A friend with some "different" ideas was singing the praises of a device called a neti pot. The neti pot looks like a little teapot, except that the spout has a funny shape that is meant to go up against a nostril. A salt water solution is mixed in the pot, and the solution is poured into one nostril, allowing it to drain out the other. The procedure may be repeated, pouring the solution into the opposite nostril. A similar nose cleaning device is a plastic squirt bottle that comes pre-filled with the saline solution. This device is supposed to be capable of cleaning farther up the nasal passages because the water is squirted in, as opposed to dribbling in.

I picked up a squirt-bottle nose cleaner at Rite Aid. I haven't noticed any big difference since I started using it a few days ago. The water goes in the nostril and comes back out. I don't see anything particularly nasty coming out with the water or when I blow my nose afterwards.

Does anyone else here know any more about these devices?

The nose has been rather self-cleaning for hundreds of thousands of years. I think somebody is looking to make a buck.

Agreed with Skep!

Also, fluids through there can spread disease. Risky, IMHO.

Hey, if your nose is giving you fits, why not try some very basic camphor / water steamer therapy? For those times when I'm plugged up, it's just great. Stinks, but what doesn't that actually works?

> Also, fluids through there can spread disease. Risky, IMHO.

This is one thing that I was starting to worry about. If bacteria start growing in the squirt bottle, I could be causing more harm than good. I haven't tried the camphor, but inhaling water vapor definitely does help.

For a dried out nose, this squirt bottle does help but so does inhaling water vapor from a vaporizer or from taking a shower.

While shopping for this squirt bottle, I also found Kinoku foot pads and Airborne, both of which have been debunked as quackery.* This goes to show that simply because a health product is on the shelves at a drug store does not in any way guarantee that it is an effective therapy.

* Kinoku Foot Pads -- these claim to leach out toxins through the soles of the feet. The pads turn black during use. However, a 20/20 investigation showed that moisture causes the pads to turn black, and no toxins could be found during laboratory testing of used Kinoku pads.

Airborne -- this is a dietary supplement that one is supposed to take at the first symptoms of a cold. The product's marketing boasts that it was "created by a school teacher who was sick of catching colds in class." Dr. Dean Edell is more than a little upset that Airborne has been advertising on his affiliate stations during his show, thus fooling listeners into thinking that Dr. Edell endorses the product.

1 vote in favor of the neti pot (I have the "Sinucleanse" brand). They are not some kind of new scam, they've actually been in use for hundreds of years.

It doesn't just go up and come back down, it actually runs through your sinuses and comes out the other side. It doesn't seem that the squirt bottle would work nearly as well.

I find that it works great for those lingering low-grade sinus infections. The solution can burn a bit - it's a good idea to start with half-strength solution. It doesn't just rinse the sinuses, it also stimulates fluid production to help break things loose.

It's a bit tricky to get the hang of though - you have to hold your head at just the right angle so the "other" nostril is lower than your mouth.

Re: cleanliness - it's important to keep it dry and clean. It's dishwasher safe though, so not really a problem!

As for Airborne - I think that's something that's gotten way overblown. It's not a CURE for anything, but it's not quackery either. I prefer Emergen-C Immune Defense, but the principle is the same. Vitamins and minerals that help bolster the immune system!

Neti pots are awesome. I was introduced to their use via a naturopath.

I suggest each person use their own and not share it, kind of like a toothbrush.

They really boost the germ-fighting capability of your body, particularly when augmented with an herbal tincture or NaCl.

Herb

I just use a propane torch.

Light it up, set the flame about 1/2 way to high and very quickly, in one smooth move, bring the torch to about 3/4" from your nose inhale very quickly and get the torch away.

Voila! No nose hairs to tickle the inside of your nose and the high temperature kills all the germs!

I can get about 548 trimmings from one cylinder of propane!

As a side benefit, it keeps my moustache well trimmed!

Excellent!

Hell, just wait till they are long enough then yank them out! Works good for that pesky ear hair as well. Although there is always that one little hair when you yank it out it makes your eyes water! FEELS SO GOOD!

I'm with Dark on this one. Just yank them out. After a coupla times, something changes too. Doesn't hurt much at all, and it's quick, and it lasts a long time.

Skybill, you could be an Internet star with that stunt!

Tried one of those rotary things once and all it did just just pull them out anyway. Why waste the batteries.....

He needs to put that on youtube!

> Re: cleanliness - it's important to keep it dry and clean. It's dishwasher safe though, so not
> really a problem!

I should have thought about this and bought the real (ceramic and dishwasher safe) pot. I'm still undecided about these devices, as I haven't seen any medical sites like Quackwatch or Dr. Dean's HealthCentral page say that they don't work. Wikipedia has a pretty detailed article on these things, but the article makes me a little skeptical because it has a very long (probably too long) list of symptoms and ailments that these pots are supposed to help relieve. When allergy season gets into full swing, I will have to see if these provide any relief.

On general "nose cleaning devices"......

I can think of some in particular that work very well until you have an accident with a table saw...

Thats what I was thinking Amus. But which one am I going to use today? I used the pinky yesterday.

By the way, never use Nazonex-type sprays for more then a few days. I learned this the hard way. A few hours after using it, I'd be 100% plugged up, and it created a viciuos cycle. I learned that I had a dependency of sorts to the drug. The only solution is to stop using it. It took a few days of hell, being plugged up all the time, but then all was back to normal. So be warned! Get a prescription steroid spray if you need a nasal spray!