Very interesting. I'm suprised nobody asks you (frequently) whether you have the capability to breathe through your nose.

(I am biased though - my inability to breathe through my nose does affect my sense of smell, so it's the first thing that springs to mind.)

I saw a breathing exerciser in Gray's Sports, today. Some sort of mechanical resistance intended to increase your workload for 30 breath workouts, and so increase your lung power. Is this sort of thing helpful for you, or irrelevant?

I've heard they are supposed to be quite good for some people. I wonder if they would do anything that blowing up balloons wouldn't do? (This is something I can do better than most)

It seemed to be designed to make normal breathing harder while using it, rather than have huge exhalations at irregular intervals, so I imagine it's just a different form of training - perhaps similar to wearing arm and ankle weights while walking around rather than doing weight training.

One thing that blowing up balloons won't do is to have much effect on the muscles that inflate your lungs, which seem (in my case) to be the weaker ones anyway.

How about learning to play a wind instrument?

Buteyko is the most effective technique (that I am aware of) for learning to breathe through your nose when you have previously been unable to do so. If you're interested, then have a look for it on the Web, or feel free to contact me since I am fairly knowledgable about it.

I've heard such techniques are supposed to be beneficial if you have allergic rhinitis (like me), but I wouldn't have thought that they would be able to do much against physical obstructions in the nose (again, like me) - can you clarify this at all?

Yes, Buteyko is potentially excellent for asthma, allergies and rhinitis, as well as for other health-related problems, so it may be worth your while investigating it. I doubt it would help with physical obstructions though - I guess you'd need an operation for that?

Hello!

(I'm a friend of Simon's, Claire(withani), and I don't have an LJ account).
I have allergic asthma, and allergic rhinitis. I recently went to the asthma nurse, who prescribed some tablets called "montelukast sodium" (Singluair is the brand name). Since taking these I have pretty much stopped sniffling and sneezing, which is a bit surprising since I've had the allergic asthma/rhinitis since I was 16 and I'm now 33. It might be worth mentioning it to someone. :)

Anyway, hello to you and hi to Simon. *waves*

Cheers
Claire

Gosh, it's you. Hello! Long time no thingumibob. *waves back*

Hello!

Very long time no thingumibob.
I think I might have left it under the bed and forgotten to take it with me when we (husband Simon H and I) moved house two years ago. Oops. Anyway, I hope all's well. :)

*hugs* and *waves* (of the sea variety, stuffed with turtles and brightly coloured fish and perhaps a small octopus, for a change).
Claire