I just wanted to thank everyone who recommended the neti-pot for my chronically congested sinuses and a three day nosebleed. I started using it on Wednesday, and the bloody nose problem immediately disappeared, and my sinuses feel much clearer. It’s a strange sensation, but very highly recommended to those who haven’t tried it. I’d never even heard of the thing before. They had about 5 different varieties at CVS, with all sorts of different preparations to dissolve in the water.
I also have to thank the people here for the info on the neti-pot. Chronic snuff use clogged up my nose, but now after using the neti-pot two times a day for 4 days I have no problem with congestion anymore. Even if I chain snuff!
@LHB: Glad to be of help! Make it a part of your daily ritual and it will dramatically improve your life. I used to have such bad allergies that I required allergy shots. Two weeks of neti pot use and I never had such issues (or sinus infections) again. Not bad for a $10 investment!
What’s a good simple homemix of salt and baking soda to use for a neti pot, or nasal rinse bottle? I’ve been using the NeilMed squeeze bottle, I think it’s 8oz, and while I have been using the little packets of their salt mix, I was curious of using what I have in the kitchen. Thanks.
1 Like
I’d like to know also, having a major lack of funds, I can’t afford to go out and buy those packets
I can, but if I have the stuff already in the kitchen, why not just make my own. I did see mix I tried yesterday, but really, it was kinda irritated my throat. It was 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp baking soda. Mixed that in the 8oz squeeze bottle, but it was not good really. So, I wonder if it was too much, not the right mix?
Sea Salt. About a 1/2 teaspoon per bottle. That’s what I use. The solution shouldn’t get into your throat. Edit: You might try using a real neti pot. If you are getting solution in your throat it’s probably due to the “squeeze bottle”.
So, Sea Salt, as opposed to standard table salt? It makes a difference? I have a Neti Pot too, and even that gets in my throat sometimes. Thanks.
Yes, table salt has Iodine in it. Make sure you keep your mouth open when you pour the water.
Thanks.
you can also get table salt without iodine. It will be right by the regular salt on the shelf and will be called salt instead of iodized salt. Not sure if you even need to add baking soda, I just use about 1/2 teaspoon of salt to 8 oz. warm water.
A housmate accidentally threw out my neti pot, no idea what was going through her head… I improvised a squeezy bottle out of an empty detergent bottle. After a thorough clean out it works quite well.
Sounds like the house mate should make a trip to the pharmacy. Sea salt is the way to go, it’s the most natural. I use bet 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon per pot of lukewarmwater. You want it to be about as salty as a tear.
I agree with rdunnion that sea salt is the way to go. Just make sure it is non-iodized. I have never used prepared packets and don’t think I’ve ever missed out on anything. BTW my netti pot of choice after going through several ceramic contraptions is the rhino horn: http://www.tqmpropmgm.com/rhinohorn/index.htm It comes with a spoon to measure the salt and allows you to tip the pot pretty high before it spills out of the top. I’m glad I discovered Netti before I discovered snuff. It makes for trouble free snorting.
Kosher salt works fine for me; cheaper than gourmet sea salt. I’d been neglecting my neti pot for a while, and I had a stuffy nose a few days ago. I think I had a sinus infection. Started neti-ing again, and today - clear as a bell. What difference.
I was given this recipe by the ENT doctor who operated on my nose many years ago: 1 teaspoon of table salt and 1 teaspoon of baking soda on 1 litre of water. I’ve been using it for 30 years and it still works wonders. @tom502, if you breathe through your mouth while pouring the water, it won’t go down your throat.
I’ve been curious about Neti Pots and have considered getting one myself. I’m quite unfamiliar with the anatomy of a “clogged nose”, so will it still work if one of your nostrils is periodically blocked? I may sound crazy for saying this but either one of my nostrils decides to stop passing air for a while and then magically switches to the other side. I guess I’m afraid the water will simply pool in my nose, although I’d be delighted if it caused a pressure buildup to “unclog” the nostril. I stumbled across this video and it definately lightened up my concerns with Neti Pot usage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQm7YpxgOnA
@ Valmonte: There are pressurized neti pots. Mine is just a traditional “gravity” based one. Your nostril behavior is normal. You probably just never noticed it until you began snuffing. If you neti, and the water cannot get out the nostril due to blockage, it will pour out the mouth. Sometimes you’ll find that the water splits, and some gets through the nostril and some goes out the mouth. Repeating the neti will clear it further. Regular use will maintain it. Try not to make the water to hot, or it will cause swelling and reduce flow.
@Valmonte: You’re not crazy; everyone is the same. This was featured on QI recently (a British panel show - the initials stand for Quite Interesting). Breathing concentrates on one nostril at a time and switches every 3-4 hours. Not only that, but you can answer certain types of question better depending on which nostril is open at the time. I can’t remember which way round it was, but one side favours verbal questions and the other side favours spatial questions. EDIT: Found a brief bit on youtube if anyone’s interested.
I love QI its always very interesting and very funny. Stefan