If you sing, don’t get rhinosinusitis, sinusitis, postnasal drip.
By Murray Grossan, M.D.

SINGERS, ACTORS, SPEAKERS:
When you are a singer, a stage performer, or a public speaker, a stuffy nose or a sinus infection can be a financial disaster. I practice in Los Angeles with singer patients; emergency calls the night of a performance are not unusual. The name of the game is to avoid sinus and nasal problems.

PREVENT THE COMMON COLD:
Prevent the common cold. It is easy to catch a cold. Go out into the snow for 30 minutes, get chilled, then come into a place where everyone is sneezing. In the cold snow, your nasal cilia that sweep away bacteria, slow down. Normally they beat and move the bacteria out of your nose to prevent illness. But in the cold, they slow down. So, if you enter the sneezing room, they will be too slow to remove the bacteria and virus and you may “catch a cold.” Prevent this by avoiding chilling and try to warm your nose before entering the sneezing room. How tea helps, as does humming in a low tone.

SMILING CURES:
Smile. A happy smile is proven to raise your immunity and helps prevent common colds. Also raise your immunity with yogurt and probiotics. When you smile recall a happy relaxing time; this also helps your immune factors. Even a fake put on smile sends a message to your immune system to put out the good chemicals.

WHAT IS ICAM 1?
ICAM-1. This is the compound in your nose that the cold virus uses to enter your body. If you wash out the ICAM-1 then there is no entry pathway for the cold virus. If you do get sick when you catch a cold and everyone is sneezing, You can prevent the common cold by removing the ICAM -1. (for example, use the Hydro Pulse Nasal/Sinus Irrigator to remove the ICAM-1.

WHEN YOU FLY:
But if you are traveling, a useful method is to drink lots of tea to stimulate cilia movement, and use a nasal gel (one is Breathe.ease XL Nasal Gel) when you travel. In the close quarters of flying, the nasal gel works by moistening the nose so that the cilia can work, and by acting as a cover/canopy to prevent the virus from reaching the nasal tissue.

Dryness is always bad for the nose. Add lemon or lime to your drinking water. Use saline drops or spray that don’t contain the preservative benzalkonium to moisten the nose.

The nose is stopped up. A plugged nose and you need to perform? Afrin and neosynephrine nose drops work, but any of these can become addictive. Try Vick’s or Benzedrex inhalers for an occasional blockage.

FOR ALLERGY:
For many persons the OTC allergy pills may work. But some have a systemic effect on the voice such as dryness of the throat. The current antihistamine nasal sprays such as Astelin or Astepro may give good relief. These work faster than the cortisone type sprays. I prefer these for my allergy patients because they work locally rather than systemically.

All Night Long. The major cause of infections that hang on are the all night bull and practice sessions. Performers need their sleep and when they don’t sleep they go to medications for help. Keep in mind the importance of good sleep.

FOR YOUR VOICE:
Help your voice as well as your nose. Stress makes the muscles tight and weakens the voice. Find a stress reducer. One that works is to time your breathing. Time your inhalation –one, two three, four and your exhalation one two three four five six. Exhalation is a relaxation mode so by being in exhalation longer than in inhalation you are in a relaxed state longer. That is good for you.

If you find this blog useful, please tell your friends. My goal is to reduce the overuse of antibiotics and drugs.

Question and Answer: L.T. asked: I never get a cold. Should I still use the Grossan Hydro Pulse during the cold season to prevent a cold?
Ans: No, if you are not catching a cold, your nasal cilia are working fine and they don’t need to be improved.