Sinus irrigation bottle - do you know about it?

[Sangye]

I don't have sinus involvement, but used to get sinus headaches a lot about 20 years ago. Very hard to function. I have two suggestions that might be worth trying. I have no idea if they'll help, but they're easy to try.

1) For dried out nasal passages/nostrils/sinuses : Get some ghee (clarified butter-- buy it in health food stores or make it yourself Food-India.com - Ghee (Indian Clarified Butter)). Put a very small amount on your pinky and smear it around inside your nose. You can also put one or two drops of melted warm ghee inside your nose, like any other nose drops. Close off the other nostril and sniff it to get it up in there. As you breathe, the ghee gets carried deeper inside and is very moisturizing, healing and soothing.

2) Certain foods imbalance the earth/water elements, causing sinus problems. Not that such an imbalance would cause Wegs, but it could worsen your symptoms. That was the cause of my sinus headaches in the past. Classic food culprits are citrus, wheat, peanuts, dairy and bananas. Eating them on a regular basis should be avoided by anyone with sinus problems, or an excess of phlegm. They're fine to have occasionally. (The peanuts and dairy are a double whammy for Wegs, since they're also inflammatory!) Anyway, try avoiding one at a time, and see if your symptoms improve at all. There are other foods on the list, of course. If you're looking at an Ayurvedic website, look at the foods that increase/ aggravate Kapha. Those are the ones to limit.

Hope this helps, at least a little.

[Terry]

I tried nasal irrigation a couple of times, and had the same result both times. The saline got stuck up in my sinuses and couldn't get out. I felt like I'd been swimming in the ocean in storm surf! In other words, my head was full of salt water, and all I could do was wait for it to clear out. The ENT doesn't want me doing irrigation anymore, just a gentle saline spray to keep everything moist. With my constantly runny nose, there's not much chance of it drying out.

[capabayan]

I just started using the NeilMed sinus rinse - it has worked great for me, and I can breathe much more clearly after rinsing! On a side note, I did have to take an antibiotic for about a week before "re"starting it, as the first attempts left me with insane sinus drainage that hindered my breathing.
I don't use it every day, but keep it on hand for when things are congested up there.
Where do you find the gel? That sounds like something I could use.

[Rodger]

I just started using the NeilMed sinus rinse - it has worked great for me, and I can breathe much more clearly after rinsing! On a side note, I did have to take an antibiotic for about a week before "re"starting it, as the first attempts left me with insane sinus drainage that hindered my breathing.
I don't use it every day, but keep it on hand for when things are congested up there.
Where do you find the gel? That sounds like something I could use.

The Ponaris, which I mention is a drop not a gel. I get from Walgreen's but also had luck with my grocey store pharmacy. They usually do not stock it, but can order. Tip: have them order enough so you can keep a spare on hand. The bottle labeling makes it hard to tell when you are runnign low.

I had one ENT pamphlet that promoted using a nasal spray like Flonase or Nasalcrom first, but this was general information not for WG patients.

I've never had the "full feeling" but I've had so much sinus damage, I think it is virtually impossible for them to "fill up".

[freakyschizogirl]

any tips on getting this stuff in the uk??

[Hammy8241]

any tips on getting this stuff in the uk??

Just left you link on your other thread re neilmed. I found it great, easy to use left me feeling good, and can be used as you require it. First time can be a bit of an adventure but once you get into the swing of it , no probs.

You can also buy in Boots or Alliance Pharmacys although you may need to order them. Loads of online chemists have them too.

Oh, one word of warning, if you do run out of sachets, don't just use water as it stings like *ell!

[Jack]

1/2 pint warm, boiled water.
1 level teaspoon salt.
1/4 teaspoon baking soda.
50 ml syringe from chemist (add a short extension tube if you feel you need it).

Draw up a full syringe of solution. Lean forward over the sink and gently squirt it up your nose.
Repeat until you have used all the solution or feel that you have washed out all the crud.
Blow your nose gently.

I used to do this a couple of times a day and it not only kept my nose clear so that I could breath again, but stopped further damage from excessive blowing.

[cwetter]

I do have sinus involvement. My doctor recommended it to me and it didn't help me at all. It didn't help or hurt. But I know many people who swear by it.

[annekat]

I do have sinus involvement. My doctor recommended it to me and it didn't help me at all. It didn't help or hurt. But I know many people who swear by it.

If you only did it one or two times, you might not have seen any improvement. There can be a lot of old mucus built up in your nasal cavity and around the openings to your sinuses. It can take multiple rinses to get this out. It helps to inhale steam ahead of time, from a long hot shower, leaning over a bowl, or a personal steam appliance like the Vicks model. I am surprised at what sometimes comes out if I rinse multiple times. Getting that stuff out of there will help a lot.

[pberggren1]

I never used the battery Waterpik, just the plug in one with the 1 liter reservoir. They usually last me about 2 years or so. I get them for about 50 dollars here.