My salt pipe

No, I haven't taken up smoking anything. This is my salt pipe, my answer to hearing the doc tell me, "well it seems you have moderate asthma." I had asthma as a kid, all three of us siblings had it and my parents lived in the ER in the pre-cellphone and pre-car-days for them alternating taking care of the ones at home, and the sick one in the ER. It was definitely intense but thankfully we all were asthma free by our teen years.

Suddenly, with this last pregnancy I was having a bit of of trouble with breathing episodes every now and then. It cropped up again several months ago and I saw my family doc who proclaimed the above, gave me a scrip for a rescue inhaler, a daily inhaled steroid and thought nothing of it. I think he was a bit surprised when I told him I'd like to try some alternative methods first and I would return in about a month to check in on my progress. Because patients making their own choices is just so, odd.

Thus the salt pipe and a new supplement in the rotation. Salt pipes work in a similar manner to netipots. According to the literature that came with my pipe the salt is from some mines in Poland famous for their health benefits, specifically respiratory. Apparently the miners that worked the salt mines seemed to never catch respiratory illnesses and doctors thought the salty air was responsible. I'm pretty sure this isn't peer reviewed journal material but that doesn't deter me in my crazy natural meds, homeopathy ways. So I puff on this little ceramic pipe 20 minutes a day, every day. And the kids look at me funny, sometimes trying to make off with momma's pipe.




There are holes on the bottom of the pipe and also inside the inner mouthpiece that keep the salt crystals in place. Yes, that means it's not refillable but this should last for five years with daily use. I'm hoping to get one for the kids soon too.




Do I notice a difference? Definitely. I've been using the salt pipe for about a month and half and even through a moderate cold I've only had a couple of breathing episodes. Before I saw the doctor I was having extreme wheezing and shortness of breath episodes that were happening at least 5-6 times a day. I also take Quercetin on a daily basis but that has only been a recent change.




So what did my doc say when I returned? No change (to the negative) in my lungs which were in decent condition during my initial appointment. So he said what I was doing must be working and I'm sure he had some unspoken thoughts going through his head as well.