Get rid of catarrh with a bottle of water and a straw! Easy tip

I have been looking after my mother since she broke her hip skiing.
After my first night there, she had been coughing during the night, and woke complaining that she had a lot of catarrh stuck at the back of her nose and throat. When she blew her nose it had no effect.

I decided to test one of the exercises I had seen, while I was training as a nurse. This was used in the hospital by the physiotherapists for post-operative care to reduce the risk of lung infections.

It consists of a large bottle almost full of water and a pipe. The best I could do to replicate this was a 2 L bottle of water and a straw. I gave it to my mother and said: breathe in through your nose, then blow out through the straw that is as deep in the water as possible. Do this about 10x3 times a day.

That night I notice she had not been coughing much. When I got to see her in the morning she declared the catarrh had cleared.

The reason this works is because your body produces catarrh to fight chronic hyperventilation which occurs when most of the breathing is done through the mouth rather than the nose. Breathing against the pressure of the water also ensures the lungs function better.

This particular practice along with square breathing (as described in my blog about sleep) is also helpful for conditions such as asthma and other chest complaints. Cutting down on cow's milk and taking garlic are also helpful. For chesty coughs then Bronchosan A Vogel remedy is also helpful

To find out more about how breathing affects many aspects of your health, you can also learn about the Buteyko method. 

If you have any other tips for breathing then please share them in the comment box, thank you.