How to Clean Your Sinuses

[gaman]

There is a nasal irrigation device that is MUCH more effective then a netti pot. It is called a sinus irrigation bottle. It is a squeeze bottle that you use warm water and buffered salt packages. This is much faster, less messy and much more effective. The product is from NeilNed Pharmaceuticals,Inc.. It is less than $12.00US. You can purchase at Wal Mart or from some of the Pharmacy chains for a couple of dollars more. Since using I have not have had any problems. I do use two salt packets at times.
Once you use it you will never go back to the netti pot.

_www.neilmed.com

That sounds a lot like the ones we just bought called NasoPure. We've been using them for 3 days now and they seem to be working pretty good.

 

[Ollie]

Hi rylek

Now that you have invested in a FIR sauna blanket, with regular use you may find that you get a similar result, as far as your sinus clearance is concerned, and without the need for other remedies. The problem only coming back on the ingestion of less than good food for your system! Smiley

I am not that optimistic. After 14 months of frequent FIR sauna use my sinuses are still not clean.

This lack of clean sinuses may come about from one or more reasons, possibly. One is a reaction to the sauna, or other detoxing, another is that you may, or not, need to do an anti-candida diet and detox, and also, that you may still be eating less than good foods for your system, or not.

Taken together, one or all of these may help you, or not. What is important is to get to the root cause of the problem rather than treating the symptoms.

 

[Oxajil]

Have you guys ever tried Xylitol to try treat this?

I'm dealing with a runny nose atm (got a flu). I tried a sea salt + baking soda + water solution, which helped greatly the first four times or so, but the effectiveness decreased, when I used it more. Could be wrong though.

As an alternative I found: _http://www.nasal-xylitol.com/

Why Nasal Xylitol Works

There are three reasons this spray works as well as it does:

* Xylitol decreases the adherence of harmful bacteria to the cells in our nose and selects for bacteria that cause fewer infections.
* The concentration of xylitol stimulates our own defensive washing of the nose.
* The xylitol decreases the concentration of salt in the airway surface fluid which helps our own antibiotic substances there to be more effective—the problem with saline.

All of these are totally new concepts in medical practice. But they are concepts whose time has come because they provide a safe and reasonable option to some of the major health problems that we now face with infections and allergies.

Why Nasal Xylitol Works on Infections

[...]

Before bacteria can cause an infection they have to be able to attach to our body. What they hold on to are specific sugars or sugar complexes that are on the surfaces of our cells. Putting these sugars, or other similar looking sugars, in with the bacteria fills up their binding sites and decreases the ability of bacteria to hold on to our body's cells.

Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that does this for several problem causing bacteria.

Feeding xylitol regularly to the bacteria that normally live in the back of our noses reduces their numbers and has actually been shown to tame some bacteria so that they cause fewer problems. This section also discusses the use of mannose in preventing urinary infections.

Taming bacteria is a better idea than killing them.

Xylitol Use

In my experience the biggest problem with this spray is that people use it, get better, then forget about it. Pretty soon they are back with the same problems. If you get better don't use it as much, but regular sustained use, at least twice a day, with more when you feel a problem, is the best way to avoid them. Cleaning the nose is just like washing hands — it needs to be done regularly — and xylitol is soap for the nose.

To use the spray tilt the head forward, put the tip of the bottle into one side of the nose, aim the upright bottle at the back of the head, inhale briskly (sniff) and spray at the same time. Do the same with the other side of the nose. Parents should assist children with this until they can do it themselves. (Make sure you can see a spray when they squeeze the bottle.) Infants who can't cooperate by sniffing should be laid down after spraying so the solution goes to the back of the nose where it is more effective. I recommend spraying infant's and toddler's noses with every diaper change.

HELPING OUR DEFENSES—THE PROBLEM WITH SALINE.

Covering the cells in our airway, underneath the mucus, is the airway surface fluid.

For places where the mucus is not present, or not working adequately, there are several substances in this fluid that, separately and together, work against bacteria.

These substances are salt sensitive; that is the higher the salt concentration, the less they work.

A center for work on these defenses is at the University of Iowa, where they are looking at what xylitol does to help this process.

Sounds interesting!

 

[gaman]

Very interesting. I've never heard of this but it might be worth a shot. I was looking around trying to find out the recommended ratio of ingredients and ran across a couple of interesting points in a commercial product and a patent.

1) Both the commercial product and the patent list using things as a preservative -- this seems to imply that if one were to mix it at home, some preservative might be required although I'm not sure why Xlytiol + Water would need any preservative. One product used some kind of grapeseed extract (IIRC) as a preservative.

2) On the site you posted, some of the material seems to be down on using saline, but the commercial product I ran across and the patent both seem to have some saline as well.

Here is the patent if you're interested in reading further:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6258372.html

When I get time I might try mixing up some and testing. We just started using Nasopure a couple of weeks ago so a solution might work in those bottles instead of a spray.

 

[Oxajil]

Very interesting. I've never heard of this but it might be worth a shot. I was looking around trying to find out the recommended ratio of ingredients and ran across a couple of interesting points in a commercial product and a patent.

1) Both the commercial product and the patent list using things as a preservative -- this seems to imply that if one were to mix it at home, some preservative might be required although I'm not sure why Xlytiol + Water would need any preservative. One product used some kind of grapeseed extract (IIRC) as a preservative.

2) On the site you posted, some of the material seems to be down on using saline, but the commercial product I ran across and the patent both seem to have some saline as well.

Here is the patent if you're interested in reading further:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6258372.html

When I get time I might try mixing up some and testing. We just started using Nasopure a couple of weeks ago so a solution might work in those bottles instead of a spray.

Hm I'm not sure about preservatives. About one of the preservatives, Benzalkonium chloride, I read on _http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benzalkonium_chloride:

There have been reports of allergic reactions associated with continuous, long-term use in sensitive users, especially on mucous membranes.

[...]

ADBAC is highly toxic to fish (LC50 = 280 μg ai/L), very highly toxic to aquatic invertebrates (LC50 = 5.9 μg ai/L), moderately toxic to birds (LD50 = 136 mg/kg-bw), and slightly toxic to mammals (LD50 = 430 mg/kg-bw).[5] Benzalkonium chloride solutions of 10% or more are toxic to humans, causing irritation to the skin and mucosa, and death if taken internally.[6]

Benzalkonium chloride is an allergen[7][8][9][10][11][12][13] and several studies have cast doubt on its reputation for safety.[14][15] Some products have been reformulated in light of this research, but it is still widely used in eyewashes, nose sprays, hand and face washes, mouthwashes, spermicidal creams, and in various other cleaners, sanitizers, and disinfectants. Manufacturers of over-the-counter artificial tears and eye washes became concerned about chemical sensitivity from long-term daily use and have in some products substituted EDTA as a preservative. Some have packaged eye drops in single-use vials with no preservative[16] for sensitive eyes. There has also been concern that long-term use of benzalkonium as a preservative in nose sprays may cause swelling of mucosa and lead to rhinitis medicamentosa.

I started to have flu symptoms 2 days ago. Probably got it from someone else who already had the flu.
I had the aching throat and soon enough got a runny nose. If there is anything I dislike, it is a runny nose!
So immediately I started to think about ways to stop it.

I asked my brother and he told me about how he used saline and worked out for him. I did the same, but it didn't have the same effect on me, somehow.

So last night and today I've been using a solution: Xylitol + Water + Baking Soda. And used it like this:

To use the spray tilt the head forward, put the tip of the bottle into one side of the nose, aim the upright bottle at the back of the head, inhale briskly (sniff) and spray at the same time. Do the same with the other side of the nose.

I spray three times in each hole, because that's the limit for me, otherwise I'd choke. Then I blow my nose to clear out any excess water and nasal discharge.
And after having done that, I also put one drop of colloidal silver in each hole. I don't blow my nose after that.

I'm not sure if that's a smart thing to do, since the article said it is better to tame bacteria than to kill them.

At night I also have my Negative Ion transmitter on which could've also helped with a few things. Another thing is that these days I've been taking in very little to no sugar (only raw honey) and also have been eating as healthy as possible. Especially have taken lotsa sunflowerseeds and eaten sesame butter on non-gluten bread. And also have drank vit C, spirulina, lotsa probiotics, flax seed oil etc. So all in all it helped a lot. I told the bacteria or virus: you did not have my permission to infect me, so I gotta kick u out! :P But jokes aside, the xylitol (and colloidal silver) might help with cleaning your sinuses. It's definitely calming.

This morning until now I still have no runny nose at all.
The bacteria is still there, I can feel it, so I'm going to continue this. (If you're thinking about using colloidal silver, be careful that you don't exceed the 3x tbsp. a day)

(By the way, I've also used 100% organic Thyme liquid for my throat. Minutes after the first time I used it, any aching in the throat was gone!)

 

[gaman]

If you don't get those flu symptoms knocked out, I'll tell you one thing that knocked out my really bad flu symptoms in a day. I started early in the morning and took 2 drops activated MMS every two hours (forgoing my usual vitamin C supplements for the day) and by that night I was feeling great. Before that I was achy, had pressure in my head, sinus congestion, etc. My sinus stuff wasn't completely gone by the end of the day but everything was dramatically better.

EDIT: Due to the recent development and having learned more about the dangers of MMS, I would avoid this solution I posted totally!

 

[agni]

Eliminating starch from the diet should be considered for anyone dealing with mucus.

Quick way to identify foods with starch is to drop small amount of iodine on suspect food. Drop will change colour to brown reddish or bluish-blackish if it has starch. Some foods take longer than others for reaction to occur. (just make sure not to eat food that has been tested)

 

[Galaxia2002]

Some that also helped with my sinus was doing forced inhalation through the nose though having stuffy nose. Part of the problem is the low oxigen level in cavities which stimulates the growing of anaerobic bacteria. I also remember that when I started to drain accumulated feelings by crying while I did remembering I improve a lot.

 

[gaman]

So last night and today I've been using a solution: Xylitol + Water + Baking Soda. And used it like this:

To use the spray tilt the head forward, put the tip of the bottle into one side of the nose, aim the upright bottle at the back of the head, inhale briskly (sniff) and spray at the same time. Do the same with the other side of the nose.

I spray three times in each hole, because that's the limit for me, otherwise I'd choke. Then I blow my nose to clear out any excess water and nasal discharge.
And after having done that, I also put one drop of colloidal silver in each hole. I don't blow my nose after that.

I'm not sure if that's a smart thing to do, since the article said it is better to tame bacteria than to kill them.

Hey Oxajil, how did this work out for you? I'm having the burning nasal passage-to-throat symptoms that always (for me) leads to getting sick with cold like symptoms. I'm doing naso-pure washes, taking zinc lozenges and baking soda every 2 hours. I was also considering taking a drop of the c. silver in each nostril. If the spray helped, would you mind sharing the ratio of the xylitol mixture?

Thanks.

 

[Oxajil]

Hey Oxajil, how did this work out for you? I'm having the burning nasal passage-to-throat symptoms that always (for me) leads to getting sick with cold like symptoms. I'm doing naso-pure washes, taking zinc lozenges and baking soda every 2 hours. I was also considering taking a drop of the c. silver in each nostril. If the spray helped, would you mind sharing the ratio of the xylitol mixture?

Thanks.

Dear gaman, sorry for not updating!

It worked out great for me, actually. The symptoms were gone in two/three days.

I didn't really think about a certain ratio. I just poured some water in a little bowl and put a teaspoon of xylitol in it. Then I pressed with the spoon on the xylitol crystals so that they would dissolve in the water. Then I mixed and poured it into the nasal drop bottle.

Maybe it's also a good thing if you taste it a bit, so that it isn't too sweet or neutral. (However I don't think it matters, it just has to be sweet.)

Also don't forget to take vit C and to pay attention to your diet and take in as little to no sugar. That helps as well!
If your throat is irritated as well, you might want to get yourself some organic thyme, so that you can drink little of it 3 times a day or something.

 

[gaman]

No problemo! Thanks for the info. I've been doing nasal wash and drinking baking soda all day. So far the results has been that it (whatever "it" is) hasn't taken hold nearly as quickly as in the past, but it is still slowly getting worse so I'm going to try the Xylitol tomorrow if I can remember :)

 

[Oxajil]

No problemo! Thanks for the info. I've been doing nasal wash and drinking baking soda all day. So far the results has been that it (whatever "it" is) hasn't taken hold nearly as quickly as in the past, but it is still slowly getting worse so I'm going to try the Xylitol tomorrow if I can remember :)

Okay! Keep us posted :)

Maybe taking probiotics will help as well. Take care!

 

[seek10]

I was seeing brown mucus when I sneeze and wondered where it is coming from and slight running nose too. My guess is it is coming from tobacco. Often my tobacco from the pack sits in the box upto 7 days. so I am guessing nose might be irritated and inflammed . wondering what to do. Some of the choices are interesting. It looks we can use colloidal silver too for this . Did any body tried ?

_http://aguasilver.hubpages.com/hub/Dosage-instructions-for-using-Colloidal-Silver

Nasal:

Used nasally the colloidal silver will again act doubly;

It will act as a barrier to viral infection.
It will allow the nasal passages to breath freely, and stop or reduce snoring and mucus blocked noses

look like a good option . Any thoughts.

 

[Noxulus]

Be aware of the risks if you do this with tap water. Namely cerebral infections.

 

[JGeropoulas]

I was seeing brown mucus when I sneeze and wondered where it is coming from and slight running nose too. My guess is it is coming from tobacco. Often my tobacco from the pack sits in the box upto 7 days. so I am guessing nose might be irritated and inflammed . wondering what to do. Some of the choices are interesting. It looks we can use colloidal silver too for this . Did any body tried ?

_http://aguasilver.hubpages.com/hub/Dosage-instructions-for-using-Colloidal-Silver

Nasal:

Used nasally the colloidal silver will again act doubly;

It will act as a barrier to viral infection.
It will allow the nasal passages to breath freely, and stop or reduce snoring and mucus blocked noses

look like a good option . Any thoughts.

I've tried most of these suggestions and haven't found anything better than colloidal silver and xylitol. I do the "sinus flooding" procedure described here: _http://www.colloidsforlife.com/articles.html (the last article in this list of helpful articles).

One article provides this link to independent lab results evaluating various colloidal silver products: _http://www.silver-colloids.com/Reports/reports.html#CompTable . As can be seen, MesoSilver has the highest overall rating (last line, right column) because it has the smallest nano-sized particles, and the highest concentration (the 2 measures of effectiveness).

This article says the xylitol regulates the osmotic pressure in the nose and thus prevents that burning sensation as when you get water up your nose swimming. It does do that, but I've since learned that xylitol is a healthy alternative to sugar partly because it kills fungus (vs. feeding it as does sugar). For that reason you cannot bake bread with it because it kills the yeast. That's why chewing gums containing it can prevent dental decay (of course, the gum also has aspartame added--for apparently no reason other than to ensure the product contains some health-impairing ingredient).

And more to the point, elsewhere on the forum I posted about the research finding that most sinus infections were in fact caused by fungus, not bacteria. In fact, when I killed all the bacteria in my nose, my nasal congestion got worse than ever because the fungus then grew without competing with the bacteria.

To purchase, click "Colloidal Silver" at the top of that page. It's expensive, but you can save greatly if purchase in bulk. But it's very effective topically on skin problems or internally as a supplement or treatment of illness. I knew it was effective the first time I took it orally because I had a definite Herxheimer's reaction as toxins/pathogens were being killed (_http://www.silver-colloids.com/Pubs/herxheimer.html).

NOTE: While I heartily endorse their colloidal silver products, I do NOT recommend their colloidal gold products for reasons discussed here: http://glossary.cassiopaea.com/glossary.php?id=498 (and elsewhere on the forum).

FYI: I am not associated with this company, nor do I financially benefit from the sale of their products :)