I’ve suffered from allergies and sinus problems for as long as I remember. As a child, I was frequently prescribed the big brown bottles of cough syrup from the doctor. Yellow was Actifed; purple was Sudifed. I preferred the Actifed, and back then pseudoephedrine needed to come from a prescription. The fact that I have vivid memories of these big brown glass bottles with their fruit-flavored contents is a testament to how much I took. The older I got, the more my allergies bothered me. In a nutshell, Mother Nature hates me. I don’t know why. But she does, and this time of year, when the corn is pollinating and the ragweed is blooming is my worst. Add to that the fact that I like to be outdoors, that I have a horse, which means all the dust and hay that a barn can bring, and well, I’ll take anything that I can use to help my sinuses.

The problem is, since I’ve had such large amounts of “sinus medicine” poured down me from a young age, my body is like “hah!” when I take Sudifed or anything over the counter. When the formulas were changed to remove pseudoephedrine from them, my sinuses just laughed even more.

I’d been getting “chemical cautery” of my sinuses, but since I’m in my “deductible period” for my health insurance, this every-six-month procedure would cost me $700. Add to that the fact that I still need sinus meds, well…I’m searching for alternatives.

I’ve found them in peppermint tea and peppermint oil. But I’ve also found an alternative in an $11 neti pot.

What is a neti pot? It’s a small pot that looks like a cross between a teapot and a magic lamp. Made from plastic (recycled) or ceramic, they’re filled with water and salt, then used to irrigate, or rinse, the sinuses. By washing away allergens, they help the cilia of the nose move more freely and help encourage draining.

I’ve found it especially helpful when I get back from the barn to do a complete wash. I shower, change clothes, and then do a sinus wash to remove the allergens that usually linger. On a daily, or every-other day basis, I also try to sinus wash, and if I do something such as mowing that will aggravate my allergies, I also redo the wash.

Simply fill the neti pot to a predetermined line with lukewarm, body-temperature water. Mix in the recommended method of salt, then put the end of the spigot in your nose, tilt your head to 45 degrees, then wash one side. When you’re done, repeat on the other.

I’ve found this to be a simple, non-medical, non-pharmaceutical, way to help my sinuses. It keeps the sinus headaches, pain and pressure, at bay, and it’s something I can do pretty inexpensively. While your mileage may vary, if you’re looking for a natural way to fight allergies, sinus washing may be something to help you.

Further Reading:

WebMD, Do Neti Pots Really Work? http://www.webmd.com/allergies/sinus-pain-pressure-9/neti-pots

Himalayan Institute: http://www.himalayaninstitute.org/netipot/netipotgateway.aspx

A NPR Article on Sinus Irrigation: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7108546

Share and Enjoy

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 5th, 2010 at 8:24 pm and is filed under allergies, health, wellness.  Tagged allergies, natural alternatives, sinus health, wellness You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.