Spring Cleaning for Your Nose
(Page 3 of 4)
May/June 2005
By Karta Purkh Singh Khalsa
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Science Supports Nasal Rinsing
Several scientific studies have found benefit in nasal rinsing. One study published in the Ear, Nose, & Throat Journal in 1999 showed that nasal rinsing does a better job of reaching the sinuses than standard nebulizers. Numerous studies conducted over the past 20 years have shown that nasal rinsing improves hay fever symptoms and chronic sinusitis. A 2001 study performed at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine determined that daily nasal irrigation using a bulb syringe or neti pot resulted in improvement in the symptoms of chronic sinusitis in more than 70 percent of subjects. Medication usage was decreased in approximately one-third of subjects.
A German study of 134 patients found that most patients responded positively to rinsing their noses and integrated the practice easily into their daily routines. (Half were still rinsing 36 months after the study.) This research recommends warm salt water in the nasal rinse.
A 2004 study published in The Laryngoscope compared nasal rinsing with metered nasal spray and nebulization, and it determined rinsing was significantly more effective in penetrating the maxillary sinus and frontal recess and should be the method of choice. Another new study (2004) found that nasal irrigation could provide a reasonable and effective alternative to sinus surgery.
A recent Italian study of 20 children with hay fever found that nasal rinsing with a hypertonic saline (high salt) solution was tolerable, inexpensive and effective. The kids had fewer symptoms and required lower doses of antihistamines.
A 2003 review study, published in Canadian Family Physician, concluded that “Nasal irrigation is a simple, inexpensive treatment that relieves the symptoms of a variety of sinus and nasal conditions, reduces use of medical resources, and could help minimize antibiotic resistance.”