Water, salt, baking soda mixture to treat sinusitis

[bluemoonKY]

When I was 17, I had sinusitis. I went to an ear, nose, and throat doctor for treatment. The doctor prescribed for me that I mix salt and baking soda in a bowl of water. Then I was to use a plastic contraption like a squirt gun to squirt the water/salt/baking soda mixture up my nose and spit it out through my mouth. I can see how water could be squirted up the nose to loosen mucus in my nose to clear my nasal passages. What was the purpose of the salt and the baking soda in the water?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

http://www.webmd.com/allergies/sinus-pain-pressure-11/neti-pots?page=2

Some people add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to buffer the solution and make it gentler on the nose, but there isn't any real proof that this improves the experience

https://www.mylifestages.org/health/allergies/neti_pot_solution.page<br>

A healthy neti pot solution should be a saline solution that has the same salt-to-water balance as your natural bodily tissues.

 

[berkeman]

Just a quick reminder not to use tap water in neti pots:

http://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm316375.htm

However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has concerns about the risk of infection tied to the improper use of neti pots and other nasal rinsing devices. The agency is informing consumers, manufacturers and health care professionals about safe practices for using all nasal rinsing devices, which include bulb syringes, squeeze bottles, and battery-operated pulsed water devices.

What types of water are safe to use in nasal rinsing devices?

• Distilled or sterile water, which you can buy in stores. The label will state “distilled” or “sterile.”
• Boiled and cooled tap water—boiled for 3-5 minutes, then cooled until it is lukewarm. Previously boiled water can be stored in a clean, closed container for use within 24 hours.
• Water passed through a filter with an absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller, which traps potentially infectious organisms. CDC has information on selecting these filters, which you can buy from some hardware and discount stores, or online.

 

[bluemoonKY]

Why is it safe to drink tap water but it's not safe to snort it through your nose and spit it out?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Why is it safe to drink tap water but it's not safe to snort it through your nose and spit it out?

Simple answer is that your body was not meant for such a function. Your sinuses and back nasal passages don't have the protection and can be easily infected.

 

[bluemoonKY]

Greg Bernhardt, that sounds plausible enough. It just didn't occur to me at first.

 

[Doug Huffman]

Naegleria fowleri the 'brain eating amoeba' is the stereotypical risk https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasal_irrigation#Adverse_effects