It looks like when we breath through our nose and we are exposed to something foreign like viruses, the cells in the front of the nose go wow we have an unwanted guest. Once the unwanted guest is detected then these cells release exosomes little fluid filled sacs. These fluids filled sacs are our first line of defence and have Nitric Oxide a gas which defends against bacteria and viruses. These little vesicles then are moved into the back of the nose to continue getting rid of unwanted guests. So, breath through your nose.
If you or your child struggle to breath through your nose this might be the time to get an osteopathic assessment. Your osteopath can look at the different components necessary for good breathing mechanics. This includes the shape of your hard palate in your mouth, your jaw and its range of motion, the tension and position of the tongue, your nasal septum, the size of your tonsils, your bite how your teeth come together, the range of motion of your neck joints, your rib cage function, just to name a few.
Depending on their findings your osteopath may discuss a management plan with you as to how osteopathic treatment could potentially help you. They may also need to refer you to an Ear Nose and Throat specialist, or a dentist for further evaluation.
Getting to the bottom of mouth breathing is extremely important. This is a huge topic on it’s own and will be covered in a future newsletter.
Nocera AL, Mueller SK, Stephan JR, Hing L, Seifert P, Han X, LinDT, Amijii MM, Libermann T, Bleier BS. Exosome swarms eliminate airway pathogens and provide passive epithelial immunoprotection through nitric oxide. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2019 Apr; 143(4): 1525-1535