HOW TO BUILD THE NOSE: What happens if you do it the wrong way?
In my nearly 35-year career, I’ve witnessed surprisingly many people who don’t know how to blow their noses properly. Many of us probably underestimate this procedure and think of it as a simple, spontaneous practice like breathing. However, this is not true and there are potential side effects from blowing the wrong nose. There are two important anatomical structures adjacent to the nasal passages; paranasal sinuses and Eustachian tube. Paranasal sinuses are air-filled cavities around the nasal cavity adjacent to the eye and brain. Functions; conditioning, filtering, heating the inhaled air, and potentially creating an immunological response for germs, allergens, and other particles to protect the airways. Ventilation of the sinuses is carried out through small openings into the nasal cavity. The Eustachian tube is a passage connecting the middle ear cavity to the back of the nasal passage. It has important duties such as protecting and ventilating the middle ear cavity and evacuating middle ear secretions.
Since the nasal passages are directly connected to the middle ear and paranasal sinuses, it is very important to blow your nose correctly. If you do not blow your nose properly or gently, both the paranasal sinuses and the Eustachian tube will be adversely affected. Normally, one nostril should be blown at a time and the other should be closed with a finger. If both nostrils are blown simultaneously, the increased intranasal pressure reverses the natural flow of mucus, which changes the pressure in the sinuses and middle ear cavities. Therefore, contaminated/infected mucus enters these critical structures directly with increased intranasal pressure. This will affect the middle ear and sinuses, which will trigger possible infection, disrupting normal pressure in both the middle ear and sinuses. Blowing your nose properly helps protect your middle ear and sinuses from infections, while helping these vital structures to be easily cleaned and functioning properly. When you need to clear your nose, try blowing each nostril separately.
