How to Use a Neti Pot for Sinus Infections
Can I Use a Neti Pot for Sinus Infections?
One of the best ways to maintain healthy sinuses is to keep them clean. For centuries Yogis have made daily or weekly use of the “neti pot”. It is shaped like a small teapot with a long spout; you fill it with warm salt water. The water is then poured into the nose through one nostril so that the cleansing salt water flows throughout the sinuses rinsing away bacteria or any impure matter. This may sound a bit scary but I assure you that it is one of the easiest painless nasal congestion remedies ever. Once you get used to it, it will become as common as brushing your teeth or washing your face.
The nose is filled with “cilia”, tiny hairs that filter the air you breathe. Normally the cilia are cleansed by normal breathing or by blowing your nose, but sometimes they are clogged and need to be washed out. If left untreated, this can lead to painful sinusitis.
Because the water used is a warm saline solution that is very compatible to your sinus cavity, it causes little or no discomfort.
USE ONLY NON-IODIZED SALT
How to Use a Neti Pot for Sinus Infections and Nasal Health
1) Make a warm saline solution by adding about ½ tsp of sea salt to one cup of warm water and fill neti pot with the solution. Use regular salt or sea salt that is not iodized as the iodine will irritate the mucus membrane of the sinuses i.e. it burns.
2) Tilt your head sideways over the sink so that one nostril is above the other.
3) Place your tongue to the roof of your mouth so the flow of salt water is directed through your sinuses only. This step prevents the water from going into your mouth.
4) Place the spout of the Neti pot into your upper nostril and allow half of the fluid to flow through your top nostril and out your lower nostril. If the flow of the neti pot is slow you need not hold your breath. You can breathe through your open mouth.
5) Then, rotate your head and repeat using the opposite nostril. Pour half of the neti pot through each nostril.
6) When you have done this, stand upright and blow your nose. Then if you wish, you may bend over, with your head down by your knees, and blow your nose again. This helps prevent fluid from coming out of your nose when you bend down later.
Note: if you have broken your nose in the past (as I have) and have a deviated septum you may find it helpful to use an ear syringe bulb. You will have to cut back the long insertion tube to a shorter length to adapt to your nostril. This will allow you to gently apply enough pressure to permit a flow. Some deviated septum’s are severe enough to restrict normal flow with a neti pot.
You may use the neti pot for a sinus infection, as it is one of the best nasal congestion remedies.