A Sinus Rinse with a Neti Pot Can Do Wonders for Seasonal Allergies

When seasonal allergies get you down, relief may be in sight.  Give sinus rinsing a try.  I have been plagued by seasonal allergies for years.  Each Spring and Fall there is a period where I feel absolutely miserable and get many sinus headaches and ear aches as a direct result of being exposed to allergens in the air.  However, a couple of years ago, it was suggested to me by a doctor that I try using a Neti pot.  It was probably one of the single most useful tips that I have ever gotten from anybody.

What is it? 

A Neti Pot is basically a miniature flower pot that you fill with a mixture of warm water and a pre-mixed solution which is mostly saline.  You then take the pot and place it tip of it in your nostril and allow the water to flow into and through your sinuses and out the other nostril.  You then repeat this on the other nostril.  It may sound gross and it does feel very strange, but doing this once in the morning and once  in the evening during allergy season will greatly reduce the effects that airborne allergens will have on you.  Personally in the time that I have used a Neti pot consistently, I have not gotten any nasal infections whatsoever, even when I had cold viruses. 

A Neti pot and accompanying saline sinus rinse packets can help fight off seasonal allergies

Cautions

You need to be careful not to use a sinus rinse too much however, because you can dry out your sinuses. There are some that believe that long term use will actually cause sinus infections. When it is not allergy season, I personally only use it occasionally after I know that I may have been exposed to an allergen or when I feel an ear ache or sinus head ache coming on.  However, when I know allergy season is drawing near, I use it on a daily basis as a preventative.

The Neti pot was invented by an Indian doctor and has gained world wide acceptance for cleansing the nasal passages.  If the idea of using something that resembles a flower pot turns you off, there is also a variant that is a plastic bottle with a hole in the tip of it that works in the same manner.  What ever type you choose, give it a try.  You never know, allergy relief could be a sinus rinse away!

A sinus rinse bottle is an alternative to a Neti pot for nasal cleansing