As the warmer weather rolls in so do the sniffles and sneezes for many folks. If it’s not allergies or hay fever causing your stuffed up nose… and sinus pain and pressure… maybe it’s a cold or a lingering strain of the flu.
But no matter what the initial trigger is, if you’re one of the 40 million people in North America who experience chronic sinusitis it translates into a ton of Kleenex and a whole lot of misery.
Do you sometimes experience moving headaches or feel “shocks” in your scalp? Or do you suffer through occasional dental pain or smell a foul odor that no one else can smell?
If so you may be dealing with chronic sinusitis.
Other common symptoms include:
- sinus pressure,
- headaches,
- cheek pain,
- eyeball pain or pressure behind the eyes,
- puffy eyes,
- nasal dryness or a stuffed up nose.
Clear nasal passages and relieve sinus pain & pressure
Today I’m reviewing three popular devices that can help naturally relieve sinus pain and pressure:
1. Neti Pots:
There are plastic and porcelain neti pots available. I recommend choosing a porcelain version.
Neti pots are better than oral decongestants like pseudoephedrine because they don’t raise your blood pressure, cause that spacey “medicine head” feeling or trigger insomnia like the drugs do.
But keep in mind neti pots only address nasal and maxillary sinus problems (the area around your cheekbones) but not those of the ethmoid (near the bridge of your nose) or sphenoid sinuses (behind your eyes).
Luckily, those latter two conditions are rarer, and you’ll need a CT scan of your sinuses to uncover ethmoid or sphenoid sinus problems.
Pros
Neti pots are affordable and readily accessible at health food stores and pharmacies. No set up is required, other than having warm distilled water and special neti salt. They can effectively relieve sinus pain and pressure eliminating the need for drugs and their side effects.
Cons
To use a neti pot you have to tilt your head i and this can be a problem if you have neck or back pain. You need to buy distilled water to use your pot. Never skimp and use tap water because your sinuses aren’t equipped to effectively defend against pathogens. Tap water can be dangerous, and in fact people have even died from a brain-eating amoeba found in tap water so always use distilled.
2. Neilmed Rinse:
Like a neti pot, a Neilmed sinus rinse can be just as effective as an oral decongestant without the unwanted drug side effects.
Pros
A Neilmed Rinse flushes your nasal passages out really well, and is even more efficient than a neti pot. Many people claim Neilmed was able to bring them relief for the first time after years of congestion. It comes with convenient individual packets of salt with baking soda, which are instantly alkalinizing. You control the pressure or “flush” by squeezing the bottle yourself.
Cons
Some folks experience a sinus headache after doing a Neilmed rinse and others say it causes a slightly uncomfortable sensation similar to the feeling you get when you jump into a pool and water gets up your nose, but this does go away quickly. It’s made of a flimsy plastic container.
3. Navage Nasal Irrigation:
Getting used to a Navage Nasal Irrigation device can take a couple of tries. Navage uses a “pulling” effect rather than a pushing effect like other devices. It sends water up one nostril and literally suctions it out the other, which can feel very strange at first.
But once you get used to the sensation you can reap the benefits.
Pros
Navage Nasal Irrigation doesn’t require any awkward head positions. Some users say it changed their life, and helped get them wean off years of nasal sprays and/or steroids.
Cons
You have to buy their proprietary brand of salt pods and the sensation of suction can feel bizarre. You also can’t control or adjust the flow.
In addition to writing a syndicated column on health which reaches 20 million people each week, Suzy is the author of a number of books on natural health.
You may have seen Suzy on The Dr. OZ Show (6 different appearances), The View, The Doctors, Good Morning America Health and hundreds of morning shows. Quotes from Suzy, as well as her articles, have also appeared in major publications including Woman’s Day, Reader’s Digest, OK Magazine!, First for Women, Fitness, Natural Health and Better Homes & Garden and dozens more.
Read more from Suzy at suzyCohen.com
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