Don’t Use Nasal Saline Irrigation Every Day
November 11, 2009 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Stuffy noses with a cold are annoying. Stuffy noses almost all the time is even more annoying. So what to do? Many people turn to nasal saline (salt water) rinses or irrigations or they use neti pots, because they aren’t considered medication and should be safe. Right? Well, not really.
It turns out that if you have recurrent rhinosinusitis (inflammation of the nasal and sinus linging) and you are using nasal saline irrigation every day, you could end up causing more acute infections in the long run, say researchers. In fact, you could be increasing your chance of infection by 60%.
Doctors aren’t saying that you should never use saline irrigations and they can be helpful over short periods of time, but they fear that consistent, long-term usage disturbs the balance in the nose and sinuses, causing other problems. While the mucus in the nose can be irritating, it’s also the body’s first line of defense against infection. If the mucus is constantly being removed, we are removing that defense.
Researchers studied 68 patients who had a history of recurring rhinosinusitis and who used nasal saline irrigation regularly. A second group of 24 patients also participated. The first group used nasal irrigations twice a day for one year and then stopped for another year. The second group used nasal irrigation once a day, also for a year.
After studying the number of times the patients experienced rhinosinusitis, the researchers found that there were 544 cases while the patients were using the irrigation, with an average of eight episodes per year. On the other hand, only 204 cases were noted in the year without irrigations – about three per year.
The group that didn’t discontinue treatment had a 50% higher rhinosinusitis rate than the group that did stop using the saline.
This study was presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) 2009 Annual Scientific Meeting.
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Interesting.
But I wonder if these conclusions weren’t the result of sampling error. It was an extremely small study, after all, making the results somewhat suspect.
And of course, everyone’s different. I just know for myself, going more than a couple of days without saline irrigation results in sinus headaches of migraine-like proportions. My doc is also on board, recommending that I do this daily to clear out mucous that doesn’t drain properly on its own. I used to have sinus infections 2 or 3 times a year. Since I’ve been doing the daily irrigation, I have been able to avoid them altogether.
I had never tried the sinus rinse before I had sinus surgery. Little did I know, I’d have to do it quite a bit for the recovery process. I’ve weaned myself away from it mostly, but I do use it to alleviate sinus headaches like Hilda. Plus, I sometimes get cheek pain that only the sinus rinse helps.
Oh this is just hooey – yogis have been doing nasal irrigation for thousands of years.
Get some good salt – like the pink stuff from the Himalayas
The research you refer to is based on an unpublished abstract that is meeting with skepticism from specialists in the field (Otolaryngologists and Allergists). While sinus rinsing won’t eliminate colds, sinus infections and allergies altogether, research shows that it will reduce their frequency and the duration and intensity of their symptoms. NeilMed (maker of Sinus Rinse and the NasoFlo Neti Pot) has systematically collected feedback from thousands of physicians and customers and our data supports the published conclusions that positive effects of nasal irrigation as a preventive therapy outweigh any negatives. We have posted the published studies on nasal irrigation on our website for those who want to do their own research (www.neilmed.com usa/publications.php). You can also go to the website to post questions and comments (http://www.neilmed.com/ask/index.php). We welcome the conversation.