I posted a couple of years ago about the use of a neti pot to relieve symptoms of sinusitis, as Mr. brown is a chronic sufferer. As discussed in my original thread, he was adamant about not trying a neti pot, as he considered it weird and he was afraid to pour the water up his nose. I finally tossed out the pot I had bought in frustration.
Well, after many bouts of sinus infections and expensive antibiotic use, he finally caved (at the advice of his dentist, another chronic sinusitis sufferer), and has been using one for about a week now. He reports that his sinuses are wide open and that he blows enormous amounts of crud out from the very furthest reaches of his sinuses after each treatment. Hopefully we will see a lessening in the frequency of infections from here on out.
It’s only a matter of time until he starts imagining it was all his idea to begin with.
I used to have chronic nosebleeds so the idea of voluntarily running warm slaty liquid through my nose makes my stomach turn. Luckily I only have congestion when I have a cold.
I’m glad it’s working out for him! I’m assuming it’s not a sham like the ear candles also used by the neti pot user in my office.
I started another patient on a neti pot two days ago. He was quite hopeful it would be of benefit.
Neti pots are no scams like ear candles; They are quite effective, and have been found to be very useful for a variety of ENT conditions in many well-designed studies.
Here’s a youtube clip depicting neti pot use. If you’re imagining it feels like when you accidentally snorted cold chlorinated pool water up your nose, it doesn’t. It doesn’t go down into your lungs, and it’s warm and salty, like your own snot.
Snerk. Sounds like one of Captain Kangaroo’s lesser-known sidekicks.
My man has near-constant sniffles and congestion, and I suggested the neti pot for him. I bought one for myself as well, and tried it with him, so he wasn’t the only one pouring water up his nose over the sink and gagging while trying to breathe through the process. Well, he did it once and decided he hated it and isn’t going to bother.
So the sniffles continue. Sigh.
I use it when I feel a cold coming on, or I feel stuffed up. It does help.
In the dialect of the North East of England (where I was born and raised), “netty” means toilet; so you can imagine what I thought this thread was going to be about!
I can’t believe anyone would voluntarily choose to endure the misery of chronic sinus infections. I used to have horrible sinusitis on a regular basis until I started using a neti pot. It even got so bad one year I had to be “roto-rooted” by my doctor. Not something I would recommend.
Neti pots are cheap, effective, and offer immediate relief. Why on earth would you not use it? It’s a no brainer. So it’s a little weird the first time - it’s certainly thousands of times less gross than letting nasty, infectious mucus lay dormant all up in your sinuses.
I had to click around on YouTube until I found one that actually seemed to be…um…working. Lots of videos of disgustingly healthy looking people pouring water in one nostril and out the other. Then I finally found one appeared…um…effective.
Thanks for that one. Insane giggling notwithstanding, it does show folks who truly do have chronic congestion problems what can happen when they use a neti pot.
To them, getting that much mucus out of their head that easily would be a blessing.
I saw all of those YouTube ads claim you need “special salt”. Which they conveniently happen to sell.
My own plastic neti pot, bought for 7 bucks at the health store, just says to use ordinary table salt. It is the salinity that counts, so, the precise amount of salt to a given amount of water. Not the kind of salt.
I must be doing this wrong. I got one, and I’ve used it several times, and I just do not like it. To me it feels exactly like when you get the breathing wrong in the pool and the water goes up your nose. Including the chlorine–Denver water has lots of chlorine.
I use a flat teaspoon of kosher salt and a 1/4 teaspoon of bicarb per 8 oz of water.
Mix it up well! Undissolved salt is very, very irritating.
If I’m really really stuffed, I’ll increase the salt a bit, as that will draw more fluids out of the nasal tissues. If I’m very very dry, I’ll add a little less salt, as that will replenish the nasal tissues.
A tip generally used by houseplant enthusiasts might be useful here. Put your water in a container and leave it out for 24 hours. A lot of the chlorine will dissipate during that time.
Okay, I’m generally really dry, so maybe I should decrease the salt. I was using un-iodized salt, but not kosher salt–is that the only difference? And is bicarb the same as baking soda?
You can buy pre-mixed packets at the drug store. They have salt + baking soda, which helps make it a little less harsh. My husband uses one full pack while I find that about 3/4 of a pack feels best for me. If you get too much salt it can sting a little bit. Having it pre-mixed really helps.
