Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 16:23, 26 October 2008

This about.com may contain citations that do not verify the text. Please check for citation inaccuracies. (August 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

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.

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. Warm salt water is commonly used with a buffering agent such as sodium bicarbonate. Sometimes xylitol is added to help kill bacteria that has accumulated in the nose. 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.

Benefits and uses

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

• Acute bacterial rhinosinusitis
• Aging rhinitis
• Allergic rhinitis - hay fever
• Atrophic rhinitis - ozaena
• Common cold
• Empty nose syndrome
• Facial pain or headache associated with sinusitis
• Halitosis - bad breath
• Nasal congestion
• Nasal dryness
• Phantosmia - phantom smells
• Post-nasal drip
• Rhinitis medicamentosa - rebound nasal congestion
• Rhinorrhea - runny nose
• Rhinosinusitis - inflammation of the nose and sinuses
• Sinusitis - inflammation of the sinuses (including chronic sinusitis)

The benefits of the treatment include:

• Clearer vision due to cleaning of the tear ducts
• Decreased use of medication
• Deeper, more relaxed breathing
• Improved sense of smell and taste
• Improved sinus-related quality of life
• Reduction of symptoms

Daily nasal irrigation with salt water is therefore recommended as both an adjunctive and primary treatment 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.

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.

Yogic breathing practices known as pranayama are enhanced since many of them involve deep breathing through the nostrils.

Jala neti

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.

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. 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.

Pulsating nasal sinus irrigation

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.

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.

See also

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

References

1. Papsin B, McTavish A (2003). "Saline nasal irrigation: Its role as an adjunct treatment". Can Fam Physician. 49: 168–73. PMC 2214184. PMID 12619739. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
2. ^ Rabago D, Zgierska A, Mundt M, Barrett B, Bobula J, Maberry R (2002). "Efficacy of daily hypertonic saline nasal irrigation among patients with sinusitis: a randomized controlled trial". J Fam Pract. 51 (12): 1049–55. PMID 12540331. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. Friedman M, Vidyasagar R, Joseph N (2006). "A randomized, prospective, double-blind study on the efficacy of dead sea salt nasal irrigations". Laryngoscope. 116 (6): 878–82. doi:10.1097/01.mlg.0000216798.10007.76. PMID 16735920. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
4. ^ David Rabago (June 1, 2008), "The Use of Saline Nasal Irrigation in Common Upper Respiratory Conditions", US Pharmacist
5. ^ Tomooka LT, Murphy C, Davidson TM (2000). "Clinical study and literature review of nasal irrigation". Laryngoscope. 110 (7): 1189–93. doi:10.1097/00005537-200007000-00023. PMID 10892694. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
6. ^ Rhinitis - non allergic, NHS, 16 January 2008
7. ^ Sinusitis Treatment: What Is New Is Old., About.com, April 5, 2004
8. ^ Brown CL, Graham SM (2004). "Nasal irrigations: good or bad?". Curr Opin Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 12 (1): 9–13. PMID 14712112. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
9. Rabago D, Pasic T, Zgierska A, Mundt M, Barrett B, Maberry R (2005). "The efficacy of hypertonic saline nasal irrigation for chronic sinonasal symptoms". Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 133 (1): 3–8. doi:10.1016/j.otohns.2005.03.002. PMID 16025044. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
10. Tracie Simer (August 4, 2008), FDA ban on children's decongestants not a whim, The Jackson Sun
11. Infant Cough And Cold Remedies Taken Off Shelves In UK, Medical News Today, 27 March 2008
12. Brown LL, Shelton HT, Bornside GH, Cohn I (1978). "Evaluation of wound irrigation by pulsatile jet and conventional methods". Ann. Surg. 187 (2): 170–3. PMC 1396479. PMID 343735. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
13. Anglen JO, Apostoles S, Christensen G, Gainor B (1994). "The efficacy of various irrigation solutions in removing slime-producing Staphylococcus". J Orthop Trauma. 8 (5): 390–6. doi:10.1097/00005131-199410000-00004. PMID 7996321. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
14. Svoboda SJ, Bice TG, Gooden HA, Brooks DE, Thomas DB, Wenke JC (2006). "Comparison of bulb syringe and pulsed lavage irrigation with use of a bioluminescent musculoskeletal wound model". J Bone Joint Surg Am. 88 (10): 2167–74. doi:10.2106/JBJS.E.00248. PMID 17015593. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
15. Olson DE, Rasgon BM, Hilsinger RL (2002). "Radiographic comparison of three methods for nasal saline irrigation". Laryngoscope. 112 (8 Pt 1): 1394–8. doi:10.1097/00005537-200208000-00013. PMID 12172251. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

Bibliography

• Neti: Healing Secrets of Yoga and Ayurveda, Dr. David Frawley, Lotus Press ISBN 0940985853
• Be Healthy Stay Balanced, Susan Smith Jones, Devorss Publications ISBN 978-0-87516-836-4

External links

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

• Hygiene
• Kriyas
• Ayurveda