For something we rely on every minute of every day, the nose is remarkably overlooked.
That was the central theme of a recent Vital Stuff conversation between podcaster Gail Lebovic, MD, and Karen Parker-Davidson, DHA-APRN. This exchange underscored a growing realization in medicine: nasal health is foundational to overall health, not an afterthought.
“We think about breathing only when something goes wrong,” Lebovic noted. “But oxygen is the one thing we can’t live without—even briefly.” The route that oxygen takes, Parker-Davidson emphasized, matters far more than most people realize.
The Nose as a Functional and Diagnostic Organ—Not Just a Passageway
Parker-Davidson, a clinician with more than three decades of experience across critical care, ENT, aerospace medicine, and medical devices, reframed the nose as a reactive organ—one with more than 60 distinct functions. Its job is not merely to move air, but to filter, humidify, warm, and regulate airflow before it reaches the lungs.
Nasal resistance is slow and sneaky, she explained, and is often mistaken for congestion. Congestion is acute and obvious. Resistance is cumulative, and insidious—quietly impairing airflow, oxygen exchange, sleep quality, posture, and even facial development over time.
“We can be breathing and still not be breathing well,” Parker-Davidson said.
Measuring What Patients Feel
That gap between subjective sensation and objective function, aka the Weber-Fechner Law, is where innovation enters the picture. Lebovic described how her work with NasoClenz revealed a consistent pattern: people reported they could “breathe better” almost immediately after using the nasal-cleansing gel—but there was no reliable way to measure that improvement.
Enter 4-phase rhinomanometry, a non-invasive standard diagnostic tool aimed at objectively evaluating nasal function. The non-invasive technique measures airflow and pressure in seconds during nasal breathing. When Parker-Davidson applied it, the results were striking. Objective measurements showed a reduction of approximately 15% in nasal resistance within minutes of using NasoClenz.
“It wasn’t just a feeling,” Parker-Davidson said. “The data showed real physiologic change.”
The gel works by gently interacting with the nasal tissues inside the nose, more commonly known as the nasal turbinates. The nasal turbinates are particularly rich in histamine-responsive tissue and tend to swell during allergies or congestion. The application of NasoClenz helps airflow move more smoothly, while preserving the resistance needed for proper nasal function and lung protection.
A Post-Pandemic Nasal Awakening
Both clinicians agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated awareness of nasal health. With most respiratory viruses entering through the nose, the organ’s role as a biological gatekeeper became impossible to ignore.
“We’re in the middle of a nasal renaissance,” Lebovic said. “The nose is finally getting the respect it deserves.”
For Parker-Davidson, the goal now is education, translating complex airway science into practical, preventive strategies that help people breathe easier, sleep better, and perform better.
Breathing, after all, is the most basic act of survival. As this conversation made clear, how we breathe—and how well—may shape far more of our health than we ever imagined.
