# Who uses a neti pot? Do they help? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 1, 2006, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532 "2006-12-01T21:46:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/1 "2006-12-01T21:46:34Z")
Mr. brown suffers from chronic sinusitis. He has another appointment at the doc for this Monday, and is about to be referred over to a specialist. I just ordered him a neti pot, and pray that I’ll get him to use it. I’ve proposed it in the past, but he’s reluctant to use it. (Okay, he’s a big baby and he’s afraid to pour salt water up his nose.) Does anyone here use one? Can he expect to gain any respite from repeated sinus infections? ---
**Author:** ![SiXSwordS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/49beb7/32.png) [@SiXSwordS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SiXSwordS)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/2 "2006-12-01T21:57:02Z")
For anyone else who is confused: > [@](#): > > [A neti pot is filled with warm, slightly salted water and the spout of the pot is inserted into one nostril. The position of the head and pot are adjusted to allow the water to flow out of the other nostril.](http://www.healingdaily.com/exercise/neti-pot.htm) ---
**Author:** ![brianjedi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@brianjedi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianjedi)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/3 "2006-12-01T22:25:21Z")
I haven’t used a pot, but I have done the same thing with a bulb syringe. You can definitely feel a difference after using it, but it doesn’t seem to last very long. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/4 "2006-12-01T23:20:26Z")
I’ve put a lot of patients on neti pots. Generally for chronic congestion related to allergies. Also chronic sinusitis. Many of them were hesitant to try it Dubious too. But I showed them videos of how it’s done, and encouraged them to give it a try. And the feedback is 3/4 of them LOVE IT!! They think it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. They throw out their nasal steroids, their spray decongestants, and even cut waaay back on their antihistamines. They live in fear of Security confiscating their neti pot, and hang onto their slip which states they’re allowed to have it. The other 1/4 mostly just don’t tolerate the procedure. A few try it a few times, declare it didn’t help them, and continue to suffer. I’d advocate that anyone with chronic congestion give it a try. They’re pretty damn safe. One can even fiddle a bit with the salt concentration: Make it more hypertonic (more salt in it) and it relieves congestion faster. Make it less hypertonic and it replenishes dry nasal tissues very rapidly. ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2006, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/5 "2006-12-01T23:44:36Z")
I love me Neti pot! My husband and son, refuse to use it because they think it’s weird. Their sinus trouble eventually turns to infection, while I remain infection free. The only problem I had with it, is the first couple of times I used it, my nostrils got irritated from the saline. Now I just put a little baby oil in each nostril after each use. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/6 "2006-12-02T00:29:48Z")
I use one of [these](http://www.alerg.com/page/A/PROD/SST/SST2100?gclid=COOSuYjD8ogCFSVtFQodsD23pg). Goes on the end of a Water Pik, the rubber end goes up against one nostril at a time. Many many times over less awkward and more user-friendly than a traditional Neti pot, same idea. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/7 "2006-12-02T01:29:59Z")
I use [Sinus Rinse](http://www.neilmed.com/), and I think **beagledave** does as well. I’ve fallen out of the habit of using it, but with winter coming on again, I think I’ll get back into it. I think it’s handier than a neti pot; you don’t have to tilt your head back or anything, just face down over the sink and squeeze the bottle more or less straight up. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/8 "2006-12-02T03:15:28Z")
Along the same vein, I take a bottle of saline solution, pop off the top and add salt to it. Makes a nice spray for when you’re at work. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/9 "2006-12-02T04:28:39Z")
Yes, they do help. I generally only use mine in the winter, when the air is dry. I’d recommend getting a stainless steel one. ---
**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:** [December 2, 2006, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/10 "2006-12-02T04:54:58Z")
I use one when I have a cold. A word of warning: be super-careful about blowing your nose afterwards. It’s really easy to blow the slimy water into your eustachian tubes, and then you get an ear infection. Otherwise, dandy. You don’t even need a neti pot–you can fill a bowl with warm saline, dip your nose into it, and breathe in. The water flows into your mouth, and you spit into the sink. For large-scale clearance of accumulated matter, I find this method more effective. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/11 "2006-12-02T04:58:14Z")
Wow, what a coincidence. I purchased a Neti Pot just 4 days ago. I _ **love** _ it. Been using it every morning. It does an \*awesome \* job of cleaning out my sinuses. Wish I had discovered this years ago. ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/12 "2006-12-02T05:00:21Z")
[QUOTE=Ferret Herder] I use [Sinus Rinse](http://www.neilmed.com/), and I think **beagledave** does as well. [/QUOTE] I use this from time to time as well. I can’t claim the life-changing results some have apparently experienced, but it definitely does make a difference. Especially when you’re kinda clogged up or you’ve been out somewhere dusty, it’s a wonderful sensation to clear all the crud out of your sinuses. Warning: Be careful using it if you’ve got a deviated septum, as I do; you can end up with some unpleasant (but comical to behold) problems if you shoot it up the open nostril and it can’t come out the other. ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/13 "2006-12-02T05:01:50Z")
I love my NetiPot. I have had miserable sinusitis for all of my life, and I used to get it at least every other month. Once my friend bought me the NetiPot and I started using it? My life got so very much easier. Or at least more comfortable. Working when you feel like someone ran over your body with a garbage truck tends to be less than wonderful. Furthermore, I don’t GET sinusitis as often. Almost never, actually. The only reason I can think of that things have changed is the use of the NetiPot. AND…even when I DO get sinusitis? It lasts less than half the time it used to last when I wasn’t using the NetiPot. I LOVES me some NetiPot. Oh, and SinusRinse is awesome too. My advice would be…get one, and make him use it. He’ll thank you. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/14 "2006-12-02T05:27:50Z")
I use a bulb syringe or even a plain old squirt bottle, or, when neither is handy, the bowl of saltwater method **Sattua** mentioned. I find it works best if I kind of snort the water back into my sinuses. I don’t do it if I’m terribly clogged up, though, because then the water won’t drain out and it hurts my ears (also as **Sattua** mentioned). I hate the procedure, but I love the results. I get crippling sinus headaches at times, and I’m usually able to stave them off if I do the irrigation at the first signs. When done in time, before the pain and nausea really set in, it works better than any decongestant or antihistamine product I’ve ever tried, OTC or prescription. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/15 "2006-12-02T06:00:09Z")
I just use a squirt bottle. I should do it more often because it’s so helpful. I have a lot less allergy trouble when I use it. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/16 "2006-12-02T16:17:48Z")
…wow. How can you _do_ that? Doesn’t your brain scream “drowning, drowning, drowning!” I’ve considered trying a neti pot in the winter, but I just don’t think I could _do_ it - I’d end up spluttering and gasping. I can’t imagine _inhaling water on purpose_. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/17 "2006-12-02T16:20:00Z")
[QUOTE=Sattua] I use one when I have a cold. A word of warning: be super-careful about blowing your nose afterwards. It’s really easy to blow the slimy water into your eustachian tubes, and then you get an ear infection. Otherwise, dandy. You don’t even need a neti pot–you can fill a bowl with warm saline, dip your nose into it, and breathe in. The water flows into your mouth, and you spit into the sink. For large-scale clearance of accumulated matter, I find this method more effective. [/QUOTE] …wow. How can you _do_ that? Doesn’t your brain scream “drowning, drowning, drowning!” I’ve considered trying a neti pot in the winter, but I just don’t think I could _do_ it - I’d end up spluttering and gasping. I can’t imagine _inhaling water on purpose_. ---
**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:** [December 2, 2006, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/18 "2006-12-02T16:23:37Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] …wow. How can you _do_ that? Doesn’t your brain scream “drowning, drowning, drowning!” I’ve considered trying a neti pot in the winter, but I just don’t think I could _do_ it - I’d end up spluttering and gasping. I can’t imagine _inhaling water on purpose_. [/QUOTE] Like learning to put in contact lenses, it does take a certain amount of practice and control. The trick is really to do it once, in a calm and controlled manner. Then you realize you aren’t going to drown, and it’s easy after that. Actually, I just get a kick out of “doing yoga” without breaking a sweat. And it’s a lot more pleasant than the yogic nasal flossing, let me tell you. ---
**Author:** ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/19 "2006-12-02T16:39:06Z")
OK, I’m not getting it. I’m looking at CT scan images online of the sinuses and I’m not seeing how this works such that you can snort something up one nostril and not have it fly into your throat. Doesn’t the nasal passage end at the opening to the throat? How (and where) can fluid go up one side of your nose and down the other and miss shooting down your throat or into your lungs? I’ve used things like Flonase before and didn’t enjoy it but since I’m congested a lot, if this thing works I’d be interested. Right now, though, it sounds uncomfortable and not fun at all. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2006, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532/20 "2006-12-02T17:00:31Z")
I’ve been using a neti pot for a couple of months, to relieve some mild (but persistent and annoying) sinus problems. I generally use it once in the morning and once at night. I find it does help, but the effect is temporary. I was looking for something to help reduce my need for antihistamines/decongestants; the ones that work (like the older antihistamines, and pseudoephedrine) make me feel like crap, and the newer low-side-effect drugs like Allegra don’t seem to do much of anything. I bought a cheap plastic one online for around $10, which came with its own measuring spoon for the salt— a teaspoon, I believe. As **Qadgop** mentioned, you can adjust the salt content to your liking; I’ve found that two teaspoons works better for me, with no irritation. The only drawback I’ve found is that it’s not very useful if I’m severely congested (one or both sides completely blocked). The water can’t pass through to the other side and instead starts going down my throat. Oh, and it’s something you’ll probably want to use in private. The dribbling, horking, spitting, and blowing required are pretty unappetizing, visually and aurally. In my opinion. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-uses-a-neti-pot-do-they-help/382532.md?page=2)