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Common nose rinse device available at drug stores

Nasal irrigation or nasal lavage is the personal hygiene practice in which the nasal cavity is washed to flush out excess mucus and debris while moistening the mucus membranes of the nose and sinuses. It has been practised in India for centuries as one of the disciplines of yoga. Clinical testing has shown that this is safe and beneficial with no significant side effects.^[1][2]

The technique may be as simple as snorting water from cupped hands but more elaborate methods use a pot, squeeze bottle or syringe to pour or squirt the water into a nostril. The water then either runs out of the other nostril or goes through the sinuses to the back of the throat from where it may be spat out.

Plain cold water may be used but this may irritate the sensitive mucous membranes in the nose.^{citation needed} Warm salt water is commonly used with a buffering agent such as sodium bicarbonate. Hypertonic solutions which are more salty than the nasal fluids are favoured and one study indicated that salt from the Dead Sea was especially efficacious.^[3]

Benefits and uses

Nasal irrigation is appropriate for many sinonasal conditions and symptoms including:

• Acute bacterial rhinosinusitis ^[4]
• Aging rhinitis^[5]
• Allergic rhinitis - hay fever^[5]
• Atrophic rhinitis - ozaena^[6]
• Common cold^[5]
• Empty nose syndrome^{citation needed}
• Facial pain or headache associated with sinusitis^{[7]unreliable source?}
• Halitosis - bad breath^{[7]unreliable source?}
• Nasal congestion^{[7]unreliable source?}
• Nasal dryness^{citation needed}
• Phantosmia - phantom smells^{citation needed}
• Post-nasal drip^{[7]unreliable source?}
• Rhinitis medicamentosa - rebound nasal congestion^[6]
• Rhinorrhea - runny nose^{[7]unreliable source?}
• Rhinosinusitis - inflammation of the nose and sinuses^[5]
• Sinusitis - inflammation of the sinuses (including chronic sinusitis)^[8][2]

The benefits of the treatment include:

• Clearer vision due to cleaning of the tear ducts^{citation needed}
• Decreased use of medication^[2]
• Deeper, more relaxed breathing^{citation needed}
• Improved sense of smell and taste^{citation needed}
• Improved sinus-related quality of life^[2]
• Reduction of symptoms^[2]

Daily nasal irrigation with salt water is therefore recommended as both an adjunctive^[9] and primary treatment^[8] in such cases.

In several countries, the sale of over-the-counter medicines for coughs and colds have been banned for infants under the age of two. Nasal irrigation is a useful safe alternative for relieving the symptoms of such young patients.^[10][11]

The use of nasal irrigation for the similar conditions of asthma, nasal polyposis and rhinitis of pregnancy has not been assessed but the symptoms of these conditions are expected to be alleviated in a similar way.^[4]

Yogic breathing practices known as pranayama are enhanced since many of them involve deep breathing through the nostrils.^{citation needed}

Jala neti

Ceramic neti pot; neti pots can also be made from glass, metal, or plastic.

Nasal irrigation is an ancient Ayurvedic technique known as jala neti, which literally means nasal cleansing with water in Sanskrit, where the practitioner uses a neti pot to perform the irrigation. Because modern medicine has long supported the use of nasal irrigation to clear sinuses and prevent sinus and nasal conditions, physicians also accept jala neti as simply one type of nasal irrigation, which can be performed using a neti pot or syringe.^{citation needed}

Jala neti, though relatively less known in Western culture, is a common practice in parts of India and other areas in South Asia, performed as routinely as brushing one's teeth using a toothbrush.^{citation needed} It is performed daily, usually as the first thing in the morning with other cleansing practices. It may also be performed at the end of the day if one works or lives in a dusty or polluted environment. When dealing with problems of congestion it can be performed up to four times a day.^{citation needed}

Pulsating nasal sinus irrigation

Nasal irrigator that delivers an intermitant pulsating saline rinse.

Several published medical reports indicate pulsatile lavage which utilizes greater leverage and can effectively penetrate biofilm is more effective at cleansing and removing bacteria than non-pulsating nasal wash products like bulb syringes, neti pots and squeeze bottles, which rely on gravity and do not permit the user to finely control the flow. ^{[12] [13] [14]}

A pulsating nasal irrigation device utilizes a piston powered pump assembly that delivers a controlled yet intermittant pulsating flow with pressure control that may be adjusted for individual comfort. Medical reports support that positive pressure irrigation retains a larger volume of solution and irrigates the sinuses more consistently than other methods. ^[15]

See also

• Douche
• Enema
• Mouthwash
• Nasal spray
• Snuff
• Bidet

References

External links

• Jala neti website
• Mayo Clinic instructional video
• University of Wisconsin instructions, study and video
• Wikibook about nasal irrigation
• Mechanisms behind pulsatile nasal sinus irrigator

Wikipedia content modification information:

• This page was last modified on 8 October 2008, at 16:45.

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