a shot.

[muyongshi]

Just make sure the liquor goes in the mouth and the water in the nose....

[mr.stinky]

yeah, yeah, i know....

likkers fer drinkin, waters fer washin