TikkiRo
I'm pretty certain that I'm right, but then of course someone could have been taking the **** .
Just checked out the EB Cd rom, and this is what it says:
"The eustachian tube helps to ventilate the middle ear and to maintain equal air pressure on both sides of the tympanic membrane. The tube is closed at rest and opens during swallowing so that minor pressure differences are adjusted without conscious effort. During a dive or a rapid descent in an airplane the tube may remain tightly closed. The discomfort that is felt as the external pressure increases can usually be overcome by attempting a forced expiration with the mouth and nostrils held tightly shut. This maneuver, which raises the air pressure in the pharynx and causes the tube to open, is called Valsalva's maneuver and is named for the Italian physician-anatomist Antonio Maria Valsalva (1666-1723), who recommended it for clearing pus from an infected middle ear."
I dread to think what embarrassing situations you've let yourself in for with you method.
[This message has been edited by A Very Civil Pilot (edited 19 August 2000).]