Neti Pot Instructions For Treating Sinus Infection

Neti Pot Nasal Wash / Sinus Irrigation System by Rhino Horn
Blue

When I purchased my first (and to date only) Neti Pot I was not very clear on how to make the best choice. What did I really want in a Neti Pot?

I chose this brand on price, consumer review, and the fact that it was plastic - bugs don't grown on dry plastic so this seemed like a good and practical material to use.

I have not been disappointed.

It is comfortable to use - the horn section is just the right shape and dimensions to use and is designed so that the water flows easily with gravity.

This is what some of the satisfied users say.

"I've used other neti pots, but the rhino horn's shape makes this pot the easiest to use, by far. The shape of the horn forces the water into the nasal passage much more quickly and forcefully so that you don't have to lean or tip the pot or your head so much. It just makes for a more natural flow into and out of the nasal passages."

"The "horn" design also seems to work very well. "

I completely agree with these people. Although I have not used other neti pots I found that I didn't have to do contortions to get a good flow.

"Yes, I am one of those people who first learned about the Neti Pot on the Oprah show with Dr. Oz. I have had terrible congestion and phlegm issues this past summer. I decided after trying a couple over the counter allergy meds, that it was time to buy a Neti Pot. I'll admit I was nervous to use it at first. The thought of pouring water into your nose was a bit scary. The directions provided are very good and put my mind at ease. I tried it and at first it's a weird sensation but now I can't go a day without using it. It's great! I chose this Neti Pot because it looked the most ergonomic and it's plastic. I am very happy using it! The only thing I would change is, I think there should be a line to mark when you've put in the 300 ml of water that are suggested in the directions. I wanted to be precise so I measured it, using a measuring cup. No big deal."

I had no idea that neti pots had been featured on Oprah - she sure knows how to pick her topics! Just as this user states, I too found it a bit scary to think of pouring water in my nose but it really isn't half as difficult as it sound.

There are also a few poor reviews but they don't hold much substance. Complaints such as " no salt in the kit". If they had read the details they would have know that. It clearly states "The Rhino Horn comes with detailed instructions as well as a specially designed salt spoon. "

Someone else thought there would be 2 neti pots - no, that is the two colors it comes in!

Someone else didn't like that it was plastic. For me, that is one of the big selling points. Easy to clean and that plastic is very hygienic - an important point is a product such as this.

A great product at a great price

I live in New Zealand and I'd never heard of Neti Pots until my cyber friend mentioned them on her blog. I remember thinking "that all sounds a bit disgusting"!

Oh my! It's very easy to be high and mighty when you're not suffering!

Six months later, after two rounds of antibiotics had not rid me of a persistent cough caused through "yuck' dripping from the back of my nose to my throat, I was desperate.

I'd cough for hours because this post-nasal drip landed exactly on the entrance to my lungs. I use to feel as if I was drowning.

After weeks of this - and the second round of antibiotics had not rid me of it - I remembered my friend's blog and her post about the mysterious and wondrous neti pot.

I recalled that everyone had raved about it and I could remember enough of the post and the ensuing comments to think that it just might be of some help to me.

So, I bought the Neti Pot that I've listed above - and what a relief. Even my very first session with it went reasonably well . I used it 4 times that first day and the effect was immediate. I stopped coughing. That awful post-nasal drip was gone.

Obviously, by using the Neti Pot, I was washing away the mucus before it got a chance to do anything. Over the next couple of weeks I reduced using the Neti Pot down to twice a day, and, when I thought I was ready, I stopped using it.

The infection that 2 courses of antibiotics had not fixed was gone.

I had washed away the bacteria that had caused this infection quicker than they were able to reproduce - and of course, salt is antibacterial as well. I had cured myself!

Since then, I use my Neti Pot daily when there is a lot of pollen in the air (I live in the middle of a giant pine plantation!) and I use it if I have a cold or flu or I have to be around other people that do. Any time when I want to give my nasal passage a good cleanse.

Anyone who has persistent sinus problems would continue to use it daily.

1. Add 1 teaspoon of salt water to the neti pot. It should be uniodized salt without any anti-caking agents, however I've always just used ordinary kitchen salt without any problems. Some reports I've read, people have said that ordinary kitchen salt stung (the iodine in it) but I did not suffer that effect. I've also read reports where people used much more than 1 teaspoon - maybe that is why it stung. The correct proportions are 1 teaspoon of salt to 1 cup (200 mls) of warm water. If you're doing it in the Rhino Horn model above, the water will come to about 2 cm (1 inch) below the top of the pot. This is not rocket science so don't fret over counting individual grains of salt!

2. Lean over hand basin, tip your head to one side - one ear will be facing straight down to the floor, keep your chin tucked towards your chest, open your mouth (to breathe through) and hold the spout of the neti pot against one nostril. Gently tip, breathing through your mouth as you do so. Use about a quarter of the quantity - remember, it's not rocket science -this does not have to be exact.

3. Stop pouring and straighten up and give your nose a gentle blow. Have a handful of tissues at the ready before you start.

4. Repeat through that nostril again.

5. Then do the other side.

6. Once you've finished the actual rinse comes the most important part - drying the sinuses. It is not healthy to leave them damp. This next bit sounds very confused the first few times you try it but you soon get the hang of it.

7. Bend over at the waist with your head dangling towards the floor. (Crown of head is facing the floor) Turn your head to the left (right ear will be facing the floor), close the bottom nostril and blow gently through the other into a tissue. Now face towards the floor and gently blow again. Repeat. Then reverse directions and do the other nostril. Sometimes there will be no water caught in the sinus cavities but other times you will get quite a little flow of water drain back out.

As I mentioned, I live in the middle of a giant pine forest and each Spring you can see the clouds of pollen dust floating on the wind.

This Spring (2010) has been a particularly bad one for me. For the first time, using ONLY my neti pot did not clear the symptoms.

This year I also took Loratadine 10 mg - an antihistamine tablet and the two together, the tablets and the neti pot kept my symptoms under control until the pollen stopped.