# I pit my sinuses **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 2, 2010, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-sinuses/523376 "2010-01-02T05:41:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-sinuses/523376/21 "2010-01-05T00:06:48Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Could you recommend a neti-pot? It’s something I would use in the shower, everything I’m seeing looks like a little tea pot. I use the [Neil-Med squeezy bottle](http://www.neilmed.com/usa/sinusrinse.php). It won’t break if you drop it. I really like having pressure control, too, as it takes a lot of the “swimming pool water up the nose” feeling out of the equation. ---
**Author:** ![kidneyfailure](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9f8e36/32.png) [@kidneyfailure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidneyfailure)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-sinuses/523376/22 "2010-01-05T10:13:28Z")
I’ve been having sinus issues for years. They always result in post-nasal drips and sore throats. I’ve had nasal irrigation in the hospital once and it was interesting, though not very pleasant (doc stuck a thin tube in there, introduce some fluid, and I bent over the sink and watched as thick, green mucus flowed out). Nowadays I just use a bowl with salt water and a straw. Makes me feel like a druggie to be snorting something in my nose but, whatever, it works. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-sinuses/523376/23 "2010-01-05T13:43:45Z")
[QUOTE=emmaliminal] I use the [Neil-Med squeezy bottle](http://www.neilmed.com/usa/sinusrinse.php). [/QUOTE] That’s what I use as well. There’s no need to twist your head around to pour in the water - just lean over the sink and squeeze gently. It also works equally well in the shower. And it you’re expecting a major snot harvest, doing it in the shower makes cleanup easy-peasy! ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-sinuses/523376/24 "2010-01-05T14:41:49Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > That’s what I use as well. There’s no need to twist your head around to pour in the water - just lean over the sink and squeeze gently. It also works equally well in the shower. > > And it you’re expecting a major snot harvest, doing it in the shower makes cleanup easy-peasy! why spoiler it, we _revel_ in tmi …😃 ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-sinuses/523376/25 "2010-01-05T16:37:15Z")
Re: decongestants I usually use them as a last resort with acetaminophen when I have a major sinus headache, can’t breathe through my nose and need to function. Usually if I feel really stuffed up I take guaifenisen, it doesn’t just break up mucus in the chest it works in the head, too. ---
**Author:** ![yuliya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/f6c823/32.png) [@yuliya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yuliya)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-sinuses/523376/26 "2010-01-05T19:13:21Z")
I had never heard of the apple cider vinegar thing and I’m certainly going to try it. I know I have some. I get at least 3 major “my head feels like a block and I can’t breathe through my nose at all” sinus infections per year. One thing I have found really useful is this. You can buy an attachment for a Water-Pic (those water-flossing machines) so you can actually run water through your nose. Works just like a neti pot, but with extra water pressure. Add baking soda and salt to the mixture to kill the bacteria in your nose and prevent a burning sensation. ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2010, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-sinuses/523376/27 "2010-01-06T23:51:50Z")
Okay elbows, I just took my first dose of cider vinegar, then used the neti pot. At this point I’m probably feeling “sinus” pain more from gritting my teeth when I sleep than because my sinuses are full. But it was fun. I’ll keep it up for a while and see if the pain goes away. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-sinuses/523376/28 "2010-01-07T02:00:02Z")
Funny you should mention gritting your teeth when you sleep. I did that too. I don’t do it anymore, and, though no one has told me so, I think I was clenching my teeth because of the continuous sinus pain. I think so because I just stopped doing it once my sinus issue was resolved. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2010, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-sinuses/523376/29 "2010-01-07T03:20:49Z")
I’m sort of afraid to use a neti pot, given my experience with nose drops that also seem to get deeper into your sinuses than a spray does. [spoiler] I thought I bought nose spray, but it turned out to be drops. No problem, I thought. I was wrong. No sooner had I snorted them up as directed, and some slid down my throat, did I immediately and unexpected throw up all over myself.[/spoiler] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-my-sinuses/523376.md?page=1)