Mouth breathing a risk factor?

John Applebaum <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> I just read an article on pollution and extremely tiny particulates that made me think again about
> an issue that has concerned me in the past:
>
> Due to a deviated septum and the natural mechanics of my jaw, I tend to always breathe through my
> mouth. I've lived almost all of my 35 years in a pretty clean part of town where the air is
> virtually always rated as good, but I'm wondering if mouth breathing is a clear significant risk
> due to the problem of microparticulates from vehicles, etc. Does the nose serve a *very*
> significant function?

It does.

> In the winter, I know it helps the air have a chance to warm. And I know that slower exhaling
> affects the balance of CO2 in the body, but does anyone know very well the amount of damage and
> the specific damage I'm likely doing by mouth breathing always?

On topic for this NG is the probable increased CV risk associated with increased
particulate exposure.

> I have always been kind of a heavy breather, and I'm not sure whether that's because of this
> alteration in carbon dioxide balance. Otherwise, I have almost zero risk factors for
> atherosclerosis or diabetes.
>
> Also... I'm about to move and likely will be 2 blocks from the highway but just west of it so not
> in the direct flow usually. Kind of wondering now whether I will scrap those plans. How seriously
> should people be taking this issue now that more details are coming out about this type of
> pollution?

It should be considered. If you had a choice in environments with differing amounts of particulate
concentrations by 2-3 orders of magnitude, conventional wisdom should guide you to the environment
with less pollution.

> I know I will get some helpful answers, so, thanks a lot!

You are welcome.

> Regards.

Thanks for the regards.

May you have a blessed Christmas

Humbly,

Andrew

--
Dr. Andrew B. Chung, MD/PhD Board-certified Cardiologist http://www.heartmdphd.com

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> John Applebaum <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:<[email protected]>...
> > I just read an article on pollution and extremely tiny particulates that made me think again
> > about an issue that has concerned me in the past:
> >
> > Due to a deviated septum and the natural mechanics of my jaw, I tend to always breathe through
> > my mouth. I've lived almost all of my 35 years in a pretty clean part of town where the air is
> > virtually always rated as good, but I'm wondering if mouth breathing is a clear significant risk
> > due to the problem of microparticulates from vehicles, etc. Does the nose serve a *very*
> > significant function?
>
> It does.
>
> > In the winter, I know it helps the air have a chance to warm. And I know that slower exhaling
> > affects the balance of CO2 in the body, but does anyone know very well the amount of damage and
> > the specific damage I'm likely doing by mouth breathing always?
>
> On topic for this NG is the probable increased CV risk associated with increased particulate
> exposure.
>
> > I have always been kind of a heavy breather, and I'm not sure whether that's because of this
> > alteration in carbon dioxide balance. Otherwise, I have almost zero risk factors for
> > atherosclerosis or diabetes.
> >
> > Also... I'm about to move and likely will be 2 blocks from the highway but just west of it so
> > not in the direct flow usually. Kind of wondering now whether I will scrap those plans. How
> > seriously should people be taking this issue now that more details are coming out about this
> > type of pollution?
>
> It should be considered. If you had a choice in environments with differing amounts of particulate
> concentrations by 2-3 orders of magnitude, conventional wisdom should guide you to the environment
> with less pollution.
>
> > I know I will get some helpful answers, so, thanks a lot!
>
> You are welcome.
>
> > Regards.
>
> Thanks for the regards.
>
> May you have a blessed Christmas
>
> Humbly,
>

Thanks Andrew for your answer and Merry Christmas to you too,

Well, I wish I knew just how significant is the advantage conferred by nose as opposed to mouth
breathing. I have looked around the net and I can find some information and opinions about it, some
of which seems pretty extreme in their claims. I did have septoplasty almost 20 years ago which
maybe improved things a little bit, but I guess I need to go to an ENT doc now and see what kinds of
suggestions they would have to get me breathing the proper way for once in my life, if possible.

Still, maybe it's not that important... I guess there wouldn't be much data on the subject. Also, I
wonder how the nose could have been evolved to stop these super fine particles they are discovering
these days which come from vehicles and industry, etc. Probably most of it slips into the body
anyway. Do you think there are good tests right now for finding out pretty accurately how much toxic
material a person has accumulated in his body?

Happy New Year!

In some circles, mouth breathers are known to
meet sudden, untimely ends.

In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> In some circles, mouth breathers are known to meet sudden, untimely ends.
>
>
>
>
LOL ;-)