Neti pots are a trendy treatment for spring allergies, sinus problems and congestion – but are they safe?
The neti pot comes from a holistic medicine tradition, but it’s just as popular with ear, nose and throat surgeons. Formally called a nasal irrigation system, neti pots are used to alleviate sinus and allergy problems by thinning mucus and flushing out of the nasal passages.
The whole thing looks and feels a little strange, but it’s extremely effective. Neti pots resemble teapots with long spouts. You place the spout to your nose, and flush out your sinuses with a saline solution. Per the FDA, it works like this:
Leaning over a sink, tilt your head sideways with your forehead and chin roughly level to avoid liquid flowing into your mouth.
Breathing through your open mouth, insert the spout of the saline-filled container into your upper nostril so that the liquid drains through the lower nostril.
Clear your nostrils. Then repeat the procedure, tilting your head sideways, on the other side.
It’s simple and effective, but some specific misconceptions have led many to assume it’s highly dangerous. Consider the Naegleria fowleri horror stories. In 2011, a 20-year-old man and a 51-year-old woman died of encephalitis caused by bacteria. The Naegleria fowleri bacterium, typically found in freshwater lakes and rivers, led to brain infections in both patients. Ultimately, it was determined that both patients were infected after using neti pots. (You can also get infected by jumping into a freshwater lake and getting water up your nose.)
But preventing infection with neti pots is itself pretty simple and boils down to three things.
- You must use sterile water.
- You must create a saline solution.
- You must keep the neti pot clean.
To ensure you’re using sterile water, you can either buy distilled water or you can boil and cool tap water until it’s lukewarm. The FDA says you can also use water that has “passed through a filter designed to trap potentially infectious organisms.”
To meet the saline requirement, most neti pots come with saline packets. You can technically use table salt, but you may experience irritation. Like boiling or distilling the water, salt makes the solution inhospitable to bacteria, which is key to preventing a bacterial infection.
Just as you don’t want bacteria brewing in your solution, you also don’t want it growing inside your pot or the spout so clean it after use.
Neti pots are popular, effective and, yes, safe. Do it right and you’ll be fine and congestion-free.
