Who Needs Sinus Irrigation? And Why?

If you have heard about sinus irrigation and your medical professional has recommended this course of treatment for you, you may have concerns regarding it. Understanding who needs sinus irrigation and why, can go a long way to easing your concerns. This process can be helpful in many ways, if you are a sinus sufferer this is generally a condition that is with you every single day and if you can feel better on a daily basis, this helps.

Sinus irrigation has been used for many centuries; it is by no means a new treatment method. In terms of ancient Indian wisdom and the practice of yoga, sinus irrigation was carried out by means of a “neti pot” (jala neti), and was used as a form of yogic meditation.

The neti pot is now used widely for this process which is also sometimes referred to as nasal lavage. The neti pot is used to introduce salt water into the nasal cavity and irrigate the sinuses. Small syringes, water picks and hydro pulse devices are also used for this procedure.

ENT doctors recommend this form of irrigation for people as a sinus cure. When the sinus cavities are working correctly the cilia (tiny hairs) in these cavities move back and forward naturally. If the sinuses become congested these cilia are no longer able to function at the same frequency and this causes problems. Mucus is supposed to drain out of the sinus cavities and into the stomach where it is dealt with efficiently by digestive acids.

These cilia become temporarily or even permanently damaged and are unable to remove the mucus which forms in the nasal cavities. This mucus dries and causes a blockage which can become infected; the nasal irrigation is able to remove this blockage, lessen the chance of infection and in many instances help to the cilia to recover and do their proper job. Over the counter and other medications if taken for extended periods of time can also be responsible for causing permanent damage to these nasal cilia. Follow the links below to learn more on this topic.