breath-sinus-brain toxin removal?

Prana and apana are two of the types (out of total 5) of breath that works in ones body.  Prana is the breath that goes”upwards” and apana is the one that travels “downwards”. So says all our Yoga literatures.  Medical sciences have so far only identified the breath that goes down to the lungs .   It has not so far  registered that another branch of air actually travels upwards . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva_Swarodaya_/_Swara_Yoga#Introduction_to_Swaras_and_its_effects

http://www.swarayoga.org/Interviewwithcharan.htm

Just as we have two main lungs one on each side, we also have two sets of cavities behind the nose and eyes called sinuses.  The function of these “cavities have so far not been defined well by medical science and is still debated. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paranasal_sinuses All these cavities are connected to each other and to the nose. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_cycle

All yogic lore including many siddhar’s songs,  refer to the Prana or the breath that travels up.   It is said that by increasing this flow one gets to a better state of mind , more awareness etc etc. Benefits listed by these literature is enormous.  Yet very few are able to discern that breath also travels upwards.  In Thirumoolar’s  Thirumandiram a higly respected text in tamil (http://www.thirumandiram.net/tirumandiram-about-the-book.html)  in 3^rd tantra, (song no 566)  there is a song that means  :

One who is able to control the prana and make it go upwards, he will get more pleasure than drinking , never fatigue, always be brisk, etc etc.  There are several other siddhars songs including avvayar’s songs on these lines hinting about the need for one to regulate the “ida” and pingala” breaths and take it to the agya chakra etc.

Until recently,  medical sciences did not believe that breath actually alternates between the two nostrils.  But now acknowledges this and say while the left nostril is working, the right brain hemisphere seems to be more active and vice versa.

There is also a concept of Blood Brain barrier which cuts of brain from all blood flow.  So drug developers actually have to test any drug, to see if it passes through this barrier for any drug aimed at the brain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood%E2%80%93brain_barrier

My conjecture is Like all tissues the brain also must be using up chemicals for its functions ( actually it works electro chemically)  and any imbalance of these neuro transmitters “ have known to affect the way a person thinks and acts. Most anti depressants target these chemicals.  It is also imperative that while doing so the brain must also be creating certain  “waste products”  requiring its systematic removal.  Since the blood cannot reach the brain,  Is it possible these toxins are actually removed by the Prana at the sinuses? ( atleast there seems to be no other really useful functions assigned to the sinus cavities.) 

ON BEING A VEGETARIAN

born in a Brahmin family in South India,  I have been a vegetarian all through.

many years ago met an American who was also a vegetarian but he did not even take milk because that is meant strictly for the calf and also an animal product. This was new to me. He was also a strong  animal rights activist. Dwelling deeper on this,  I wonder how far this logic can be extended.

I remember my science teacher telling me plants have life too,  and so do bugs like the bacteria and so on. So are we not actually "eating" life when we take plant foods,  or even curdled milk or Dosa or idli ( food made from fermented rice batter!) .   jains ( a north indian community ) avoids eating any plant food growing below the ground)

Lets accept,  life on this planet cannot be sustained without consuming some other life forms. It is true when the life form you consume bleeds and wriths in pain on being consumed, it makes a pitiable sight and evokes sympathy ; Does that mean plants which cannot cry out or bugs whom we cannot see are lifeless ?

First we had human rights and now animal rights and what will happen if we have bugs rights? Plants rights etc. We all have to starve to death! of simler life forms like wild animals, who are not bothered by these perspectives  will feast on us happily. 

why this

Long ago I read in a MAD comic " The early Bird gets the Worm! But Look what happens to the early worm!!".  Even since I have been fascinated with the world of perspectives and how the world ( all inclusive like individuals to companies and media)  always always tries to sell us their ideas . With such a heavy influence most often one misses the other perspective !

When the old adage gives you the Bird's Eye View, this blog is an attempt to present the worm's eye view on issues both national, international, personal etc !

Hope you will enjoy .

Kumar