Have you tried this for a sinus infection?

[Flybye]

What do you think of this?
A friend and I were discussing it after she saw it on tv................

http://www.oprah.com/health/oz/oz_20070426_350_106.jhtml

Today is the first I have heard of it............. have I just crawled out from under a rock????

[sundial]

I've never had to use one, but I've wondered how well it works. What does your hubby say?

[Flybye]

I've never had to use one, but I've wondered how well it works. What does your hubby say?


He and I live under the same rock ;)

[Dianyla]

Nasal irrigation with saline solution (whether using a neti pot or the squirty bottle "lavage" systems sold by allergists) can do a world of good for people with sinus problems. I've successfully avoided having to take antibiotics for sinus infections by irrigating morning and night with warm salt water.

It's also really nice in springtime when you've been out inhaling pollen all morning, it rinses many allergens out. The alternative is to let your body do it's job and produce copious amounts of mucus to carry all those pollens away, potentially experiencing a lot of histamine-related symptoms in the meantime.

[OakLeaf]

This was discussed recently in this thread (http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=20616).

[Dianyla]

Neti hits the NYT (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/03/fashion/03skin.html?em&ex=1199941200&en=8f08ee6e8ea8704e&ei=5087%0A)

[Flybye]

Thanks for all your insight. Coincidentally enough, I had to go in for a head CT scan yesterday morning after I posted this thread to better figure out what to do with some TMJ issues that have been popping up (pun intended) in my right jaw. When they reviewed the cross section film of my sinuses, they found a sinus infection............

I ordered a neti pot last night and am eager to give it a shot. Snot shot!!

[Duck on Wheels]

My dh swears by it. He used to get a sinus infection at least once a year, plus every time he had to take a long flight anywhere. Now ...? Never.

[Brandi]

I was born with a box of of tissue in my hand. I have had allergy attacks that makes colds look better.
About 3 years ago someone recommended using this so I thought sure I will try anything. And both my GP and my ENT recommended it to me after I was already using it. It doesn't cure my allergies but boy at times it sure does make my ravaged nasal passages feel a lot better.
It takes some practice and my dh is never alloud to watch or see me do it (it is not attractive at all) but I will forever use this little pot.
I also bring it on the road with me, if the area we are in is super dry I use it. If I get a cold I use it. If the air is really cold I use it. I highly recommend using it can you tell?:D

[kjay]

My hubby has taught meditation for years and through him I've been introduced to Neti and other healthful practices. It's best to use noniodized salt when doing Neti, and I found one that is blended with soothing essential oils. Here's the link if you're interested.

http://www.intothescentedgarden.com/

[Brandi]

My hubby has taught meditation for years and through him I've been introduced to Neti and other healthful practices. It's best to use noniodized salt when doing Neti, and I found one that is blended with soothing essential oils. Here's the link if you're interested.

http://www.intothescentedgarden.com/
I am going to the health food store today i will see if they have these.
You know for the women who live in the really cold area;s of the united states these little pots would be great for the dry air the are exposed to inthe winter. At least I live by the ocean and get some relief.

[Nickel428]

I love my neti pot. I avoided using it for a long time, but out of desperation decided to try it. I was afraid it would burn and I'd all but drown, but it was surprisingly easy. There is a small learning curve, but now I use it every morning. And that's the first thing I pack in my suitcase when I travel! For me it was the best $15 dollars I ever spent.

[teigyr]

Ok, I just ordered one! They are selling out everywhere, it seems like. It shipped yesterday so hopefully it'll be here soon.

I was always good with not getting sick until I moved to WA. Then it seems like it's a sinus infection every month unless I go on antibiotics. I react negatively to most antibiotics so I just feel miserable until the infection is gone but I think it's never really gone all the way.

So. We got an air filtration system in the house, I take allergy medication each night, and hopefully this neti pot will help with the rest. It seems like such a silly thing but everyone raves about it. I figure it has to work if it has people enthusiastically doing something that just seems SO uncomfortable :D

[snapdragen]

Once you get the hang of it, it's not even uncomfortable. I buy little pre-measured packets (SinuCleanse or something like that) and mix them in 1 cup of water. It's probably more expensive than mixing your own, but I'm all about convenient. :D

[sandra]

:eek:Does that stuff go down your throat?

[Brandi]

:eek:Does that stuff go down your throat?

That only happens when your nose is so clogged it can't go through except down your throat. That happend to me last week, I had to just give up. Or when you first try to do it it happend a couple times till i got the hang of it.
.

[Flybye]

Well, here I am on a Friday evening with nothing better to do than post about my neti pot - what an exciting life I lead!!! I will follow up with some Halo 3. :o

I was diagnosed with another sinus infection the day that I first asked about the neti pot - it was a confirmed diagnosis, too - a sinus x ray. So, I boldly ordered a neti pot. I got it within a couple of days and have been using it now for about two weeks. Some of you have wondered how it works, so here is my report...........

disclaimer - results not typical, do not use boiling water or hot sauce, not meant as a flotation device, etc.

The results:

Headache is gone.
I am not as tired.
I haven't taken an antibiotic yet - even though I did get an Rx filled :o just in case.

I was *convinced* that it worked, but still a skeptic - I mean, come on, I took two semesters of statistics - I know what the placebo effect is! No one is going to pull the wool over my eyes!

SO.....

I convinced my dear 7 year old daughter who always complains about her throat (post nasal drip) and her eyes hurting (congestion) to give it a shot. She hasn't complained of a sore throat or hurting eyes since. Not only that, but I thought "what the heck" and took her off of her allergy medication. All is well.

SO.......

I join the throngs (is that really a right choice of words? Seems freakishly close to thongs) of women (and men) who boldly rinse out their sinus cavities on a daily basis.

Now that my sinus cavities are free and my report is written, I say thanks to those of you who helped convince me to give it a shot, and I now proceed to redeem my Friday night by playing a little Halo 3.

Nightie - night!

[KnottedYet]

So do you end up snorting and spitting the salt water out?

I've seen the Neti pots at Central Market and been curious, but haven't felt the need yet. (my sinuses are pretty low maintainence.)

[songlady]

Thanks for the review, mine came yesterday and I am still too afraid to try it. Wait til allergy season, I may be singing a completely different tune :rolleyes:

[teigyr]

It just comes running out the other side. I'm adept at one side and challenged with the other. It's kind of like swimming and breathing.

I love it! I've noticed that my nose is running more than before but I think that's my sinuses clearing themselves out. I haven't been good about doing it every night but I should start being more diligent.

I've noticed the headaches are gone, borderline sinus infections never manifest, and I have not had a cold since I started. I've also had more energy and waking up is SO much easier.

I know that this could be in our minds but I think it isn't. The first time I used it (and sorry to be gross here), I didn't have a full-blown sinus infection or anything. I felt better than usual, actually. After using it, I blew my nose and all these little yellow dried bits came out. I think it's pretty cool to be flushing that stuff out.

[sundial]

So do you end up snorting and spitting the salt water out?

*Most* of the time the water just drains out the other nostril.

I've started using the NeilMed Sinus Rinse kit and I like it because unlike the neti pot it doesn't use gravity to flush the sinuses. Instead it's a squeeze bottle that you control the flow and pressure to get back into the sinus cavity.

I don't have sinus problems but I have chronic allergies. I've noticed that I've cut back on my Rx's since I've started rinsing. It really is soothing and will moisturize the passages during cold, dry days. :)

[Blueberry]

I kind of snort the water out of the neti pot - this seems to get it in the sinuses a little better, and then it drains out the other side with all the icky stuff. It's been a savior for me this year with dry heat. My sinuses bleed CONSTANTLY in winter.

[Brandi]

I honestly believe it works! And I have two Dr who believe it works too! I have been on the verg of sinus infection and my Dr has told me to go that route first before he would prescribe a antibiotic. and I am glad. They are perscribed to often. There is no wool here!

[Starfish]

Haven't read this whole thread, so apologies if someone already wrote this.

My mom taught me this over 35 years ago. No special pot or system needed. I just cup some salt water in my palm and snuffle it up through my sinuses.

It flushes stuff out...sometimes gross stuff that makes me glad it is out of my head.

Sometimes it just drains out the other side. Sometimes back into the throat where I swallow and let my digestive tract expel it.

Anyhow, I swear by this for head colds and sinus infections.

[OakLeaf]

I've had conventional MDs recommend irrigation to me, as well.

I have one of each, actually - a NeilMed SinusRinse squeeze bottle, and the SinuCleanse plastic neti pot. I find the traditional pot is much more effective and reaches a lot more of my sinuses. The squeeze bottle, on the other hand, is a lot quicker and easier to use, not least because you can mix the solution by shaking it right in the bottle.

Starfish, if I tried your method, I think I'd drown. Probably one of those things, like peeing standing up, that if your mom didn't teach you when you were 2, you're just never going to have the determination to teach yourself ;) (and yes I know some adult women do have the determination and enough free time in the shower to teach themselves how to pee standing up - I'm just not one of them)

[sundial]

Oakleaf, did you see the NeilMed neti pot? It comes with a lid and when you want to regulate the flow, you place your finger over the hole on the lid. :cool:

[OakLeaf]

Oakleaf, did you see the NeilMed neti pot? It comes with a lid and when you want to regulate the flow, you place your finger over the hole on the lid. :cool:

Huh, no, I haven't seen those. That might be useful when I'm really stuffed up. OTOH it might just mean it would take an hour for the solution to trickle through my sinuses drop by drop :rolleyes: I'm having visions of those old Taco Neck commercials.

[sundial]

I just wanted to share that since I started using the rinse, it has helped my allergies tremendously. I don't have those allergy attacks and I've cut back using allergy Rx's. Just wanted to encourage those who have alleriges to consider this option. I feel so much better. :)

[Geonz]

I used to go to the beach and make a point of doing somersaults in the waves if I was feeling allergic or sinusy (but my sinuses are also low-maintenance). I swear by gargling ('cause my throat *is* the Favorite Entry Point for Bad Things - almost always I get a sore throat before I get sick when I get sick every few years).

So perhaps when the fervor goes down Ill get one of them things... or, perhaps the fad will die and they'll be at garage sales :eek::eek::eek:

[mupedalpusher]

My ENT surgeon had me do this after my sinus surgery. I didn't have to buy anything special, just use one of the little squishy-bulb things you use for baby's. My surgeon gave me the recipe to make my own solution with canning salt and baking soda. It's been a life saver, at the sign of any problems I start using it again. I don't do it everyday anymore because I do fine without it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Here's the saline sinus rinse kit I use:
http://www.epinions.com/reviews/Ayr_Sinus_Rinse_Kit_Saline_Sinus_Wash

I used to wake up in the middle of the night with gummy stuff clogging my head and sinuses and I couldn't sleep. Not anymore- what a HUGE relief!
Now I use this every morning or every other morning, and no longer have any sinus problems. It feels so soothing and so wonderful to start the day with a happy clear head. :p
I thought it would be weird and awful to try it. But it was only a slightly odd sensation, not uncomfortable, and I got good at it after two times. Now it's just a quick morning routine like brushing my teeth.

[Becky]

Here's another vote for sinus rinsing. I have both the NeilMed neti pot and their squirty bottle. They both work well, but I think I prefer the bottle, just because it requires less coordination on my part.

[Brandi]

I use a neti pot all the time when my nose is giving me problems. And when i have a cold as well it can really help a lot!

[farrellcollie]

I get 6-8 sinus infections a year and have bad allergies. The saline rinse helps, but I still need antibiotics several times too. I have found it usefule, but not a super thing. It definitely helps me with post-nasal drip pain.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

OMG I couldn't figure out what a neti pot was until I read the rest of the thread...I have been doing this for years, at least 15 years, when a friend of mine who was a smoke jumper told me about it when I moved to California and my sinuses were screaming from the dryness. I tried everything on the planet to get rid of the sinus infections and this was the only thing that worked. When I am on the west coast I do it probably once a week, but here on the east coast, I just started doing it due to allergies. I had a friend in college that would irrigate her sinuses with an IV bag of saline. Uhm. That's too much for me. I don't use a pot, just any old cup with warm water (usually filtered or bottled) and some salt. Nothing fancy. I also do it while in mid flight in the tiny bathroom because who knows what your are snorting in the plane and it's so dry.

As far as blowing it out, I usually do my usual circus trick and spit it out my mouth. I think that came about by accident. It's a life saver when you have that irritated part of the back of your throat due to nasal drip down the back of your throat while sleeping. If I stick with it I can prevent sinus infections and problems with allergies, but if I drop the ball, it's hard to get them to leave without medical intervention.

Anyone take 'local honey' for their allergies? I found this works too. Not the stuff from the store but honey made by local bees. It's a preventative too not a cure, so you have to start early to get the effect.

[colby]

We use one of these, because we are lazy and it's easy, but it's the same concept.

I use it every time I swim, and it feels OH SO GOOD. If I feel anything coming on or have any colors coming out my nose, a-irrigating I go.

We call it the Nose O Rooter.

http://www.hydromedonline.com/billcart/item.php?item=hpx

[sundial]

We call it the Nose O Rooter.

LOL! Looks like the Water Pik has been reinvented. ;)

[cyclinnewbie]

Hey I have one of these...it's the ONLY thing that cleared up my sinus infection after 4 rounds of antibiotics. It's also helping with my allergies this year. It's disgustingly gross, but it works like a charm!