NETI - the Practice of Sinus Irrigation

Today, millions of people suffer from sinus infections of some sort. While many of them are becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics, there is help available through this unique method of sinus irrigation.

In its simplest form, Neti is a way of nasal irrigation or washing of the sinuses in a unique manner through a special pot called the neti pot.

 

 

 

The way in which Neti rinses out the dirt and bacteria filled mucous lining would be obvious to most people as the warm water loosens and dissolves any internal build ups, and takes them outwards. But what may not be so obvious is that, due to gravity and a venturi-effect, the sinus passages are also drained by the vacuum pressure flow of the water. Whereas it would normally be impossible to drain a “dead end” cavity like the sinuses, Neti achieves this ingeniously and simply.

For those with thick mucus conditions as well as those with running sinuses, the relief of sinus pressure can be felt within seconds. In a more detailed examination, it would also be seen, that through the effect of osmosis and capillary action, the blood vessels of the nose are stimulated to cleanse as well.

The nose is the “air conditioner” of the body. One of the many functions of the nose is to regulate the temperature and humidity of the incoming air. Some people have “dry noses” and suffer dry, crusty, nose bleed type problems. Others are “wets”, with the constantly running sinuses and the tissues always up their sleeve! Others have perpetual stuffy and blocked nostrils. Regular practice of Neti helps to establish the correct working environment of temperature and humidity in the nose.



 

The “dead-end” sinus passages get flushed in a manner combining the forces of gravity with the venturi-effect created when water flows through the nasal passages. A subtle vacuum is created which extracts the mucus and toxins from the sinus passages into the flowing water.

In order to create this vacuum and to ensure the flow of water without air blockages, a special spout must be inserted into the nostril. This directs the water into the nostril at the right pressure and creates the necessary effect.

Moreover the water should be of a certain minimum quantity – both to sufficiently irrigate the nasal passages as well as to create a suitable flow pressure. What this means is that the receptacle must hold a predetermined quantity of water.

Keeping these factors in mind, the only suitable tool for effective results is the neti pot.

Many people have used tea cups, bowls, ketchup bottles and even garden hoses!! Invariably the results are well short of expectations (if there are results at all) and people end up blaming the process.

In any case neti pots are fairly cheap and not so difficult to find.

However, there are some points that you need to keep in mind before deciding which neti pot to go for:

Your neti pot should be able to hold at least 500 ml. (15oz.) of water. As mentioned, this is necessary to sufficiently flush your sinuses with the desired pressure.
It must have a tapered end to its spout which “plugs” the inlet nostril. This prevents spillage and creates the subtle vacuum that is needed.
Although not necessary, the neti pot should preferably be unbreakable. After all, learning may sometimes cause the pot to fall out of your hands.
There are various kinds of neti pots available.

Nasal Irrigation: Spring Cleaning for Your Nose


Before you reach for expensive over-the-counter or prescription allergy remedies, you might want to try an inexpensive alternative treatment that really seems to work: nasal irrigation, or washing out your nose once or twice daily with warm salt water. Most medical studies on nasal irrigation for allergies are rather positive, and there's little risk and little expense in trying.

Spring marks the beginning of pollen season, and the same yellowish dust that coats your car also fills your nasal passages, causing enough irritation to trigger an allergic reaction. Nasal irrigation simply washes away the irritants causing the allergy symptoms.

Many medical institutions, such as the Mayo Clinic, advocate the use of nasal irrigation. The most recent study appeared in January 2009, with the 200 patients in the study reporting some relief of symptoms from twice daily irrigations.

To try it, you can invest two dollars in a bulb syringe. or you can buy a neti pot, which looks like a little oil lamp, often used by yoga devotees. Nasal irrigation is known as jala neti in the ancient Indian practice of Ayurveda.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

 
If you have seasonal allergies, hay fever or chronic sinusitis, nasal irrigation is a simple and inexpensive tool that can help relieve your symptoms. Originating in the Ayurvedic medical tradition, nasal irrigation or "jala neti" has been used since ancient times to help gently flush away irritants that cause allergy symptoms and sinus infections.

The goal of the nasal irrigation, which typically is made of a natural saline solution, is to reduce or eliminate the recurrent irritant so your body can be given a chance to heal itself. Oftentimes antihistamines, antibiotics or even surgical  interventions are used to treat these conditions but do little to treat their underlying causes, nor their recurrence.

On the other hand, nasal irrigation has showed much promise, not only anecdotally but also in research studies. One recent study in children even found that nasal saline irrigation significantly eased symptoms while lessening the need for medications like steroid nasal sprays.

Nasal irrigation is useful not only for symptom relief when your allergies or sinuses are acting up, but also for routine “cleansing.”

Nasal irrigation has actually been a part of yoga health-oriented "cleaning rituals" for centuries, and practitioners use a neti pot (a small, teapot-like pot) to pour lightly salted warm water into one nostril and then let it run out of the other. Some will also forcefully exhale the water to further cleanse their nasal passages.

This practice proved to be beneficial, as one study of those using daily saltwater nasal irrigation showed it helped to protect against the common cold.
 
Why is Salt Good for Your Sinuses and More?
 
Salt -- in its natural form -- has many therapeutic properties when inhaled or used as a soak. Not only are brine baths, which you can make at home by adding a large amount (about 2.6 pounds of salt for a 27-32 gallon tub) of natural, high-quality salt like Himalayan salt to your bathwater, a great way to revitalize your body, but salt rooms are also growing in popularity.

These rooms, which are essentially small rooms covered in salt, originated in Eastern Europe but have made their way to the United States, including to my hometown of Chicago. Visitors sit in the room for a half hour or an hour to simply breathe in the salty air. And anecdotal reports say they’re beneficial for everything from asthma to respiratory infections to stress.

Nasal irrigation, however, is likely beneficial not only because of the therapeutic effects of salt, but also due to the physical flushing that helps remove irritants.

If you are going to use salt in your nasal irrigation I would suggest you avoid using conventional processed salts and instead use a high-quality sea salt or even better Himalayan Salt.
 
How to Use Nasal Irrigation
 
Nasal irrigation takes a bit of getting used to, but once you learn the technique you’ll see how simple it really is. To start, you’ll need:
 
• All-natural Himalayan salt or sea salt
• Filtered or distilled water
• Neti pot or bulb syringe
• Towel or washcloth
 
The technique, outlined below, may seem unusual at first. However, once learned, you will quickly realize how beneficial it is for sinus problems.
 
1. Locate a workable container. The neti pot is specially designed with a spout that fits comfortably in one nostril. Alternatives you can use include a bulb syringe, a small flower watering pot, a turkey baster or just a teacup (though the latter will be messier).

2. Fill the container with lukewarm salt water. The salt-to-water ratio is 1 teaspoon sea salt to 1 pint (2 cups) water. Filtered or distilled water is best.

3. Have some tissues within reach for this next part. Over a sink, tilt your head forward so you are looking directly down toward the sink. Insert the spout into your right nostril. It is important that you breathe through your mouth. Turn your head to the right and let water move into the right nostril and exit the left nostril. Normally, you will feel the water as it passes through your sinuses.

It is fine if some of the water drains into your mouth. Simply spit it out and adjust the tilt of your head.

4. After using a cup of water, repeat the above procedure for the other nostril.

5. To finish, expel any remaining water by quickly blowing air out both open nostrils 15 times over the sink. Avoid the temptation to block off one nostril, as doing so may force water into your eustachian tube.
 
It is important to follow all the instructions very carefully and continue the routine until all your symptoms resolve. This may take three to six months in the case of a chronic infection, so be patient. For acute problems like seasonal allergies, perform the nasal wash up to four times per day until your symptoms improve.

For chronic problems like sinus infections, it is usual to do the wash one or more times daily and continue for several months

 

But water in the nose is not unusual. Remember the way you feel after a good swim in the surf? A good flushing of the nose with salt water is a good thing. Stage 1 of Neti is no more than that – a flush out of the frontal nose passages, except that the water is warm, 4 times less salty than sea water, and you are in control – not like when you get dumped in the surf and come up spluttering half drowned! That’s often what people are afraid of when they first hear about saline nasal cleansing. They may have nasty memories of nearly drowning at the beach. But it’s nothing like that. Admittedly there are certain internal nasal orifices in which the salty water should not go. It may take a few attempts to get the head angle correct so that this does not happen, but the results of a few bad attempts are not serious

 

Should the amount of salt ever be changed, for instance if you get a cold?
A. No. The proportion of salt is called normal saline – the same ratio as human blood. Too little salt will actually sting the nose, as will too much. There are certain mixtures, which ENT surgeons prescribe, but those things should only ever be used for severe nasal conditions. For the general user, and for preventative nasal health, always use: One level teaspoon of salt per half a liter of water.

Can Neti be done too often?
A. Yes. The correct frequency is determined by a person’s particular problems and particular needs, but for most people, in most situations, once or twice a day, first thing in the morning and/or in the evening is sufficient. In some therapeutic situations, three or four times a day may be recommended, but this would not be continued indefinitely. This is why one should be instructed and advised in the beginning, and then checked up on occasionally if there is a difficult nasal pathology.

How does  Neti actually work? How does running warm, salty water through your nose fix up so many problems?
A. Without being too anatomical or medical about it, the basic elements involved with  Neti – and all saline cleansing techniques for that matter – is that the warmth and salinity of the water is the same as the body’s own metabolism so that there is no tendency for rejection. You can use warm isotonic saline in any part of the body for health benefits. For this reason, the exact proportion of salt used is very important. Some people are worried about the salt. They think it might clog up their arteries! They ask, “Can it be done without the salt?” The answer is no. Salty water is a great body cleanser. It is used to flush out old mucus secretions that have trapped dirt and germs from the activities of everyday life. The normal function of the body’s mucous lining within the upper respiratory tract is to do that very thing, to trap dirt and germs. Normally, sniffing, blowing, coughing, sneezing and swallowing can clear out gross particles which become trapped in the mucous lining, but by washing the nasal passages with saline water, a complete cleanout is done more effectively. This then prevents rubbish passing further into the system by the ”first stage filters” becoming overloaded. In a healthy person who eats well, breathes well and lives in a clean environment, the mucous lining should be able to cope alone and cleanse itself on a regular basis. But for a mouth breather, or one who eats bad food, or one who works in a dirty city or factory, the dirt and germs build up beyond the capacity of the normal cleansing mechanisms, causing all manner of malfunctions in the nose, sinus passages, eyes, ears, throat, chest. Also, unconsciously they swallow this dirt-laden mucus and then have stomach problems, and on it goes, right through the system.

 

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