I love spring. I love the sun. I love the sound of birds and seeing the plants. But one thing I do not love are the springtime allergies. Pollen and hay-fever have a way of zapping my energy and being congested makes it difficult for me to breathe and concentrate.
I know I’m not the only one. So I thought I’d share my secret weapon for combating nasal allergies without having to go to a doctor:
Disclaimer #1 I am not a doctor – this is a use at your own risk (It’s a safe technique that won’t lead to any physical or mental dependence. But during times like this you may find yourself looking forward to doing it because of the relief you’ll experience.)
Disclaimer #2 This post may make a few people say “yuck”. If you don’t have allergies, and cringe at talk about stuffy noses, you may want to move on to a different post. But this method works, so if you suffer from nasal allergies, hang in there. We’ll get through it.
My main tool to combat nasal congestion is called a Neti pot. The Neti pot is a simple device used in yoga to balance the mind and the energy but it’s also very very good at clearing out sinus mucus and blockage. It’s easy and quick to use. You simply fill the pot with homemade saline solution (My recipe is below) and irrigate your nasal passages with it. You can usually find a Neti pot at health food store for under $20. But you can also order them online for around the same amount plus shipping.
The method: Fill your Neti Pot with your saline solution. Then, place the spout of the pot into your least congested nasal nostril, tip your head and gently pour in the saline. When you tip your head, the water flows into your nose from the top and flows out from the lower nostril. Once you’ve emptied the pot, you repeat the process for the other side.
This technique accomplishes a number of things beneficial to your sinuses.
1. The water loosens the mucus and allows it to flow away.
2. Little hairs (cilia) within the nose are restored to normal movement and can again do their job of pushing junk out.
3. As the water flows out of your lower nostril there is suction created pulling mucus and blockage away.
4. It hydrates and moisturizes your nose. This is beneficial because sometimes we can have reactions just because our sinuses are dry.
Here’s the recipe I use for a good saline solution to be used for nasal irrigation.
2 cups filtered water (Brita filtered is fine)
1 teaspoon non-iodized salt (Morton makes a non-iodized salt you can buy at any grocery store for about .69 cents for large container)
½ teaspoon baking soda (Arm and Hammer anyone?)
In a Pyrex or microwavable pitcher heat up 2 cups of filtered water for 45 seconds to a minute – you just want to water to be luke-warm. (Be gentle here. Don’t get it too hot otherwise your sinuses will react and create more congestion in defense.)
After microwaving, mix in your salt 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
This concoction is enough saline for two “doses” in a Neti pot – one for each nostril. Pour in half the amount (1 cup) into your Neti pot and then start with the least congested nostril. Tip your head slightly in the direction of the pot and gently pour in the water. This may take a little adjustment to get the hang of, so don’t panic. Simply let the water flow in and you’ll notice that it flows out the other nostril just like magic. Once you’ve emptied all of the water, do the other nostril.
You should start feeling the benefits immediately or within just a few minutes. One of the side effects is you may find the Neti pot wakes you up and makes you feel less cloudy headed.
I am sure there are many of you who are skeptical about this technique I don’t blame you. I wasn’t thrilled about running out get a Neti pot and then start putting water into my nose at first either. But after the first time I tried it, I made it a daily habit for the first year or so. I went from having 8-10 sinus flare ups and/or colds a year to about 1 per year. In the past 8 years, it’s proven to be mighty good relief when I feel like a cold might be coming on.
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Technorati Tags: allergy, sinuses, congestion, allergies, hay fever, neti, yoga
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Well, a friend of mine tried to convince me of this for over a year. I was just resistant to even try it once. I thought it would be painful and just so. . horrible!
The first time I did it, I was amazed at how natural it felt. And aside from that, it completely cured my allergies for the day.
Allergies get me way down in the energy department and make me want to just snooze all day. This is how I feel when I don’t neti for a couple days.
Next day, I neti, and voila! I’m ready to take on the world. Strange, I know, but just try it.
Also, for clarification, since Brad didn’t want to take a photo of himself doing it (LOL!), when he says “tip your head”, he means tip it forward, and to the opposite side the neti is on. Don’t try and tip it BACK or anything.
Happy neti’ing.
we got turned on to this type of treatment from our children’s pediatrician:
+ standard medicine dropper
+ 1 cup of water: i just run the tap to about somewhere between room and body temperature and skip the microwave
+ 1/8 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp baking powder
+ lay down flat on back, tilt head back a little
+ at least two droppers full saline in each nostril, as desired
+ you should feel immediate decongestion and subsequent overall relief
at first it felt weird, but it’s all very natural. it’s just a mild saline solution, right? you can buy the same thing, iirc, over the counter for children called Stuffy Noses (or something like that). and, as far as i understand, you can use as often as you want. highly recommended.
i must not have allergies as bad as you two. i don’t use regularly, just for flareups or at the beginning of a sinus unfection. speeds recovery greatly.
I mainly use it only for bad times now too. But the springtime is definately my worst season.
My grandmother’s been doing this for years and swears by it
Her solution, however, is much cheaper than a neti pot. She uses a plastic bottle ketchup/mustard bottle (like the kind you see in restaurants, not a heinz bottle!)
For some reason, when I started reading this post, I immediately thought of the Neti pot, which I’d seen at Salon:
D’oh, I should have previewed that:
For some reason, when I started reading this post, I immediately thought of the Neti pot, which I’d seen at Salon: http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2005/07/06/object_lust_readers1/index1.html.
I haven’t tried it myself, but I’ve found Ayr, a nasal saline spray, to be helpful in some situations like airplane flights or overheated rooms. A clear nose is like comfortable shoes — it’s one of those bodily comforts we don’t talk much about, but that make a real difference in the quality of your day.
hmmm…ketchup squeeze bottles and Ayr. I guess you could save a few bucks with the bottles but I am having a difficult time visualizing how the water would pour out without squeezing – which may be too much pressure. But if it works..cheers to Grandma!
Ayr is good to have around too. It’s obviously more expensive than homemade stuff…but it’s a pain to make saline, sanitize and reuse those bottles. I normally just buy a new bottle of it if I need some.
Sounds as if it could work.
I have a much more primitive method, but it works quite well to limit the effects of pollen. I put large quantities of vaseline in my nostrils, especially when I go out. You have to do this several times a day, but it does mean you have less pollen on the mucus membranes, and therefore fewer symptoms.
This way I can get through most of the seaon without antihistamines
Pretty good article, I’ve been doing this for a few months now and it feels great. A couple of things to remember: your saline solution has to be close in temperature and concentration to your blood. Too much of a difference and you will feel a discomfort. I’ve found that 1 teaspoon of non iodized salt to about 300 ml of water works for me. I heat it for about 45-50 seconds in my microwave. To test it, you can put a few drops on your tongue. it should feel soothing. Also, after you’re done, GENTLY blow your nose. You want your nose to be as dry as possible, but at the same time you don’t want water forced in your sinus canals.
Enjoy
My ENT recommended a similar thing. I tried two methods, both of which work better than this. The one I use now uses those bulb syringe that are used to clean babies noses out. I have a big one that I got when my older son was born – works great.
The previous technique used a water pick with a special tip called a “Grossan Sinus Irrigator” (google for it). It’s basically a tip that reduces the pressure of the water coming out of the water pick. You then fill the water pick with sailine solution as described above and use this thing to clean out the sinuses. However, I don’t recommend this technique unless you want to buy a new water pick every 6 months. Even if you rinse it out thoroughly, the salt starts to corrode the parts and the tubing will start to break down.
Hey guys, I’m still not getting a clear picture on how to use the neti pot. Anyone have diagrams? Thanks
this is sooooo much easier: http://www.saltairesinusrelief.com/
Good text, most stuff I saw already on other sites, but good sublimation
I’ve used Neti for years, yet kept running into trouble with sinus infections. I think the neti pot wasn’t always sterile, or the filtered water not filtered enough. I finally found this:
http://www.brucemedical.com/simsalspray.html
It’s a pressurized saline spray, so it’s guaranteed to stay sterile, all you have to do is wash the nib with soap. It also takes far less volume to achieve the same results. It seems to work better than the non-pressurized saline sprays, which can get contaminated.
After just snorting saline from a cup for a while, my husband transfered his sinus-infection-prevention allegiance to a bottle from Neilmed – it’s like a condiment bottle, but made from clear material and with a round top. Plus, it has all of these packets of saline powder (salt plus baking soda) which make it a lot easier to keep the mix at the right proportion, avoiding the unpleasant too-saline saline effect.
NeilMed product is great, and I’ve tried some of the others. Recommended by my allergist. Website is http://www.nasalrinse.com
A lot of new stuff here. Hadn’t heard of a lot of them.
I’ll probably just stick with the Neti, until the day comes, if it comes where it doesn’t work anymore.
Man, thank you for posting this! I had never heard of it. Your recipe is just a little too salty for me, though. I’d recommend to people out there who are getting that “swimming pool” sensation to experiment with the salt. Add or remove. We’re all a little different.
Jean-Louis: Vaseline is a petroleum product, and is extremely bad for the membranes in your nose. I would seriously stop using it. At least check it out on the web and see if I’m right.
Thanks.
1/2 tsp salt is too much for me. I use NeilMed’s 8 oz. bottle (240 mL). When I weighed 1/2 tsp salt, it came up to 3.9 g. That’s way too hypertonic for me (it stung). Physiological saline is 0.85% NaCl. For a 240-mL solution, that’s only 2.04 g.
I now pre-weigh my NaCl and NaHCO3 (baking soda; sodium bicarbonate) into several small sachets – ready for pouring into my bottle. It beats paying $18 for 100 sachets of merely salt and baking soda.
And guys, the baking soda is only for pH buffering.
Maru, sounds like you have a chemistry background. Yes, by all means if there is too much salt, it’s smart to back off on it.
I find at different times of year more or less salt is tolerated.
My girlfriend has tried this, and the “neti pot” method works
Well, at least thats what she says, im not trying it !
I’ve been using a hepa air purifier that I purchased 2 years ago and it has done wonders at home. I no longer wake up congested and I sleep better, as well.
I started using the squirt bottle method and used up the little packets of salt. I have hopes the home-made salt mix will be as good. It will sure be a lot cheaper!
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