Saline Sinus Rinses: What Good Are They? 4/4
Homemade Saline for Sinus Rinse:
Ingredients:
- Salt – pickling (“canning” salt) or Kosher salt are best because they are free of iodine and other preservatives. Regular table salt is OK in a pinch if you can’t get pickling salt.
- Water – use bottled, distilled water if possible. Tap water or well water risk microorganisms, and are definitely NOT for anyone who is immunosuppressed.
- Temperature – use the final saline solution at body temperature, or slightly luke warm. NOT HOT.
The Recipe for Hypertonic Saline, for really stuffy noses, acute sinusitis:
- 1 liter water (about 1 qrt)
- 2-3 tsp salt
- 1tsp baking soda
- Mix, microwave to dissolve, allow to cool (don’t use it hot!!)
Mistakes to Avoid
- If you make up a large quantity, store it in the fridg, warm-up only amount needed for each use – should last about 4 days. Do not let sit at room temperature – refrigerate – or it will grow mold, fast.
- If you add things like Manuka honey for antimicrobial benefit, don’t overheat – too much heat will kill active enzymes and proteins in the honey. Don’t waste that expensive Manuka!
Last point: use the saline misting sprays during the day – these will help keep your nasal epithelium moist and optimize nasal hygiene. However, a study published in 2002 (Olson’s group) reported that these nasal nebulizers do not reach the sinuses.
To get the rinse into the sinuses where it can do some good, they found, requires active irrigation like that provided by the bulb syringe, the squeeze bottle arrangement, or the plug-in systems based on a small electrical pump. Olson’s group did not compare the neti / netti pot, but I speculate that the n-pot might be a little less effective simply due to the passive nature of the flow of saline. It doesn’t use a strong force to flush the sinuses out. One the other hand, if that is all you or your child will tolerate, it is much better than nothing at all.
We’ll have more information about different additives to sinus rinses in future posts.
Summary
Together, in this series we reviewed the use of saline rinses to control allergic rhinitis, and to control sinusitis and chronic rhinosinusitis: the medical evidence that they make a difference, how to do the rinses, how to make your own, and some mistakes to avoid.
If you take a look at ealier post, http://wp.me/pR4iB-2k , you will see some convincing evidence of the value of saline sinus rinses. It has been my own experience with saline rinses over more than 10 years, and those of my patients, that have convinced me of the value of this natural remedy.
If you or your children are struggling with asthma, allergic rhinitis, or sinusitis, I urge you to give this a try. This is a great alternative to swallowing more medications! And WAY better than surgery. Trust me: if you go with surgery, you MUST do the rinses. So you might as well start with them – you might avoid surgery all together.
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Thank you for visiting, and see you here again next week. Please post a comment so that we can all learn to achieve sinus health, and healthy airways. And please, “be excellent to one another.”
Until next time, remember … you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose (unless you’re a boogor doctor ;~D)
Saline Sinus Rinses: part 4 of 4
Resources:
Nasal saline for chronic sinonasal symptoms: A randomized controlled trial. Pynnonen, et al. Archives of Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. Vol. 133(11): 1115-1120; 2007.
Nasal rinsing with hypertonic solution: An adjunctive treatment for pediatric seasonal rhinoconjunctivitis. Garavello, et al. International Archives of Allergy and Immunology. Vol. 137(4): 310-314; 2005.
Radiographic comparison of three method for nasal irrigation. Olson, et al. The Laryngoscope. Vol. 112: 1394-1397; 2002.
8 Responses to “Saline Sinus Rinses: What Good Are They? 4/4”
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08. Dec, 2011
[...] I’ve said before, but it bears repeating – especially if you are pregnant and you are experiencing severe nasal congestion: the best remedy is daily nasal saline rinsing. [...]
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15. Dec, 2011
[...] like Nasal Saline Rinses, Manuka honey, Probiotics and Xylitol, both proven to significantly reduce upper respiratory [...]
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Welcome
Hello and thank you for stopping by "Ask the Boogor Doctor". This site is dedicated to helping you achieve optimal health for your children, following an integrative holistic approach to care of the Pediatric Airway: pediatric sinusitis, allergies, asthma, rhinitis, reflux, otitis, and all pediatric ENT.
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Ally
14. May, 2010
Doctor Faust,
Just wanted to add the NeilMed product that you mentioned has an excellent website that has a video clip that actually shows you how to rinse your sinuses and tips for caring for the bottle. Definitely worth checking out.
Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD
16. May, 2010
Dear L,
Thank you so much for visiting, and for the great tip. Yes – NeilMed products are great (I have NO financial or other arrangements with them), and they have a very informative website. Thanks for reminding me, and I will add their site to my ‘Link Luv’ list. RF
hana solomon, md
23. May, 2010
Great advice…i have found in my pediatric practive that children should begin with isotonic and work their way up to hypertonic.
i have also witnessed that most will wash routinely if the wash does not enter the sinuses but simply washes the sinus ostia and ET ostia….thus allowing the discharge to drain naturally and un blocked.
i have 2 yr old patients who love to wash those ‘buggers’ out with my nasal wash system. i have written a book on the subject ‘clearing the air one nose at a time’.
let me know if you would like a sample of my product or book.
Be Well, Dr hana
Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD
25. May, 2010
Dear Dr. Hana,
Thank you so much for visiting and sharing your experience and expertise.
Of course, I agree with the points that you make about saline rinses opening the sinus ostia (natural openings). I am impressed that you have 2-year-olds in your experience who will tolerate this practice – I have many 4-year-olds who are doing this, and a couple 3-year-olds. Two is impressive – perhaps your particular recipe for saline is particularly gentle and well-tolerated? I have not personally used the Nasopure saline system, and I will make an effort to try it out.
I am so flattered that you visited.
I hope you visit and contribute to our little community of “boogor-heads” often.
RF
Janegt
03. Oct, 2010
Hi two points:
1. Although you gave the recipe to be used for severe sinusitis you did not give the amounts for the ‘regular’ solution. I think it’s absurd to buy a packaged product (the Neilmed packets) that can easily be mixed up at home. I agree with you about the plastic bottles but what about all that waste packaging (cardboard boxes and foil packets)?
My second point is that anytime I have done these rinses I have found that after the procedure is over, water drains out of my nose for quite a long time afterward. An hour or so. So the rinse is not something you can just do and go on with your day. Am I using too much water?
Russell A. Faust, PhD, MD
04. Oct, 2010
Hi Janet,
Thanks for joining us, and for a great question. The “regular” recipe is the same, without the honey: [1 liter distilled water (distillation purifies and nearly sterilizes it), 2-3 tsp salt (kosher canning or pickling salt), 1 tsp baking soda (‘buffers’ it so it doesn’t burn as much)]. For chronic, just add the honey [3-7 tablespoons Manuka Honey]. You are also absolutely right about modern packaging – wasteful!! When making your own saline, just keep in mind that you will need to store it in the ‘frig so that it doesn’t grow mold – that would not be a good thing to rinse your nose with. To use, let it come to room temperature, or gently heat over the stove to luke-warm (NOT hot, NOT cold). To answer your second question: No, I don’t think you are using too much rinse. What I do is rinse, wait a few minutes and vigorously blow my nose. Any saline that comes out following that must be from the sinuses – that’s actually a good thing, since it demonstrates that they are open (“patent”). You will likely find that this will reduce the more you do the nasal rinses, as the swelling goes down, and the sinuses open up more – if the sinus openings are wide open, they should drain immediately, not over an hour or so afterward.
Please let us know how things go, and thanks again for joining and sharing. Your participation is GREATLY appreciated!
Best in health, RF