Guest guest Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Ken, Your comment about drastically reducing milk woke me up. The vitamins are good and the caffeine reduction may help with nutrition absorption from foods, but the milk thing may turn out to be very important. Still studying digestive enzymes here, but now I'm afraid to eat my cereal without first taking a $.10 enzyme supplement. Can't wait for Social Security in a couple years to help pay for it. Milk could, if enzymes are a factor, suggest that lactase enzymes are lacking (for lactose in milk) or also that lipase enzymes are lacking (for fats in milk). Not sure about protein in milk (found in cheese & eggs), but may also suggest that protease enzymes are lacking. Here's an interesting factoid I wasn't aware of that came from the link at the end. I was Google searching for an enzyme that helped digest salicylic acids, but found the opposite. It was occurring during a period of time in our history that Dr. Samter invented a new disease. The only question I have now is are the triad symptoms caused by the aspirin, or are they the result of the aspirin: At the beginning of the 20th century, the transportation of food across a continent posed serious problems. How could a company ship raw, uncooked food without spoilage? The answer was to find a way to process the food and ship it without rotting. In the early 1900s, salicylic acid (aspirin) was used because it "prevented the action of enzymes (unorganised ferments), like diastase, emulsion, and that of mustard, also gastric digestion, fermentation by yeast, ammoniacal fermentation of urine and the germination of seeds".(10) In other words, salicylic acid was "distinctly antagonistic to most enzymes".(11) So as early as 1903, aspirin was known to affect enzymes. It was used in this way to preserve food for extended shelf-life. As newer techniques for extending the shelf-life were discovered, aspirin was discontinued. Is it not puzzling, then, knowing how aspirin destroys most enzymes, that many patients are told to take aspirin in the prevention of heart disease? The writer appears to be a very frustrated Naturopath (similar to psychopath?). There appears to be a somewhat conspiratorial tone to the comments. But, then again, individuals, families, cities, states and nations tend to do "what's in their best interest" at different points in time. So do companies and industries, so there might be some food for thought here. Good link, but a little long. Put more margarine on my toast again yesterday, but took a $.10 digestive enzyme supplement this time. No congestion reaction 3 hours later vs. the day before. NEXUS: Enzymes Part 3/3 ( http://www.nexusmagazine.com/articles/Enzymes3.html ) the Lab Rat (AZ) - Ps: In the past two summers I've gotten back a sense of smell at high Colorado altitudes. That's what motivated me to re-check with an allergist since the plants etc. are different there. Nothing showed up on the test here, though. Think it may have had something to do with the increased exercise I was getting just trying to breathe, or not. Walking up stairs felt like the last mile of a marathon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 25, 2005 Report Share Posted May 25, 2005 Marvelous news, Ken. I too have noticed presurgical remission of symptoms, and have wondered if such is due to the decongestant effects of sympathetic arousal. In my current state, I produce very little congestion, but am usually congested. Irrigation has become nonproductive, but I continue to practice it. Haven't been to the ENT in almost a year, afraid he will find polyps when I do go. Cheers, Karl W. From: samters [mailto:samters ] On Behalf Of Ken WestSent: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 8:51 AMSamtersSubject: Anosmia remission Since March, my condition has been improving to the point where I have had agood sense of smell for about a week now. I don't know how permanent thisis, but I am encouraged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 That's great news, Ken! I really agree, I think consistency is key. It's so easy to give up with the irrigation or nasal spray when you have a bad day. I have tended in the past to have that " all or nothing " approach -- oh, I'm congested today, the polypos are back, it's all over -- and then I stop using all my medications! I've learned (over, um, what, 15 years or so!) that that's probably NOT a good plan. It took me a long time to figure that out. VERY Interesting about Tide! I'm really confused by that, though. Did he offer an explanation? I actually ONLY use detergent from the health foods store, specifically detergent WITHOUT enzymes. As far as I know, Tide has those enzymes in it. It has nothing to do with the congestion though, for me. Years ago I read about detergents that contained enzymes being bad for everyone in general but especially bad for asthmatics. And I found I get a rash some times from certain laundry detergents. Boy that took a lot of detective work. I'm too tired right now to find any links to substantiate this information . Anyway I'm excited to hear about your progress and I look forward to hearing how it goes. Maybe the surgery will make it even better, although I can also understand if you would want to get another CT scan before surgery to see if the polyps have regressed. Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 26, 2005 Report Share Posted May 26, 2005 Re: TIDE -- The naturopath was comparing TIDE with the other popular laundry detergent in Canada, " Sunlight " . She said that within her practice, she observed that patients who used Sunlight had markedly more problems than those who used TIDE. She offered no scientific explanation for this, eg, enzymes or whatever, and I suspect her sample size is all not that large. I haven't given this a lot of credence, just " fwiw " , but I have switched to TIDE. I'll follow up with her when I see her next. Ken ---- Original Message ----- From: truelori <lori@...> <samters > Sent: Thursday, 26 May, 2005 6:24 Subject: Re: Anosmia remission That's great news, Ken! I really agree, I think consistency is key. It's so easy to give up with the irrigation or nasal spray when you have a bad day. I have tended in the past to have that " all or nothing " approach -- oh, I'm congested today, the polypos are back, it's all over -- and then I stop using all my medications! I've learned (over, um, what, 15 years or so!) that that's probably NOT a good plan. It took me a long time to figure that out. VERY Interesting about Tide! I'm really confused by that, though. Did he offer an explanation? I actually ONLY use detergent from the health foods store, specifically detergent WITHOUT enzymes. As far as I know, Tide has those enzymes in it. It has nothing to do with the congestion though, for me. Years ago I read about detergents that contained enzymes being bad for everyone in general but especially bad for asthmatics. And I found I get a rash some times from certain laundry detergents. Boy that took a lot of detective work. I'm too tired right now to find any links to substantiate this information . Anyway I'm excited to hear about your progress and I look forward to hearing how it goes. Maybe the surgery will make it even better, although I can also understand if you would want to get another CT scan before surgery to see if the polyps have regressed. Lori Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 Ken, Glad to hear the good news about your smell. Keep us posted about your CT scan, etc. Also, I hope you do try the desens after surgery. I almost hate to talk about it since so many folks are suffering, but I virtually feel that I am “cured” due to desens. In fact, I’m beginning to cut back to 3 aspirin a day from 4. A couple of weeks ago I caught a pretty bad upper respiratory virus for most of a week. As a precaution, I got my “emergency” antibiotic prescription filled and took the full dose just in case. Now, I actually think I may not have needed it. For the first time in memory, I never totally lost my smell, even though I was pretty much stopped up for days. My mucus stayed mostly clear. I conclude from this that ASA has really shrunk my polyps – even in my frontals. I have had taste and smell constantly for over a year now. I try not to take it for granted, since I know it can quickly disappear, but I’m now considering writing a thank you letter to Dr. son and his staff. For me, this was truly a life changing experience. Hope you continue to make progress! Jim From: samters [mailto:samters ] On Behalf Of Ken West Sent: Wednesday, June 08, 2005 2:28 PM Samters Subject: FW: Anosmia remission As an update to my note of two weeks ago, samters/message/6525 I can report that I still have my sense of smell, basically. I say " basically " , ie., not totally, because it does recede from time to time. I am attributing this to the fact that I sometimes miss a day of irrigation and/or steroid nasal spray. When I keep to the daily schedule, the sense of smell returns. ie., it appears that a maintenance regime of irrigation and topical spray is doing it for me right now. The other things that I have changed (reduced intake of milk and coffee, taking cod-liver-oil, vitamins/minerals, Tide detergent) may also be contributing -- I am " basically " still holding to those things. Most of the time, thought, the sense of smell is present and is quite acute, eg., smelling an orange almost before the knife has cut all the way through, smelling shampoo as it squirts from the bottle, etc. I take note of Karl's caution that there may be a mental component deriving from the surgery that is scheduled for July -- in previous postings I have observed that there might be a psychosomatic effect at play here. Also, I remember Karl's observation that for him the benefits of irrigation appear to have dimished over time -- this is discouraging for sure, and is a reason that I feel I must find just the least amount of irrigation and spray that keeps me where I'm at. The bottom line is, however, that I am so improved since hitting bottom in March, that I suspect that the Samters itself may be in remission. I intend to test this with an ASA challenge sometime soon. This, along with the pre-op CATscan and testing that is scheduled for next week, will be data to help me decide whether I will proceed with the surgery in July. -- Ken West ---------- From: Ken West <kenwest@...> Reply-samters Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 08:50:54 -0400 Samters <samters > Subject: Anosmia remission Since March, my condition has been improving to the point where I have had a good sense of smell for about a week now. I don't know how permanent this is, but I am encouraged. .. . . snip . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 Jim, thanks for your feedback. In general I am also a proponent of desensitization, and have done it about 3 times. I did the " primer " in the library, samters/lfile/Desensitization-v3.html But, I could not talk myself into 1300mg of ASA per day on an ongoing basis, so I sort of hedged with 650 or 975mg, and as a consequence found that the beneficial effect did not last. My concern with 1300mg was to do with side effects. I used the enteric coated version and never had stomach problems, but once someone whispered " micro-bleeding " to me, I just couldn't talk myself into it on an ongoing, maintenance basis. I am encouraged that you, and others here, support desensitization (isn't it great that other sufferers can see your example), and I encourage others to consider it, but it's just not for me right now. Perhaps part of my caution is that I'm in my 60's, and am more spooked by this kind of thing than someone younger might be. As you can tell, right now I'm excited by what irrigation and topical spray seem to have done for me (as I was by desens 2 years ago -- see my posts); but, the hell of this thing, as we have seen for years in this group, is that everyone seems different, in their own way, and there is no silver bullet that will work for all of us, all the time. -- Ken (trying to nail the jelly to the wall) West Check the library . . . samters/links > From: Jim Brown <jim747@...> > Reply-samters > Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2005 17:15:25 -0500 > <samters > > Subject: RE: Anosmia remission > > Ken, > > Glad to hear the good news about your smell. Keep us posted about your CT > scan, etc. Also, I hope you do try the desens after surgery. > > I almost hate to talk about it since so many folks are suffering, but I > virtually feel that I am " cured " due to desens. In fact, I'm beginning to > cut back to 3 aspirin a day from 4. A couple of weeks ago I caught a pretty > bad upper respiratory virus for most of a week. As a precaution, I got my > " emergency " antibiotic prescription filled and took the full dose just in > case. Now, I actually think I may not have needed it. For the first time in > memory, I never totally lost my smell, even though I was pretty much stopped > up for days. My mucus stayed mostly clear. I conclude from this that ASA has > really shrunk my polyps - even in my frontals. > > I have had taste and smell constantly for over a year now. I try not to take > it for granted, since I know it can quickly disappear, but I'm now > considering writing a thank you letter to Dr. son and his staff. For > me, this was truly a life changing experience. > > Hope you continue to make progress! > Jim > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 I agree, Ken, that there is definitely no silver bullet. I think the key is for each of us to be proactive and to try new things that we are comfortable with. I think if we are each actively researching the problem and trying new things, we keep from falling into depression. I,too, am concerned about long term aspirin. However, I decided that it is better for me than prednisone which had become my only solution. Now, I have been pred. free for almost 10 months and have recently lost 12 pounds. Jim --- Ken West <kenwest@...> wrote: --------------------------------- Jim, thanks for your feedback. In general I am also a proponent of desensitization, and have done it about 3 times. I did the " primer " in the library, samters/lfile/Desensitization-v3.html But, I could not talk myself into 1300mg of ASA per day on an ongoing basis, so I sort of hedged with 650 or 975mg, and as a consequence found that the beneficial effect did not last. My concern with 1300mg was to do with side effects. I used the enteric coated version and never had stomach problems, but once someone whispered " micro-bleeding " to me, I just couldn't talk myself into it on an ongoing, maintenance basis. I am encouraged that you, and others here, support desensitization (isn't it great that other sufferers can see your example), and I encourage others to consider it, but it's just not for me right now. Perhaps part of my caution is that I'm in my 60's, and am more spooked by this kind of thing than someone younger might be. As you can tell, right now I'm excited by what irrigation and topical spray seem to have done for me (as I was by desens 2 years ago -- see my posts); but, the hell of this thing, as we have seen for years in this group, is that everyone seems different, in their own way, and there is no silver bullet that will work for all of us, all the time. -- Ken (trying to nail the jelly to the wall) West Check the library . . . samters/links > From: Jim Brown <jim747@...> > Reply-samters > Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2005 17:15:25 -0500 > <samters > > Subject: RE: Anosmia remission > > Ken, > > Glad to hear the good news about your smell. Keep us posted about your CT > scan, etc. Also, I hope you do try the desens after surgery. > > I almost hate to talk about it since so many folks are suffering, but I > virtually feel that I am " cured " due to desens. In fact, I'm beginning to > cut back to 3 aspirin a day from 4. A couple of weeks ago I caught a pretty > bad upper respiratory virus for most of a week. As a precaution, I got my > " emergency " antibiotic prescription filled and took the full dose just in > case. Now, I actually think I may not have needed it. For the first time in > memory, I never totally lost my smell, even though I was pretty much stopped > up for days. My mucus stayed mostly clear. I conclude from this that ASA has > really shrunk my polyps - even in my frontals. > > I have had taste and smell constantly for over a year now. I try not to take > it for granted, since I know it can quickly disappear, but I'm now > considering writing a thank you letter to Dr. son and his staff. For > me, this was truly a life changing experience. > > Hope you continue to make progress! > Jim > --------------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 8, 2005 Report Share Posted June 8, 2005 I totally agree that prednisone is not a long-term option, compared to aspirin. PS, the primer is actually at: samters/files/Desensitization-v3.html -- Ken West Check the library . . . samters/links > From: Jim Brown <jim747@...> > Reply-samters > Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2005 16:53:52 -0700 (PDT) > samters > Subject: Re: Anosmia remission > > I agree, Ken, that there is definitely no silver bullet. I think the key is > for each of us to be > proactive and to try new things that we are comfortable with. I think if we > are each actively > researching the problem and trying new things, we keep from falling into > depression. > > I,too, am concerned about long term aspirin. However, I decided that it is > better for me than > prednisone which had become my only solution. Now, I have been pred. free for > almost 10 months and > have recently lost 12 pounds. > > Jim > > --- Ken West <kenwest@...> wrote: > > --------------------------------- > Jim, thanks for your feedback. > > In general I am also a proponent of desensitization, and have done it about > 3 times. I did the " primer " in the library, > samters/lfile/Desensitization-v3.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 I'm new on this DL, and new to the whole anosmia thing too. I am looking for a way to get my sense of smell back after losing it 2 years prior to polyp surgery and it has not returned now a year later. I keep reading everyone talking about aspirin desensitation. I have Samters, and aspirin will give me a moderate to severe asthma attack. No doctor has ever mentioned aspirin densitation. Are some people using aspirin to try to regain their sense of smell? Jim Brown <jim747@...> wrote: I agree, Ken, that there is definitely no silver bullet. I think the key is for each of us to beproactive and to try new things that we are comfortable with. I think if we are each activelyresearching the problem and trying new things, we keep from falling into depression.I,too, am concerned about long term aspirin. However, I decided that it is better for me thanprednisone which had become my only solution. Now, I have been pred. free for almost 10 months andhave recently lost 12 pounds.Jim--- Ken West <kenwest@...> wrote:---------------------------------Jim, thanks for your feedback.In general I am also a proponent of desensitization, and have done it about3 times. I did the "primer" in the library,samters/lfile/Desensitization-v3.htmlBut, I could not talk myself into 1300mg of ASA per day on an ongoing basis,so I sort of hedged with 650 or 975mg, and as a consequence found that thebeneficial effect did not last. My concern with 1300mg was to do with sideeffects. I used the enteric coated version and never had stomachproblems, but once someone whispered "micro-bleeding" to me, I just couldn'ttalk myself into it on an ongoing, maintenance basis.I am encouraged that you, and others here, support desensitization (isn't itgreat that other sufferers can see your example), and I encourage others toconsider it, but it's just not for me right now. Perhaps part of mycaution is that I'm in my 60's, and am more spooked by this kind of thingthan someone younger might be.As you can tell, right now I'm excited by what irrigation and topical sprayseem to have done for me (as I was by desens 2 years ago -- see my posts);but,the hell of this thing, as we have seen for years in this group, is thateveryone seems different, in their own way, and there is no silver bulletthat will work for all of us, all the time.-- Ken (trying to nail the jelly to the wall) West Check the library . . . samters/links> From: Jim Brown <jim747@...>> Reply-samters > Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2005 17:15:25 -0500> <samters >> Subject: RE: Anosmia remission> > Ken,> > Glad to hear the good news about your smell. Keep us posted about your CT> scan, etc. Also, I hope you do try the desens after surgery.> > I almost hate to talk about it since so many folks are suffering, but I> virtually feel that I am "cured" due to desens. In fact, I'm beginning to> cut back to 3 aspirin a day from 4. A couple of weeks ago I caught a pretty> bad upper respiratory virus for most of a week. As a precaution, I got my> "emergency" antibiotic prescription filled and took the full dose just in> case. Now, I actually think I may not have needed it. For the first time in> memory, I never totally lost my smell, even though I was pretty much stopped> up for days. My mucus stayed mostly clear. I conclude from this that ASA has> really shrunk my polyps - even in my frontals.> > I have had taste and smell constantly for over a year now. I try not to take> it for granted, since I know it can quickly disappear, but I'm now> considering writing a thank you letter to Dr. son and his staff. For> me, this was truly a life changing experience.> > Hope you continue to make progress!> Jim> --------------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 Toni, Take a look at the primer in the files section that Ken put together on desens. http://f3.grp.fs.com/v1/0K2oQlrsXYJ4nXhg8bDyQtpjX-oqAbkA4YvUicK1g63l4Lbj3MFSZ1x29_kimE6L_0s2XBmO86rOWwyS0U-a4lY8xsDb/Desensitization-v3.html There is a lot of info here and in past messages. For some of us, aspirin desens has virtually cured our samters and brought back smell and taste. For others it has helped, but not cured the problem. Jim From: samters [mailto:samters ] On Behalf Of Toni Earle Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2005 3:38 PM samters Subject: Re: Anosmia remission I'm new on this DL, and new to the whole anosmia thing too. I am looking for a way to get my sense of smell back after losing it 2 years prior to polyp surgery and it has not returned now a year later. I keep reading everyone talking about aspirin desensitation. I have Samters, and aspirin will give me a moderate to severe asthma attack. No doctor has ever mentioned aspirin densitation. Are some people using aspirin to try to regain their sense of smell? Jim Brown <jim747@...> wrote: I agree, Ken, that there is definitely no silver bullet. I think the key is for each of us to be proactive and to try new things that we are comfortable with. I think if we are each actively researching the problem and trying new things, we keep from falling into depression. I,too, am concerned about long term aspirin. However, I decided that it is better for me than prednisone which had become my only solution. Now, I have been pred. free for almost 10 months and have recently lost 12 pounds. Jim --- Ken West <kenwest@...> wrote: --------------------------------- Jim, thanks for your feedback. In general I am also a proponent of desensitization, and have done it about 3 times. I did the " primer " in the library, samters/lfile/Desensitization-v3.html But, I could not talk myself into 1300mg of ASA per day on an ongoing basis, so I sort of hedged with 650 or 975mg, and as a consequence found that the beneficial effect did not last. My concern with 1300mg was to do with side effects. I used the enteric coated version and never had stomach problems, but once someone whispered " micro-bleeding " to me, I just couldn't talk myself into it on an ongoing, maintenance basis. I am encouraged that you, and others here, support desensitization (isn't it great that other sufferers can see your example), and I encourage others to consider it, but it's just not for me right now. Perhaps part of my caution is that I'm in my 60's, and am more spooked by this kind of thing than someone younger might be. As you can tell, right now I'm excited by what irrigation and topical spray seem to have done for me (as I was by desens 2 years ago -- see my posts); but, the hell of this thing, as we have seen for years in this group, is that everyone seems different, in their own way, and there is no silver bullet that will work for all of us, all the time. -- Ken (trying to nail the jelly to the wall) West Check the library . . . samters/links > From: Jim Brown <jim747@...> > Reply-samters > Date: Wed, 8 Jun 2005 17:15:25 -0500 > <samters > > Subject: RE: Anosmia remission > > Ken, > > Glad to hear the good news about your smell. Keep us posted about your CT > scan, etc. Also, I hope you do try the desens after surgery. > > I almost hate to talk about it since so many folks are suffering, but I > virtually feel that I am " cured " due to desens. In fact, I'm beginning to > cut back to 3 aspirin a day from 4. A couple of weeks ago I caught a pretty > bad upper respiratory virus for most of a week. As a precaution, I got my > " emergency " antibiotic prescription filled and took the full dose just in > case. Now, I actually think I may not have needed it. For the first time in > memory, I never totally lost my smell, even though I was pretty much stopped > up for days. My mucus stayed mostly clear. I conclude from this that ASA has > really shrunk my polyps - even in my frontals. > > I have had taste and smell constantly for over a year now. I try not to take > it for granted, since I know it can quickly disappear, but I'm now > considering writing a thank you letter to Dr. son and his staff. For > me, this was truly a life changing experience. > > Hope you continue to make progress! > Jim > --------------------------------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 9, 2005 Report Share Posted June 9, 2005 makes it's links indecipherable, for some reason. Try the " folder " on desens, and the primer is in there, with the on paper and some other stuff. samters/links/Desensitization_001098407 845/ -- Ken West Check the library . . . samters/links From: " Jim Brown " <jim747@...> Reply-samters Date: Thu, 9 Jun 2005 16:15:08 -0500 <samters > Subject: RE: Anosmia remission Toni, Take a look at the primer in the files section that Ken put together on desens. http://f3.grp.fs.com/v1/0K2oQlrsXYJ4nXhg8bDyQtpjX-oqAbkA4YvUicK1g63l4Lb j3MFSZ1x29_kimE6L_0s2XBmO86rOWwyS0U-a4lY8xsDb/Desensitization-v3.html There is a lot of info here and in past messages. For some of us, aspirin desens has virtually cured our samters and brought back smell and taste. For others it has helped, but not cured the problem. Jim From: samters [mailto:samters ] On Behalf Of Toni Earle Sent: Thursday, June 09, 2005 3:38 PM samters Subject: Re: Anosmia remission I'm new on this DL, and new to the whole anosmia thing too. I am looking for a way to get my sense of smell back after losing it 2 years prior to polyp surgery and it has not returned now a year later. I keep reading everyone talking about aspirin desensitation. I have Samters, and aspirin will give me a moderate to severe asthma attack. No doctor has ever mentioned aspirin densitation. Are some people using aspirin to try to regain their sense of smell? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 9, 2011 Report Share Posted February 9, 2011 Given the recent discussions about naturopathy (and homeopathy) and extreme congestion due to polyps, perhaps this old note of 25 May 2005 is pertinent. When I went for the surgery in July, the ENT said that the polyps had receded so much since March and actually considered cancelling the procedure (but went ahead anyway.) This winter things got as bad again as in 2005; I needed a few days of prednisone to get any air flow whatsoever, and then stepped up the regime of irrigation (with the Waterpik) and nasal spray (now Nasonex). It has been two weeks since terminating the prednisone, but for the last few days I have had a sense of smell for the first time in 8 months. And, blessedly, I can sleep. I expect that keeping up the regime will keep me OK until next winter. > > Since March, my condition has been improving to the point where I have had a > good sense of smell for about a week now. I don't know how permanent this > is, but I am encouraged. > > Things were worse than ever in March: I could not breath at all through my > nose; sleeping was very difficult because of this, and the dry mouth was > awful. I could tell that polyps had completely taken over. > > Indeed, things were so bad that when I saw yet another ENT who, of course, > recommended cutting and little else, I succumbed to his credentials and > scheduled an operation (a first for me) for July. He said that the polyps > were as bad as he had seen in 25 years. In the meantime however, I also > saw a naturopath who encouraged me to try, or retry, some less invasive > approaches. > > So, I am attributing this recent success to: > - irrigation, religiously: initially twice a day, now once a day seems OK > - nasal spray: Nalcrom dissolved in Flunisolide > - reducing milk intake, drastically, to reduce mucous production > (see: samters/message/6014) > > This regime is not necessarily original, but for me the key was consistancy. > Originally I thought the irrigation was doing no good, but gradually the > flow-through improved -- from zero to total. This coupled with the > reduction in mucous first allowed me to breath nasally, and then to sleep > normally, and now, to actually smell the coffee. > > The nasal irrigation formula is not profound -- just 1 teaspoon of table > salt in 3 cups of water. I use a WaterPik with the nasal adapter. > The nasal spray is taken after the irrigation, first in the head-down > " mecca " position, and then flipping over to the head-back-over-the-bed > position. > > Other things the naturopath recommended, fwiw: > - reduce coffee intake > - drink 2 quarts/liters of water per day (beer doesn't count) > - use Tide laundry detergent -- others may cause congestion > - cod liver oil > - vitamins A, C, E, and Selenium > > As I say -- I have no idea if this improvement is permanent, and depending > on the results of a CAT scan, I probably will go ahead with the operation, > but the improvement over the last 10 weeks has been so explicit and so > dramatic that I thought it was worth sharing. > -- > Ken West > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 10, 2011 Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Ken, can you explain the water pik? Is it something that generates a very narrow stream with high velocity? My Neil Med bottle has a rounded tip with a 1/4 inch hole for water passage so the flow is very gentle. Is this of central importance to your treatment? On 2/9/11, q2 <kenwest@...> wrote: > > > > Given the recent discussions about naturopathy (and homeopathy) and extreme > congestion due to polyps, perhaps this old note of 25 May 2005 is pertinent. > When I went for the surgery in July, the ENT said that the polyps had > receded so much since March and actually considered cancelling the procedure > (but went ahead anyway.) > > This winter things got as bad again as in 2005; I needed a few days of > prednisone to get any air flow whatsoever, and then stepped up the regime of > irrigation (with the Waterpik) and nasal spray (now Nasonex). It has been > two weeks since terminating the prednisone, but for the last few days I have > had a sense of smell for the first time in 8 months. And, blessedly, I can > sleep. > I expect that keeping up the regime will keep me OK until next winter. > > > >> >> Since March, my condition has been improving to the point where I have had >> a >> good sense of smell for about a week now. I don't know how permanent >> this >> is, but I am encouraged. >> >> Things were worse than ever in March: I could not breath at all through >> my >> nose; sleeping was very difficult because of this, and the dry mouth was >> awful. I could tell that polyps had completely taken over. >> >> Indeed, things were so bad that when I saw yet another ENT who, of course, >> recommended cutting and little else, I succumbed to his credentials and >> scheduled an operation (a first for me) for July. He said that the >> polyps >> were as bad as he had seen in 25 years. In the meantime however, I also >> saw a naturopath who encouraged me to try, or retry, some less invasive >> approaches. >> >> So, I am attributing this recent success to: >> - irrigation, religiously: initially twice a day, now once a day seems >> OK >> - nasal spray: Nalcrom dissolved in Flunisolide >> - reducing milk intake, drastically, to reduce mucous production >> (see: samters/message/6014) >> >> This regime is not necessarily original, but for me the key was >> consistancy. >> Originally I thought the irrigation was doing no good, but gradually the >> flow-through improved -- from zero to total. This coupled with the >> reduction in mucous first allowed me to breath nasally, and then to sleep >> normally, and now, to actually smell the coffee. >> >> The nasal irrigation formula is not profound -- just 1 teaspoon of table >> salt in 3 cups of water. I use a WaterPik with the nasal adapter. >> The nasal spray is taken after the irrigation, first in the head-down >> " mecca " position, and then flipping over to the head-back-over-the-bed >> position. >> >> Other things the naturopath recommended, fwiw: >> - reduce coffee intake >> - drink 2 quarts/liters of water per day (beer doesn't count) >> - use Tide laundry detergent -- others may cause congestion >> - cod liver oil >> - vitamins A, C, E, and Selenium >> >> As I say -- I have no idea if this improvement is permanent, and depending >> on the results of a CAT scan, I probably will go ahead with the operation, >> but the improvement over the last 10 weeks has been so explicit and so >> dramatic that I thought it was worth sharing. >> -- >> Ken West >> > > > -- Sent from my mobile device Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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