6 Myths About Nasal Rinses
Nasal washes are absolutely safe and it's one of the easiest interventions that we recommend for our patients and it is going to help you breathe much better.
Myth 1
Putting water up my nose is not healthy.
Your doctor wants you to use a nasal wash because this can help rinse out any mucus, allergens or bacteria that might get stuck in your sinus passages and this is going to help you breathe better.
Myth 2
A nasal rinse will burn my nose like jumping into a pool. Your nose burns when you jump into the pool because of the chlorine and chemicals that are in the water.
Nasal washes aren't going to burn because we use a very mild solution utilizing the saline packets that come with the bottle.
Myth 3
You can't keep a nasal wash bottle clean.
It is not hard to keep your nasal wash bottle clean, it's very simple. You can just put a couple of drops of detergent into the bottle, add some warm water, shake it up, rinse it out and let it air dry.
We recommend doing this every couple of days.
Myth 4
There is no safe water to use.
We recommend using distilled water which you can purchase at any store.
Some patients choose to use tap water. But, we do recommend boiling it for a couple of minutes and letting it cool to room temperature.
Myth 5
The rinse water will wash mucus down my throat.
You can keep the water from going down you throat when doing a nasal wash by leaning forward with your head down, over the sin or in the shower, gently squeezing the bottle and this will help the fluid come out the other nostril.
Myth 6
Nasal rinses are always hard to do.
Doing a nasal wash can feel awkward, but it will get easier with practice.
We do recommend doing it daily and over time this will become very easy.
Visit njhealth.org/nasal-wash to learn about children performing nasal washes and how to make your own solution.
