Practices for cleansing the nose and improving the health of the nasal tissue have been described since ancient times.

The sinuses can harbour a lot of bacteria. The colonies in the sinuses keep some 'survivalists' behind. The minute you stop treatment, the colonies send scouts and rebuild. This is why some people can end up taking course after course of antibiotics when trying to treat sinusitis.

The bacteria in your sinuses can ultimately end up in your gut. Your mouth, ears, nose and throat are all connected to your gut. Post nasal drip, which is quite common, can mean that the mucous in your nose and throat can literally be dripping bacteria straight into your gut all day long and while you sleep.

Sinus washing is critical for those with toxic mould illness/CIRS/bio-toxin illness. This is because MARCoNS (Multiple Antibiotic Resistant Coagulase Negative Staphylococci) live in the deep nasal passages and are commonly found in many people with mould exposure, bio-toxin illness and chronic lyme.

METHODS TO CLEANSE YOUR SINUSES

NEBULISING: Nebulising is a great way to deep cleanse your sinuses. A nebuliser is a small machine that turns liquid into a mist. You sit with the machine and breathe in through a connected mouthpiece. The mist travels to your sinuses and into your lungs as you take slow, deep breaths for 10 to 15 minutes.

The usual practice is to nebulise with a saline solution (see how to make your own below).

Super-Boost Tip: You can add 2 drops of Biomolecular Oxygen (AUS | USA) to 1 cup distilled water (no salt added) and nebulise for 10-15 minutes.

NETI POT: A neti pot is a container designed to rinse debris or mucus from your nasal cavity. You could invest in a very beautiful neti pot such as the one below... or opt for the cheaper version such as this one. You might even be able to buy on at your local chemist or health food shop.

To use the neti pot, first you will need to fill it up with 1 cup of warm (not hot) saline solution. You can buy this already made, or you can make your own (see instructions below).

It's also a good idea to add a drop of essential oil in the saline solution. Essential oils evaporate easily, so they can travel in to the crevices of your sinuses where other medicines can't reach.

You can use any of the following essential oils (it must be a good quality, organic essential oil):

• Rosemary
• Holy basil
• Tea tree
• Thyme
• Cloves
• Frankincense
• Eucalyptus

* Some people don’t tolerate essential oils. This is because they contain aldehydes that are similar in composition to mold gases. If you don’t feel well around essential oils, avoid them.

To use the neti pot, tilt your head sideways (as in the picture above) over the sink and place the spout of the neti pot in the upper nostril. Breathing through your open mouth, gently pour the saltwater solution into your upper nostril so that the liquid drains through the lower nostril. If water flows into your mouth, lower your head a little.Repeat on the other side. Once you have done both sides, bend forward so that the saline solution can go high up in the sinus cavity. Stay here for about 30 seconds and then slowly stand up. Perform 10 to 20 moderately forceful exhalations through the nose to help clear loose mucus and any remaining water from the nose. If the nose is not complety cleared of water after this, you can bend foward and back up a few times, moving your head in various position as you do so, to help clear the remaining water.

Super-Boost Tip #1: You can add 1-6 drops (start with 1 drop and work your way up) of Biomolecular Oxygen (AUS | USA) to 1 cup distilled water (no salt added as salt will make the oxygen less effective) and use it in your neti pot as per the above instructions.

Super-Boost Tip #2: To get rid of parasites in your sinus cavities (yes... they can get in there too!), you can add 1-6 drops (start with 1 drop and work your way up) of Para 3 (AUS | USA) to 1 cup distilled water (no salt added) and use it in your neti pot as per the above instructions. We recommend waiting until you have done the neti-pot with saline and essential oil for a few weeks before trying this as it can be pretty intense, but very effective. It's also recommended to try tip #1 first, and then once you tolerate 6 drops of oxygen, you can try the para 3.

You can use Para 3 in a Nasal Spray as well. In this case, you would use 7 drops per ounce of distilled water.

NASAL SPRAYS: Nasal sprays are easy to use and can be another great way to clear your nasal passages.

Colloidal silver nasal sprays such as this one are great for the sinus cavity. It's a powerful, broad-sprectrum anti-microbials, so we recommend using it 1 week on, 1 week off. You can also make your own nasal spray by buying any saline nasal spray bottle and adding a drop or 2 of the essential oils recommended above. Use once per day.

Super-Boost Tip: You can use Para 3 (AUS | USA) in a Nasal Spray as per described above in super-boost tip #2 for neti pot. In this case, you would use 7 drops per ounce (30ml) of distilled water. To make your own nasal spray, we recommend buying any cheap bottle of saline nasal spray, empty it and then use it as your dispenser.

XILITOL SPRAY: Xilitol acts as a biofilm buster in the sinuses. Remember that a biofilm as a little safe house for the bad bugs and toxins, so it's really important to address those for long term results.

Add this after doing the other cleansing methods mentioned above for a week or two to make sure your body can handle what’s uncovered when busting those biofilms.

You can either buy Xlear or make your own by adding ½ tsp of xylitol to 1 cup of saline solution.

CLEANSING REGIME

We recommend that you cleanse your sinuses regularly for up to 3 months; six months if you have toxic mould illness/CIRS/bio-toxin illness.

Rotate the use of all of the methods described above on a regular basis. At least once a day is best. You can also mix things up and use more than one method per day. For instance, do the neti pot in the morning, and than use a xilitol spray or nasal spray in the afternoon.

MAKE YOUR OWN SALINE SOLUTION

Mix 1/2 tsp of pure, non-iodised salt (or get some neti pot salt) in 1 cup (250ml) of lukewarm distilled or boiled water. Use less to make a less concentrated salt solution if burning or stinging is experienced.

You can also add 1/4-1/2 tsp of aluminum free bicarbonate soda (baking soda) to buffer the solution.

After you have done it a few times, you will find the perfect solution for your own nasal cavity ;-)