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Every year for the past seven years, I’ve spent my Northeast winters in a forever battle with my nasal passages. Colds are as reliable and unpleasant as tax season, and tissues, hot tea and chicken soup are my refuge. But I may have been forgoing one of the best treatments for my congestion: a neti pot.
I’ve often thought there was no way a water fountain for my nostrils could possibly work at alleviating my misery. But it turns out my suspicions about the effectiveness of an over-the-counter nose bidet were unfounded because the neti pot is a pretty good treatment if you’re stuffed up.
What is a neti pot?
A neti pot is typically a plastic, ceramic or porcelain container that flows a saline or saltwater solution through the nostrils and helps clear out allergens and mucus taking residence in the nose. Usually, it’s used to relieve nasal congestion and symptoms of sinus infections, colds, the flu, and seasonal or dust allergies. The water is funneled into one nostril and flows out of the other.
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Neti pots have been used for thousands of years as part of Ayurveda, a traditional health system with historical roots in India. Nasal rinsing became somewhat more common in the West in the 19th century, but it became a much more frequent topic of conversation after television doctor (and future Senate candidate) Mehmet Oz extolled the benefits of the neti pot on a 2007 episode of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” There was a 12,325 percent surge in Yahoo searches for “neti pot” the day of the “Oprah” show, and sales of neti pots soared, according to Yahoo.
How can it help ease nasal congestion?
“I recommended it in many of my patients that I treat for certain nasal conditions, such as chronic sinusitis,” says Samuel Helman, an otolaryngologist at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York. “Nasal rinses have actually been demonstrated — when used in high volumes — to be very helpful in improving symptoms in patients” with upper respiratory infections and chronic sinusitis.
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Research shows that smaller devices — such as nasal syringes that hold about 10 milliliter of saline — don’t work very well, but larger pots that hold 250 ml of saline (about as much as a glass of water) can improve symptoms such as a runny nose and postnasal drip.
The humble little pot that pours water through your nasal passages can apply to a wide variety of nasal problems. “Just about any condition that causes irritants and mucus to build up inside the nose will benefit from saltwater rinsing with a neti pot or similar device,” says Richard Orlandi, a nasal and sinus specialist and professor of surgery at the University of Utah Health in Salt Lake City. “These include allergies, nonallergic irritation of the nose, colds, and sinus inflammation and infections.”
And it doesn’t matter too much which brand of neti pot you buy, says Anthony Del Signore, the director of rhinology and endoscopic skull base surgery at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York. Some super-basic models cost as little as $10, while others, such as the motorized Naväge, can cost upward of $100.
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If you’re like me and dealing with a stuffy nose for months on end, you can feel safe using the neti pot pretty frequently. Side effects are typically minor and temporary (and can include a burning or stinging sensation). Be sure to read manufacturer instructions carefully, and see the section below labeled “Is it okay to fill it with tap water?” to avoid more serious problems.
“I have some patients using it twice a day almost every day,” Helman says. Keep in mind, however, that it’s a treatment, not a cure. And while it might help clear the mucus and allergens in your nasal passages, it isn’t going to zap whatever allergy or infection caused the problem in the first place. (And if it did, that would be front-page news, because there’s no cure for the common cold.) If you suspect your issue is untreated allergies, go to your primary care doctor; an ear, nose and throat specialist; or an allergist to see if there’s a more targeted treatment for your situation, Helman says.
When should you not use a neti pot?
Many people can use a neti pot safely, although there are a few situations in which folks should refrain. If your nose is completely clogged on one or both sides, Orlandi says a neti pot might not help and you should talk to a doctor to find out the reason and an appropriate solution for the problem. And people who have weakened immune systems should talk with their doctor about the relative risks and benefits of neti pots, Orlandi says. That includes very young children. Helman, who treats pediatric patients, says he sometimes discusses using neti pots for kids, but “convincing them to use a neti pot can be very challenging, honestly.”
Is it okay to fill it with tap water?
You should never use water straight from the tap in your neti pot. “It’s important to use either distilled water or tap water that has been previously boiled,” Orlandi says. You can buy distilled water at a pharmacy, but keep in mind that it’s not the same as regular bottled water. And if you’re using boiled water, be sure to cool it until it’s lukewarm or room temperature before funneling it into your nose.
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“Tap water, and especially well water, has been implicated in very rare cases of aggressive — and even fatal — infections in the nose and sinuses,” Orlandi says. In 2011, two people in Louisiana reportedly died after using neti pots that had been filled with tap water containing a brain-eating amoeba.
Be sure to follow the instructions included with your neti pot to make sure you’re using and caring for it safely. You can also read what the Food and Drug Administration says about neti pot safety.
How quickly can it relieve congestion?
While some people feel immediate relief, for others it can take a couple of days of using the neti pot twice a day for symptoms to improve, Del Signore says. “When we’re treating allergic rhinitis or allergies, the relief is really seen after the consistent use of nasal rinses and sprays for several days to a week or so,” he says. And unlike nasal decongestants, which shouldn’t be used for longer than three days at a time, “patients can use the neti pot basically every day.” Assuming you’re not experiencing any nasal irritation, “you can’t overdo it,” he says.
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Helman says some folks find that using a neti pot can cause ear discomfort, especially when using “hypertonic” saline, or saline with a high concentration of salt. It can also sometimes irritate a person’s eustachian tubes, which connect the ears to the back of the nose and throat.
But generally, “patients do quite well on the neti pot and tolerate it just fine,” Helman says.
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