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Jeff Tibbetts
6th October 2003, 04:01
A while back now I decided to stop taking conventional medicines. I'm not a whacko, I just never used them much in the first place and I wanted to see what would happen if I "went natural." Also, my wife takes all sorts of medications for any and all ills, and I think that this has made her immune function very weak. I figured that if I get sick, I would like to know why instead of just treating the symptoms, and if I don't take medication for everything it makes me think about why I have a headache or whatever. Now, ever since I've started this "no meds" policy I've been having a fairly constant runny nose. It doesn't feel like an allergic reaction, but I do sneeze a lot and have watery eyes once in a while, like a cold. I'm totally baffled by this, and was wondering if anyone out there in the OM scene or standard health fields might know what would be causing this, or even what to look for. I have read a few articles about sickness and immune systems, and I remember one article in a recent Aikido Today magazine that dealth with mucous and the diet. I'm willing to do my own research, I'm just at a loss as far as where to look. As a side note, I wouldn't be at all surprised if it's somehow psychosomatic, because as soon as I set foot on the mat for practice my runny nose generally stops. I've also found this to be true for headaches, regular aches, and other medical issues. Anyone out there know what's going on here? I'd appreciate any help I can get, it's getting a little annoying for those around me to hear me sniffling and stuffed up so much.

kage110
6th October 2003, 10:20
Hi Jeff,

It may be that your immune system is not weak but too strong so be careful with whatever advice you read. Best thing to do is find a good naturopath or kinesiologist to guide you along the way. You might want to investigate specific diets for your blood type. You might find you are better off avoiding wheat, dairy products or meat or perhaps need to eat more of one of these groups. Your problem with excess mucous might be to do being intolerant to dairy (though this does not mean that you are necessarily lactose intolerant). Research the difference between food allergies and food intolerances. (As a side note, I am intolerant to most grains and wheat in particular but I do not have a problem with gluten. Rice is the one grain that seems to be fine for me however much I eat.)

I keep colds and the like at bay with fairly high dosages of vit. C (1000-2000 mg per day), zinc 15mg (make sure you take copper as well if you regularly take zinc supplements) and a multi-vit/min. You can boost your immune system by taking echinacea. Try some herbal teas.

Best thing of the lot though is a good, healthy diet of fresh fruit, veg., meat and water - preferably organic produce.

No doubt this post will attract those who don't have any time for the alternative medicine field but all I can say is that this approach has worked for me after more conventional medicine failed. My approach was developed after years of health problems and trips to medical consultants who were next to useless. I started to observe what I ate and what effects I suffered. I visited a kinesiologist who matched what I had observed and then read a book on blood type diets and found that the info there matched my reactions almost exactly.

All the best,

Hugh

organic
16th October 2003, 17:13
I suffer from a similar problem, but it's getting better.

Take a look at and consider readjusting:

- diet - some say dairy can cause excess mucus. Try to eat a balanced diet with the minimum amount of (red) meat that your body needs. Find out what combinations of foods will digest quickly and give you the energy you need to work and play.

- sleep - are you getting enough so that you feel relaxed and refreshed?

- exercise - are you getting enough? Are you doing too much? Have you looked into qigong? Standing qigong has helped my general energy-level and when I practice diligently I don't sneeze as much. I've also found that relaxation plays a huge role. If my shoulders and back are tense, I am more likely to have a stuffy nose. I have felt my nasal passages clear up at the exact time that I was able to relax my shoulders. Again, standing (or sitting) qigong might help.

- smoking, drugs, lifestyle - all of these can drain your energy depending on your constitution and the amount that you indulge in.

- stress - we all carry too much...


Good luck, let us know if you find anything that helps you.

David Kim

MarkF
17th October 2003, 07:44
Exercise does clear a stuffy nose, so that doesn't surprise me that it clears when you step on the mat. How? A stuffy nose is caused by inflammation of arterioles, venules, etc, inside the nose. If you have someone with a small flashlight look inside, you can see the narrowing of the nasal passages, or rather, that person can. If you do something which takes a certain amount of blood away from your nose or that area, it will clear up, at least for the duration of excercise and then some. It differs in people. It also differs in personality. Some are so clautrophobic that any little stuffy feeling in either nostril (nares) can have them reaching for the Afrin. In some, all it takes is a short time with one side being slightly closed, feeling "unilateral" rhinitis. It is very common, and is not the person's fault. That is just the way s/he is. It isn't just nasal decongestants, those taken by mouth, eg, Dristan, etc., can also cause it. If you have high blood pressure, it is extremely important to manage how much is taken (I would be he last to blame anyone for a personal problem or to tell you to stop. Either way you want to go, you do need to get a handle on it). If you are into herbals of the chinese type, many of them contain the same ingredient, in natural form) which causes the same symptoms when stopped.

If it turns out that it isn't anything I've said here then keeping a journal of all activities, how you feel and when, what are your surroundings when you feel ill, anything and everything are possibilities.

When I saw the title to this thread, as a pharmacist, the first thing I thought of was *rhinitis medicamentosa* or rebound congestion after using nasal or oral cold products containing decongestants. Amphetamines are chemically close to the chemicals used in these products so if on any kind of "pep" pills or diet meds, that can cause the same symptomology, especially if you recently stopped taking it (most medication should be stopped over a period of time as just about anything can cause a type of rebound of their own).

That is what I thought while reading your post but it is based only on that. Excercise also clears a stuffy, runny nose which also makes me suspicious, but you don't present any details of what you were taking in the way of medication or what you stopped taking that you do not take now, or when, so it is only an impression. Nasal decongestants are addicting and the effects of stopping them cold turkey (pun unintended) are similar to stopping narcotics. No one purposely becomes dependent on them, it just happens, then they begin to question why "this cold" won't go away. It is startling in the symptoms of abusing either one (opiates and/or decongestants, including eye drops which take the red away, they contain decongestants as well) and then stopping, even if only for a week.

But it could be any number of things. To give a more accurate assessment, you should list what you used to take, how much and how many times per day, and for what you took them and when you stopped. Your question is far too general to give you an opinion, but as I said, your topic post title did draw me to check this out, and I could be right..or wrong. Information, even that which you think unimportant, may hold the truth. If you regularly took something as I describe, even if not every day, or even every week, you may have taken something which causes a rebound of symptoms. It may only be a pain in the back side, or it could be bothering you so much, you want to ask ten-billion people on the Internet for an opinion.;)

If you want to continue this off board or in email, you can PM or email me (my email is there, or you can PM if you don't want to keep your email private. There is a limit to the number of characters in PMs).

But I can tell you, if it is caused by decongestant abuse, you will have to suffer through for a few weeks, so if that is the cause, it isn't serious as long as it doesn't raise your BP or heart rate too much. There are some meds which can help reduce the congestion without the rebound, but those take time, as well, and you may have to try more than one.

If any of this sounds familiar to you, you can continue as you are, excercise is very useful in clearing your nose (you all ready that), it just takes a bit of time, and if you have it, some patience. If you can do that, well, you are way ahead of most folks.


Mark

Jeff Tibbetts
26th October 2003, 05:08
Thanks Mark, that's a pretty in-depth analysis. Unfortunately (sort of) that won't explain it... as I posted I quit taking any type of drugs, what I should have been more specific about was that I really didn't take many in the first place. I would take a tylenol once in a while when I had a headache, and I would take cold medecine once in a great while, but that's about it. I never did take anything for any allergies, congestion, etc. other than when something really bothered me... I wish it would have been so easy to pin down. By way of update, I am still having the same experience, but it seems to be getting slowly better. The times I notice it the most are when I first wake up and, for some reason, when I sit in class (college, not Aikido).

David, would you recommend anything that I could do for Qigong practice? I've skimmed a couple of books, but is there one in particukar I should look into or are there some exercises that are simple enough that you might explain them? I do regular zazen meditation and Kiatsu fairly regularily, which seems to help, but I am always looking for new things to try in my free time :)

Thanks again, for the responses.