What Are Nasal Cilia?
Sinusitis starts with the cilia. The cilia are your workers that move the toxins and bacteria out of the nose into the throat passage where they are swallowed and disposed of in the stomach. Normally these cilia move at 14 16 pulses / second. It takes about 5 8 minutes to move the bacteria from the front of the nose to the back. This system is called The Mucociliary Clearance system and consists of the cells of the surface of the nose, the cilia, and the mucus. The same cilia are in the chest and move infection out of the chest to the stomach. Things can go wrong: • Mucosal cells are missing and so there is not enough mucus or cilia • The mucus may be too thick, like molasses, and this keeps the cilia from moving • The cilia may be too slow. Diesel and other fumes impair the cilia movement. In these conditions, bacteria and viral invaders remain in the nose and multiply to enter the body and make you sick. They multiply and give off an unpleasant odor. In addition, the accumulated mucu