# How do YOU clear up sinus congestion?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [January 11, 2015, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577 "2015-01-11T22:57:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/21 "2015-01-12T18:59:23Z")
90 PSI compressed air, delivered through a small hose.
Or Alka Seltzer cold and sinus tablets. They’re huge, but work well for me.
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### Author:  [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/22 "2015-01-12T19:04:23Z")
> [@Gray\_Ghost](#):
>
> But the OP is not mentioning severe pain, and that was definitely the case when I had my sinus infection.
I had one in October and never had sinus pain at all. I had some occasional tooth aches, which made me start to recognize it. Then, the weirdest thing happened - I could smell the infection. Like the smell itself was inside my nose. That was what got me to a clinic.
I personally use a neti pot every day and this sinus infection (which, by the way, wasn’t all that bad, really) was the first issue (including colds) I’d had in over two years.
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### Author:  [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2015, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/23 "2015-01-12T19:08:56Z")
Hot&sour soup was my go to,but that restaurant has moved and I don’t know where it has gone. Mexican food is the thing now…
Make a beanbag using lentils… An old sock works well,just sew the top shut… Heat in the microwave a minute,minute and a half… slightly moist,molds to your face/ear/top of the head…
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### Author:  [@Poysyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poysyn)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2015, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/24 "2015-01-12T21:24:52Z")
I’m going to sixth the Neti Pot - I have found that antibiotics don’t always work well with Sinus Infections anyway. I just had a sinus thing and caved and used a nasal spray (only at night) for about five nights (I know it’s more than the three you are supposed to) and doubled up on my Neti pot use for a week. I haven’t needed any nasal spray for three nights.
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2015, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/25 "2015-01-12T21:27:13Z")
> [@snowthx](#):
>
> One word: Pho.
>
> While no proven medical benefits for the brothy Vietnamese soup, by the time I have finished a bowl of it with my head hanging over (generous dash of Sriracha sauce applied), sinuses are clear and flowing, and cloudiness of the head is gone. Perhaps the combination of hot liquid and spices unclog everything.
Pho is a great idea. I buy a bag of the spiciest beef jerky I can find. The combination of the peppers and the chewing tends to open me up so I can breathe again.
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### Author:  [@trapezoidal\_jellyfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trapezoidal_jellyfish)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2015, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/26 "2015-01-12T21:54:59Z")
> [@lazybratsche](#):
>
> OP, which OTC decongestants have you tried, and how do you use them? In my experience, phenylephrine is completely useless, pseudephedrine is pretty effective, and afrin nasal spray (oxymetazoline) is very effective.
I agree with your assessments of phenylephrine and pseudephedrine. I used pseudephedrine. As far as my nose is concerned, phenylephrine may as well be sugar pills.
Thank you all for the good advice. The congestion seems to have cleared up a lot since yesterday, all on its own, but I’m still going to try to get a neti pot later today. Sounds like it would be a good investment for someone prone to colds and sinus problems!
I’m not sure if there is anywhere in my neighborhood where I can get pho, but if I HAVE to go out to eat, you know, for my health, I guess it would be imprudent not to…right?
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### Author:  [@trapezoidal\_jellyfish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trapezoidal_jellyfish)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/27 "2015-01-12T21:57:18Z")
> [@Lorene89095](#):
>
> Make a beanbag using lentils… An old sock works well,just sew the top shut… Heat in the microwave a minute,minute and a half… slightly moist,molds to your face/ear/top of the head…
This is brilliant. Do they have to be lentils? I only have dried red beans.
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### Author:  [@tim-n-va](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim-n-va)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/28 "2015-01-12T22:00:15Z")
Neti pot - sort of. The same company makes a squeeze bottle as well as the pot. I couldn’t do the pot but the squeeze bottle worked great. My doctor did give me the tip of tucking your chin to reduce the chance of the stuff going the wrong way.
Second point of reference, my wife had used the neti pot and now prefers the squeeze bottle.
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### Author:  [@Idilia\_Dubb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idilia_Dubb)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2015, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/29 "2015-01-12T22:01:27Z")
Swallowing a teaspoon of hot mustard sometimes helps me. But it has to be _really_ hot. I mean spicy, not temp.
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### Author:  [@May\_20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/May_20)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2015, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/30 "2015-01-12T23:22:15Z")
> [@trapezoidal\_jellyfish](#):
>
> This is brilliant. Do they have to be lentils? I only have dried red beans.
I have used rice in a sock for similar purposes. I think that rice would be a better option than red beans. Of course, if the beans are all you have, go for it.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [January 12, 2015, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/31 "2015-01-12T23:35:24Z")
Sudafed usually works for me, assuming it isn’t actually an infection. If I’m just really stuffed up and I can’t clear it with OTC meds, I fall back on my secret stash of speed. No, really. Back in college I was prescribed Adderall (and a few other drugs) and found out that it did a great job of clearing up nasal congestion. Somewhere along the line I heard that amphetamines also work as decongestants (I assume that’s why Sudefed works). My doc in college way, way, way over prescribed the meds and I still, many years later, have quite a stash of them. To this day, if I’m really stuffed up, a half an Adderall clears my nose (and my head) really well.
The first time I had a cold (and it was a bad one) after I started taking these pills I was really worried about it. I debated not taking them that day. I mean, who wants to be all sped up AND feel like crap. I was surprised when a little while after taking them, my nose was totally cleared up and I felt much better.
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### Author:  [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/32 "2015-01-13T00:16:21Z")
> [@trapezoidal\_jellyfish](#):
>
> I’m a little bit afraid of neti pots. I’m afraid I’ll accidentally drown myself or something. That being said, given the number of people who have suggested it, I should probably give it a try. I will also consider going to a doctor. I’m in a weird place right now insurance-wise, maybe this is the incentive I need to get it figured out.
It does take a little coordination to use a neti pot. If it’s too intimidating use a SALINE sinus spray that comes in a squeezy bottle, you might find that easier to use. But I found the minimal time/effort required to learn to use the neti was worth it.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/33 "2015-01-13T00:22:20Z")
> [@Broomstick](#):
>
> It does take a little coordination to use a neti pot. If it’s too intimidating use a SALINE sinus spray that comes in a squeezy bottle, you might find that easier to use. But I found the minimal time/effort required to learn to use the neti was worth it.
I could never quite get the hang of the neti pot thing. I’m standing over the sink, finally have the right temp water, mixed in the salt, trying to tilt to the side, forward, am I still over the sink? Crap it’s on my shirt. Okay, forward, to the side…awww, it went to down my throat and I inhaled it. I’ll try it again some other day. The neti pot for me is like those 3D pictures for other people, maybe you’d get it once in a while but it wasn’t worth the effort. I ended up getting [this](http://doublesavingdivas.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/NeilMed.png) instead. Just put it up to your nose and squeeze and it does all the work for you.
Having said that, I never felt any real relief from it. Probably a combination of knowing what meds worked for me and forgetting that I had it so I never really gave it a fair chance. I should probably try it again next time I have a cold.
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### Author:  [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)
#### Post date: [January 13, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/34 "2015-01-13T00:37:29Z")
Mint tea (hot) gives great temporary relief. So do spicy foods and soups.
As mentioned in another thread a mixture of honey, warm water and a bit of apple cider vinegar will thin the mucus.
A neti pot works very well provided the stuff in your sinuses isn’t in concrete form.
Try to avoid nasal sprays as after a couple of days, they can cause that concrete stuff. Saline nasal spray is an exception.
I find the generic form of Mucinex to be a great help, especially at night.
Check with a doctor if it doesn’t seem to be going away after a couple of weeks. There are fungal sinus infections that can be way more enduring than the bacterial stuff.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2017, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/36 "2017-12-04T03:06:10Z")
> [@Chphoto23](#):
>
> Here is a video of a Sinus Massage that you can do to clear up your sinuses it works great! [https://youtu.be/zaoGDKqoLhA](https://youtu.be/zaoGDKqoLhA)
Linked to a video with 12 views, by a doc in Charlotte…from a person with a youtube channel based out of Charlotte.
Smells like spam. I’m sure your intentions are great, but spamming the board with your gf/wife/friends warez aren’t our thing.
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### Author:  [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2017, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/37 "2017-12-04T03:23:58Z")
If sinus massage clears up a nearly 3-year-old sinus affliction, I’ll eat my hat.
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### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2017, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/38 "2017-12-04T03:26:06Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#):
>
> If sinus massage clears up a nearly 3-year-old sinus affliction, I’ll eat my hat.
Sometimes I wonder if it’s just the time passing that did the trick. Like when you take Tylenol for a headache and _poof_ five and a half hours later the headache is gone.
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### Author:  [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2017, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/39 "2017-12-04T03:34:05Z")
I eat raw garlic is give me a temporary release ,or put warm water in a bowl and a towel over my head to help me breath better. A doctor gave me a sinus massage and it did nothing .
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### Author:  [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)
#### Post date: [December 4, 2017, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/40 "2017-12-04T09:23:16Z")
About “spicy-food therapy” mentioned upthread, I’d think horseradish would work wonders, insofar as vapors in your throat/nose. Wasabi might work similarly.
Whatever you do, please keep the spiciness far away from your neti pot. Makes me cringe just to see them mentioned in the same thread.
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### Author:  [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)
#### Post date: [December 7, 2017, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-you-clear-up-sinus-congestion/709577/41 "2017-12-07T04:39:28Z")
> [@jerez](#):
>
> About “spicy-food therapy” mentioned upthread, I’d think horseradish would work wonders, insofar as vapors in your throat/nose. Wasabi might work similarly.
>
> Whatever you do, please keep the spiciness far away from your neti pot. Makes me cringe just to see them mentioned in the same thread.
Spicy food works well but be cautious about it before bedtime. Acid reflux is no fun.
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