So I've had a sensitive nose all my life, and I've tried all the typical remedies (nasal irrigation, anti-inflammatories, acupuncture, etc).  A few months ago, while surfing the net, I came across the most awesome way to relieve nasal congestion.  I wanted to share it with you guys and see if it works as well for other people as it does for me.

The premise is simple.  When we breathe too much, we exhale too much carbon dioxide.  Carbon dioxide is an important vasodilator, meaning that if we don't have enough, inflammation starts to occur.  Therefore, curing nasal congestion simply requires us to increase the level carbon dioxide in our blood.

This is the simple exercise that has helped me so very much.  If anyone here happens to have a stuffy nose, please try it out share how well it worked.

1.     1.  Breathe out.  Hold your nose and close your mouth.

2.     2.  Hold your breath until it starts getting a bit uncomfortable.  It’s faster if you walk around a bit.  Nodding your head back and forth works too.

3.     3.  Keep your back straight and unplug your nose, keeping your mouth closed.  Breathe as slowly as possible.  You should feel your nose gently clearing out. 

The concept of breathing less to increase carbon dioxide levels is known as the Buteyko method.  I wrote a blog post on it here, if you’re interested to know more about it.