Regular use of Salclear Sinazo® is a must for watersports enthusiasts.
It contains naturally active decongestants that provide a lasting solution to the problems of blocked sinuses.
The serious repercussions of not having clear airways and nasal passages are evident in scuba diving. The noncompressible middle ear cavity makes the ear susceptible to damage from ambient pressure changes associated with diving to increasing depth.
Inner ear barotraumas can occur if the diver has trouble 'clearing' (pressure equalisation in the middle ear) during a dive, resulting in severe dizziness and hearing loss. The pain can be severe and the damage intermediate or long term.
Hence having clear unblocked sinuses is not an option for the scuba diver - its a prerequesite.
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'Clearing'
There are three common methods that can be used to aid middle ear pressure equalization or 'clearing'. These are the Valsalva maneuver, the Frenzel maneuver, and the Toynbee maneuver.
The Valsalva maneuver opens the eustachian tube by increasing the pressure in the sinuses and throat above the middle ear pressure, in closing the naries and glottis while increasing intrathoracic and intra-abdominal pressure. ...effectively pinching your nose and blowing into your nasal cavity with your mouth closed.
This maneuver should be performed with caution as it is the most common cause of barotrauma to the ear if performed too aggressively.
The Frenzel maneuver is performed with a low pressure valsalva while contracting the muscles of the upper throat/nasal canal. This forces air into the eustachian tube without increasing the total intrathoracic pressure.
Finally the Toynbee maneuver involves swallowing while pinching the nose, thus creating a negative nasopharyngeal pressure which can force the eustachian tube open.
The Frenzel and Toynbee maneuvers are the safest to perform during eustachian tube dysfunction as neither have been associated with barotrauma
