Spring Cleaning For The Nose
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (UPI) -- April may mean allergies for many in the United States and a sinus expert offers help via nasal irrigation. Dr. Melissa Pynnonen of the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor finds "patients who used nasal irrigation, experienced as much improvement as some patients with chronic sinusitis get with sinus surgery." Likening nasal irrigation to "a power washer for your nose," Pynnonen finds it "does a great job of treating symptoms that otherwise aren't well treated with medicine." The solution, can be as simple -- and cheap -- as a quarter-teaspoon of kosher salt, 8 ounces of warm tap water and one-quarter-teaspoon of baking soda, Pynnonen said. Patients new to nasal irrigation often use an 8-ounce squeeze bottle. Another method is a device resembling a miniature teapot -- called a neti-pot -- that pours, instead of squeezes, the solution. Some use turkey basters or syringes like those used to suction a baby's nose. Four ounces of the solution is squirted or poured into each nostril. The solution exits through the opposite nostril. To prevent the solution from coming out of the mouth, Pynnonen recommends opening the mouth and making a "K" sound, which closes off the mouth and throat.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (UPI) -- April may mean allergies for many in the United States and a sinus expert offers help via nasal irrigation. Dr. Melissa Pynnonen of the University of Michigan Health System in Ann Arbor finds "patients who used nasal irrigation, experienced as much improvement as some patients with chronic sinusitis get with sinus surgery." Likening nasal irrigation to "a power washer for your nose," Pynnonen finds it "does a great job of treating symptoms that otherwise aren't well treated with medicine." The solution, can be as simple -- and cheap -- as a quarter-teaspoon of kosher salt, 8 ounces of warm tap water and one-quarter-teaspoon of baking soda, Pynnonen said. Patients new to nasal irrigation often use an 8-ounce squeeze bottle. Another method is a device resembling a miniature teapot -- called a neti-pot -- that pours, instead of squeezes, the solution. Some use turkey basters or syringes like those used to suction a baby's nose. Four ounces of the solution is squirted or poured into each nostril. The solution exits through the opposite nostril. To prevent the solution from coming out of the mouth, Pynnonen recommends opening the mouth and making a "K" sound, which closes off the mouth and throat.
Copyright 2008 by United Press International
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