Relief
from Seasonal Allergy Using Nasal Irrigation
Every spring and fall,
tens of thousands of people suffer from allergic
rhinitis caused by pollens in the air. People refer to
this as “hayfever”, “rose fever” and “seasonal allergy”.
In the spring trees are the major culprit. In the fall
the ragweeds cause the most problems. No matter the
source, the result is the same. Itchy, watery eyes and
nasal drip and congestion. Constant sneezing and a runny
nose round out the list of symptoms that have people
feeling miserable.
People have been saying
for years that rinsing the nasal passages and sinus area
would remove pollens and bring relief. There has been a
recent surge in interest in neti pots and sinus
irrigating devices.
The University of
California’s School of Medicine in San Diego California
set out to see if nasal irrigation really worked. They
studied 211 people who were diagnosed with sinonasal
disease and 20 people who were symptom free as a
control.
Each group irrigated their
nasal cavities using hypertonic saline solution twice a
day for 3 to 6 weeks. The participants rated their
symptoms and completed questionnaire before starting the
irrigation regimen and at the end. The people who had
been diagnosed with nasal disease before the trial
showed significant improvement in 23 of the 30 symptoms
included on the questionnaire.
The University of
Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health also
looked at nasal irrigation. They studied patients who
were already using nasal irrigation for chronic sinus
symptoms to determine if these patients experienced any
associated relief with their allergies or asthma. They
performed an in-depth review of 28 participants in a
prior nasal irrigation study. The patients were
receiving daily nasal irrigation. They found that 12 of
21 subjects with had improved symptoms, 2 of 7 patients
with asthma had improvement and 1 of 2 subjects with
nasal polyposis reported a positive association between
nasal irrigation and asthma or nasal polyposis symptoms.
Neti pots look a little
bit like Aladdin’s lamp or an elongated tea pot. They
work on the force of gravity to send a stream of warm
saline solution into one nostril and out the other. This
is best done with your head over the sink or bathtub!
The problem with neti pots
is that they are limited by the force of gravity. Also,
it is very difficult to create a pulsing action with a
neti pot. A neti pot delivers more of a steady stream. A
pulsing action is more effective for removing pollens
and that is the aim with irrigation for seasonal
rhinitis.
Health Solutions Medical
has created an
nasal irrigation system capable of
delivering both a gentle pulsating mist spray for
soothing moisturizing relief and a more thorough
cleansing pulsating rinse to clear the sinuses of
pollens and other debris.
The
SinuPulse Elite® Advanced Nasal Sinus Irrigation System
is a natural, drug free way to relieve your allergy and
sinus symptoms caused by sinus infections, allergies and
the common cold.
Because you are not at the mercy of gravity, the user
has control over the force and flow of the water,
resulting in a much more effective removal of pollen.
We all know it is not
practical to stay inside constantly during seasonal
allergy season, it's just too nice outside during the
fall months. If you go outside or if your doors or
windows are open, you are going to be exposed to the
allergy-causing pollens. After pollen exposure, take a
shower and wash your hair to remove the pollens that are
on the outside of your body. Then perform nasal
irrigation to get rid of the pollens that have adhered
to the inside of your nasal and sinus passages. Studies
show it works.
1.
Laryngoscope. 2000 Jul;110(7):1189-93. Clinical study
and literature review of nasal irrigation. Tomooka LT,
Murphy C, Davidson TM. School of Medicine, University of
California San Diego, USA.
2.
WMJ. 2008 Apr;107(2):69-75. Nasal irrigation for chronic
sinus symptoms in patients with allergic rhinitis,
asthma, and nasal polyposis: a hypothesis generating
study. Rabago D, Guerard E, Bukstein D. Department of
Family Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of
Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wis, USA.
      
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