Neti Pot for Allergies

Every year the summer season brings with it the eventual release of Pollen, both from flowers and trees and a spate of Allergies. For anybody who suffers from Allergic rhinitis (or hayfever as its commonly known), this can be a time of suffering from itchy eyes and fits of sneezing (often leading to a sore inner lining of the nostrils).

Current means to combat pollen allergies is to either stay in or go out in a space suit, or to take antihistamine tablets each day (which can often have an adverse reaction in some).

So how does the Neti Pot get on as a solution?

The Neti Pot is actually a very effective treatment for Pollen Allergies. Using a simple Sea Salt based wash can first of all help to clean out the sinus system and flush out the build up of Pollen’s. The secondary effect is the salt water can help to soothe the soreness which comes from Pollen induced Allergies. Many people report finding a satisfactory amount of relief using the Neti Pot.

Should you wish to try a Neti Pot for Allergy relief then visit:

 

Where to get a Neti Pot

 

Neti Pot Solution.

 

Nasal Polyps and Neti Pots

Neti Pots will not cure or remove Nasal Polyps. A Neti Pot will however help to alleviate irritation and soothe the condition into making it much more tolerable.

What are Nasal Polyps?

Nasal polyps are sac-like growths of inflamed tissue lining the nose (nasal mucosa) or sinuses. This inflammation can block the Nasal Passage and contribute towards headaches and making the sufferer much more susceptible to Sinusitis.

Nasal polyps typically start near the ethmoid sinuses (located at the top of the inside of the nose) and grow into the open areas. Large polyps can block the sinuses or nasal airway.

People with the following conditions are more likely to also have nasal polyps:

• Aspirin sensitivity (wheezing)
• Asthma
• Chronic sinus infections
• Cystic fibrosis
• Hay fever (allergic rhinitis)

People with nasal polyps often complain about having a cold that has lasted for months or years.

Symptoms include:

• Mouth breathing
• Nose feeling blocked (nasal obstruction)
• Reduced or complete loss of sense of smell (not common with sinus infection)
• Runny nose

So how can a Neti Pot help?

The Neti Pot can help Nasal Polyps by first of all gently washing and sanitising the area where the Polyps reside. This can also help to combat full Sinus infections from bedding into the Nasal Passage.

Many Doctors will prescribe a topical nasal steroid spray to treat Nasal Polyps and it is highly beneficial to use a Neti Pot before applying the spray as this will clear the area and gently wash the surface area to allow the Nasal steroid spray to perform direct contact with the Polyps surface area.

If you do decide to use a Neti Pot to compliment a Nasal Spray, the main consideration is that you allow sufficient time for the Nasal area to dry off a little. If you are sure to have cleared the Neti Pot Solution first , then you are good to apply the Spray.

How to make your own Homemade Neti Pot

Homemade Neti Pot

It’s common for most of us to first use a Homemade Neti Pot after learning about the technique. I think it’s how most new users start.

We hear about the Neti Pot through either the media (looking at  you Oprah), a helpful friend, or surfing the internet.  When we hear or read others speak on how it has helped them, we decide we want to try it for out for ourselves and see if it’s all that it is cracked up to be. I know this, as this is how I started. At work a colleague suggested  a Neti Pot when I lamented about being ‘stuffed up all the time!’

I went back to my desk and searched the internet to find out more about it.

I figured it would not be easy to pick one up  from a local mall. I would likely need to order one for delivery online, which could take a week. I was keen to get started right away so I began to look into making a Homemade version. As it turns out my initial research was spot on and I selected a good choice for a Homemade Neti Pot.

Ketchup dispenser Bottle – The ultimate  Homemade Neti Pot known to man!

 

The great thing here was it was easy to find one. You may already have one at home (we had one in the kitchen), if not most stores sell them, often in packs of six for just a few dollars. To purchase some from Amazon Click Here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After finding my plastic squeezey bottle from a Kitchen drawer I cleaned it , filled it with cooled down boiled water and then added a tablespoon of refined table salt. I then went to the bathroom and started to blast  it down my nasal passage. Pretty soon after starting my nose stung like pure hell!!. I later found out that table salt is really not a good idea for Neti Pot use. You need to use pure Sea Salt or a pre-prepared Saline Solution. I say this so you don’t have to make the same mistake as I did!

The next day I went to the store and bought some Sea Salt. I got home again. Repeated the steps I had picked up online and then experienced a Neti Pot doing what it does best – giving you that clear breath of unrestricted air through your nasal system!

As for the  bottle I still have it today and I still use it occasionally. The great thing about the squeezy bottle is they are light to carry if you go travelling, so I use mine on business trips and holidays. The other key factor is you can gently squeeze harder to apply more water pressure as and when you need it.

They really are quite great for the job, until you move on to selecting a purpose made model.

Now you have your Neti Pot, you now need your solution, so head over to here:

Neti Pot Solution Recipes

Neit Pot Cold & Flu Season Update

I am firm believer that a good way of communicating the success of any method is by sharing your own personal results. For this reason I am going to continue to share once in a while how well / or bad I am doing while undergoing regular daily Neti Pot use.

My routine is two uses per day:

1 x Morning

1 x Evening before bed.

Ingredients:

Just half a tea spoon of plain old Sea Salt in some cooled down boiled water.

Amount of Colds and Flu so far this Winter:

Zero! – Yes that’t right and I am promise I am not kidding you. I did have a slight bug for 2 days before Christmas, but the good thing is that by stepping up my Neti Pot usage to 3 to 5 a day I killed off any chance of an infection bedding down into my Sinuses.

I have even survived in conditions where my two year old daughter has been climbing all over me with a streaming nose.

I think the key here is that I am sure the infection is entering my Nasal system, but the salt is effectively wrecking any chance it has of establishing itself as before.

 

The Neti Pot for Athletes (optimal breathing).

One thing I wanted to talk about is the many uses the Neti Pot, outside of dealing with just Sinus issues.

As you may already known the roots of the Neti Pot are in the ancient Indian yogic practise of Shatkarma which involves purification of the body. A big part of practising yoga is Pranayama which relates to breathing and specific exercises often involving one nostril open and one closed. Pranayama is where the Neti Pot has its use as a vital tool, by helping to clear the nasal passages and aid clear breathing.

If we now look at modern Athletes or sports men and women we also see how clear unrestricted breathing is a key ingredient in giving ones best performance.  For top athletes breathing is vital to keep the heart rate regulated and supply the body with enough oxygen via the cardiovascular system.

Consistent unrestricted breathing is also a key aspect in keeping the mind focused and solely observant on the task ahead – performing to ones very best ability. Having a slight block or  restriction within either Nostril and can really effect an Athletes mind and body.

So the Neti Pot is a extremely useful tool for an athlete to use – they can prime the bodies fuel system, in much the same way as someone would clean the fuel pipes of a race car. For optimum performance, optimum measures are required.

What are sinus infections?

To understand a sinus infection, it is better first that we go through some of the anatomy of the sinuses, so that we can then understand their structure and position. The best way to think of the sinuses, or paranasal sinuses as they are medically known , is as a set four areas (or air pockets) that are embedded within various facial bones  (skeletal pneumatization).

As is the case with most medical words, the sinuses have Latin origin meaning a “bay”, “pocket”, “curve”, or “bosom”

The four types of sinus we are concerned with are the:

1. Frontal sinus

The Frontal sinus are situated just above the eyebrows, or Superciliary arches to be technical.  Sinus pain here is often felt as a cranial headache.

2. Ethmoid sinus

The Ethmoid sinus are named after there location which is the Ethmoid bone, this particular bone is what separates the nasal cavity from the brain and is set further back then its fellow paranasal sinuses.

3. Sphenoidal sinus

The Sphenoidal sinus is situated within the Sphenoid bone (are we seeing a trend developing here?). Each of these acts as a roof to the nasal cavity.

4. Maxillary sinus

These are biggest of the sinuses and with each one situated under the eye sockets and just above the level of the molar teeth in the upper jaw (this explains the tooth ache often felt during an infection).

Note: Some medical students and professionals would rightly argue that they more then four sinuses, but they would be refereing to regions which are within the brain. Luckily for us we are not concerned with issues in that particular area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are the roles of the sinuses?

• Sinus cavities improve voice resonance.
• They filter and moisten any air that is inhaled through the nasal passages and in turn assist the removal of unwanted particles from the nasal cavities.
• They make the skull lighter.

How do they become infected?

Each of the four sinuses  has a mucus  membrane lining, and healthy sinuses with no issues are able drain out mucus and allow air to circulate with no major resistance. With sinuses no two are ever generally the same between one person to the next. Some inviduals will be unlucky to have developed a nasal / sinus structure which is more prone to infection and inflammation then the next person, such as a deviated nasal septum, nasal bone spur. Nasal polyps can develop and may block the opening of the sinuses. Some of us are just simply more sensitive and prone to infection.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There are also mechanical issues. Within the sinuses are small hairs called ‘cilia’ which help move mucus out. They sometimes do not function properly, typically due a medical issue such as Kartagener syndrome or immotile cilia.

Finally there is of course also the common cold  or allergic reactions (hayfever). The cold is from where air borne infections nest with the sinuses or work up from the throat. Up to more than 24 million cases of the cold occur annually in the US so its a minefield for someone prone to nasal infection. Allergies are from when a often non threatening body enters the nasal cavity (such as Pollen) and is mistakenly recognised as a threat. This again results in the sinuses over producing mucus and inflammation of the sinuses. Both conditions in turn lead to difficulty in breathing through the nose and leaving us feeling ‘stuffed up’.

What are the treatment available?

The options available of course depend more on the nature of the condition. If the root cause is a structual issue such as a deviated septum then surgey can correct this (although in some cases the condition can revert back over time).

Another treatment for some is just a simple change of environment to somewhere less polluted or away from the irritant which causes the complaint.

Other solutions are:

• Inhaling steam (for example, sitting in the bathroom with the shower running or placing bowl of hot steaming water under the nose area with a towel place over the head to trap the steam in).

• Nasal saline sprays (normally in a small bottle).

• Use  of a humidifier.

• A topical oxymetazoline based decongestant (Afrin, Dristan, Nasivin, Logicin, Vicks Sinex)

• Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride (Sudafed, Codral, Actifed)

• Corticosteroid sprays (such as Avamys, Beconase , Nasonex)

• A Neti Pot flush.

If you are now interested in pursuing the Neti Pot as a solution, then we suggest you start at this page which will explain how the Neti Pot works, or if you want to jump right in and get yourself equipped then we have a list of recommended Neti Pots, Solutions and books right here.