Neti pot … nasal irrigation

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, May, 2006 by Jule Klotter

One way to relieve inhalant allergy symptoms--if you can get over the "yuck" factor--is nasal irrigation with a neti pot. Jala neti ("water cleansing") is a yoga technique, commonly practiced in parts of India. It involves pouring warm, slightly salted water into one nostril while keeping the head tilted so that the water runs out of the other (lower) nostril. Relaxing and breathing through the mouth helps the water run from one side down to the other quickly.

Nasal irrigation removes pollen, dust, and mucus from the nasal passage. Regular use, once a day, reduces allergy symptoms, improves breathing, reduces post-nasal drip, and relieves sinusitis. The practice, when used up to four times a day, also prevents common colds or reduces their duration. A randomized, controlled study involving 76 people (52 experimental and 24 control subjects) with histories of frequent sinusitis reports, "Patient satisfaction and compliance were high for nasal irrigation." Neti users required fewer antibiotics and less nasal spray than controls, when performing nasal irrigation once a day. On the exit questionnaire, six months after beginning the program, those in the nasal irrigation group "reported overall improvement of sinus-related quality of life, and none reported worsening (P<.001); on average, experimental subjects reported 57[ or -]4.5% improvement."

Using a neti pot is easier than many Westerners assume and takes just a few minutes. Water temperature and salinity must be comfortable. Wikipedia recommends taking a sip of the solution to test it: "If it does not feel soothing in the mouth, then it will not feel soothing in your nose." Water that is too warm or too cold is quite uncomfortable. Also, the salt needs to be completely dissolved. Scientific literature is still debating optimal salinity. The study mentioned above mixed a solution of one heaping teaspoon of canning salt, one-half teaspoon of baking soda, and one pint of water (16 oz). Most of the directions that I have seen on the Internet or included with neti pots sold in health food stores recommend one-quarter teaspoon of fine grain, non-iodized salt or one-half teaspoon of coarsely ground salt (Kosher or canning salt) for every eight fluid ounces (one-quarter liter) of warm water. After running the contents of a neti pot through the nasal passage, any remaining water needs to expelled by bending over and breathing out quickly several times. Do not squeeze a nostril closed while breathing out to expel water. It may force the water into the ear canal and possibly cause an infection.

Neti pots are commonly available in health food stores. The web site www.jalanetipot.com carries a helpful comparison of the different types of neti pots available.

Neti Pot comparison. Available at www.jalanetipot.com/neti_pot_compare.html. Accessed February 3, 2006.

Neti pot for sinus health. Available at www.healingdaily.com/exercise/neti-pot.htm Accessed January 18, 2006.

Rabago D, Zgierska A, Mundt M et al. Efficacy of daily hypertonic saline nasal irrigation among patients with sinusitis: a randomized controlled trial. The Journal of Family Practice. 2002;51 (online). Available at www.jfponline.com/Pages.asp?AID=1355&UID=. Accessed February 3, 2006.

Research on jalaneti. Available at www.jalanetipot.com/research.html. Accessed February 3, 2006.

Wikipedia. Jala neti. Available at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neti_pot. Accessed February 3, 2006.