My sinuses are like the Sahara.
June 23, 2011 3:33 PM Subscribe
Help me moisturize my sinuses!
I live at 7200ft above sea level, and the air here is very dry. As a result, my sinuses get dried out and the thick mucus this causes leaves me constantly congested and with nasal drip in my throat. This is gross.
Does anyone have a trick to keeping my sinuses moist? I have talked to a doctor about this, but I'm curious to see if anyone has another solution to my problem. Thanks.
I live at 7200ft above sea level, and the air here is very dry. As a result, my sinuses get dried out and the thick mucus this causes leaves me constantly congested and with nasal drip in my throat. This is gross.
Does anyone have a trick to keeping my sinuses moist? I have talked to a doctor about this, but I'm curious to see if anyone has another solution to my problem. Thanks.
A vaporizer. I have the same problem in winter, when I'm hit with the double-whammy of "dry air in winter anyway" plus "indoor heating", and a fifteen-dollar vaporizer running in my bedroom at night helps immeasurably.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:35 PM on June 23, 2011
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 3:35 PM on June 23, 2011
I'm a recent convert to the Neti pot. It takes some getting used to (understatement alert!!) but it's really not that uncomfortable. Here at 5000 ft in my part of Colorado, it has reduced sinus-related discomfort year-round and significantly improved my health during hayfever season. Also, I discussed it with my doctor and he said Neti pots are great, he just can't get most of his patients to use 'em.
(I have a friend who one-ups me on the sinus weirdness by using ghee - clarified butter - to moisturize his sinuses after the Neti pot clears them out.)
posted by richyoung at 3:38 PM on June 23, 2011
(I have a friend who one-ups me on the sinus weirdness by using ghee - clarified butter - to moisturize his sinuses after the Neti pot clears them out.)
posted by richyoung at 3:38 PM on June 23, 2011
Humidifier, neti pot, and saline nose spray (no drugs, just saline) for on the go.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:38 PM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by Lyn Never at 3:38 PM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
Fourthing the neti pot, but be sure and make your own saline rinse - salt only, no baking soda.
posted by elsietheeel at 3:42 PM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
posted by elsietheeel at 3:42 PM on June 23, 2011 [2 favorites]
In Japan and Korea, many people wear cloth face masks during the winter, which strikes the western eye as very peculiar and amusing. However, it's not (as some say) because they're so overly polite as to want to keep their cold/flu germs to themselves, but simply because they have extremely dry winter climates and are trying to minimize drying out their throat and sinuses. When I last went to my ENT here in Seoul for a sinus infection a few months back, the first thing he told me to do was wear a face mask all day and at night while I slept. It makes a HUGE difference. Give that a shot.
posted by holterbarbour at 3:58 PM on June 23, 2011
posted by holterbarbour at 3:58 PM on June 23, 2011
Fifthing the neti pot! It has dramatically reduced my allergy-related sinus congestion. It takes some getting used to, but gets easier over time and is totally worth it.
posted by marlys at 4:45 PM on June 23, 2011
posted by marlys at 4:45 PM on June 23, 2011
Sixthing the neti pot. Make sure you use non-idodized salt when making your saline rinse. And I'd do it at least twice a day.
posted by Specklet at 4:53 PM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by Specklet at 4:53 PM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]
NETIPOT IS WIN
posted by Jibuzaemon at 5:18 PM on June 23, 2011
posted by Jibuzaemon at 5:18 PM on June 23, 2011
This is a real question - how do you deal with a neti pot? I can't even use nasal sprays because they feel like drowning. *shudder*
posted by Space Kitty at 5:52 PM on June 23, 2011
posted by Space Kitty at 5:52 PM on June 23, 2011
It's just something you get used to with practice. The first time I did it was a disaster, but I kept trying. Now it's a totally pleasant thing - but it's still a bit reminiscent of when you were a kid and jumped in the pool and got water up your nose.
Or that's what it reminds me of anyway.
posted by elsietheeel at 6:15 PM on June 23, 2011
Or that's what it reminds me of anyway.
posted by elsietheeel at 6:15 PM on June 23, 2011
This is a lot easier to use than a traditional neti pot. It comes with saline packets.
All you gotta do is keep your mouth open and breath out and you won't feel like you're drowning. The water goes in one nostril and comes out of the other.
posted by wherever, whatever at 10:24 PM on June 23, 2011 [4 favorites]
All you gotta do is keep your mouth open and breath out and you won't feel like you're drowning. The water goes in one nostril and comes out of the other.
posted by wherever, whatever at 10:24 PM on June 23, 2011 [4 favorites]
Yeah, I'm with wherever, whatever on the sinus rinse bottle being way easier than the neti pot. And my ENT suggested pure lanolin as a moisturizer -- just a small amount smeared on the inside of my nose -- which has been a HUGE improvement for me. (Not perfect, but it's been much better.) Lanolin is findable at places like Whole Foods or health food stores.
posted by pie ninja at 4:48 AM on June 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by pie ninja at 4:48 AM on June 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Humidifier and the Neilmed sinus rinser work for me. I also have a problem with a Neti pot making me feel like drowning but can use the Neilmed with no issue.
posted by JaneL at 4:49 AM on June 24, 2011
posted by JaneL at 4:49 AM on June 24, 2011
I tried a Neti Pot (home made) and didn't like it too much. For the past several years, at the request of my Ear, Nose and Throat doc, I've been using the NeilMed sinus rinse device (they also sell Neti Pots). This gives more pressure (based upon how hard you squeeze it), and I like it better. You can make your own solution for all these devices, check the Web.
posted by mbarryf at 5:35 AM on June 24, 2011
posted by mbarryf at 5:35 AM on June 24, 2011
I have lived in Denver my whole life and have had continual problems with my sinuses. Humidifier and sinus rinse just weren't cutting it. So I met with an ENT who said that most of my problems (annual sinus infections, bloody noses, etc...) were partially caused by acid reflux, which irritated the sinuses and caused them to dry out easier. He said that humidifier and sinus rinse may only help for the first couple of hours of the day, then they dry out again. He recommended several things:
-an acid reducer (prevacid otc)
-rinsing the back of the sinus (sinus rinse only gets the front) with a squeeze bottle to flush out the mucus
-applying a very small moisturizing lotion to each nostril.
After about 3 months, everything is all better. Feel like a normal person for the first time in like 10 years. Basically, seconding pie ninja with the moisturizer, but understand that there may be other problems that are compounding the problem.
posted by kookywon at 8:36 AM on June 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
-an acid reducer (prevacid otc)
-rinsing the back of the sinus (sinus rinse only gets the front) with a squeeze bottle to flush out the mucus
-applying a very small moisturizing lotion to each nostril.
After about 3 months, everything is all better. Feel like a normal person for the first time in like 10 years. Basically, seconding pie ninja with the moisturizer, but understand that there may be other problems that are compounding the problem.
posted by kookywon at 8:36 AM on June 24, 2011 [1 favorite]
Seconding the NeilMed bottle method. They also make a surfactant, SinuSurf, that may help break up mucus. it works well, but is crazy expensive. However, there is a recipe of distilled water and baby shampoo that mimics it quite well (see first Amazon comment).
posted by rtimmel at 1:56 PM on June 24, 2011
posted by rtimmel at 1:56 PM on June 24, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by cyndigo at 3:34 PM on June 23, 2011 [3 favorites]