Earth Clinic Mobile: Home Remedies for People and Pets

Neti Pot for Sinus Infections

5 star (17)		89%
4 star (1)		5%
(1)		5%

Showing 5 Star Reviews

Tiffany (TexS) on 05/29/2021
5 out of 5 stars

When using a neti pot for sinus infections, please use only DISTILLED water. NEVER use tap water for a nasal rinse.

Kimber (North Illinois) on 05/17/2013
5 out of 5 stars

After 2 week of dealing with severe spring allergies which consisted of major head/ sinus congestion, watery eyes, and coughing from post nasal drip I felt maybe maybe a trip to the doctor might be a next step. I was taking a decongestant, a antihistamine , netti pot, and Apple Cider Vinegar 2x's per day, with all this I was feeling like a sinus infection was brewing- adding pressure and headache. So to get to the point- I hate going to the doctor and trying to handle this the best way I knew how. Desperate to get rid of this brewing sinus infection I took 1 tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar and added to the netti pot with warm water. After completing only 1/2 the treatment because it was very uncomfortable burning through my sinus cavity I had to stop. Well be prepared- w/ a box of Kleenex because war had been declared!!! With in minutes stuff/ infection was on its way out. Within an hour relief was being felt. As uncomfortable as the neti pot was with Apple Cider Vinegar the result were quick and immediate. Bye bye infection!

Kimberly From Wv (Fairmont, West Virginia) on 09/08/2012
5 out of 5 stars

Ok for some background. 3 days ago I felt a sinus infection/ head cold coming on. I was VERY congested and had such pressure my eye balls, upper cheek bones and temple area as well as my ears felt like they were going to pop out.

I then had a sore throat that was right at the back of the top of my throat where the air comes in from the nose. It hurt to talk, swallow very severe pain. I came to earth clinic in desperation to find an instant fix.

I read teds personal remedy which included a pinch of borax and 1 tsp of hydrogen peroxide in a half glass of water. I used only tap water as I had no bottle water and I used 3% hydrogen peroxide from walmart as I had no food grade. I drank it last night before bed.

At about 530 am I awoke in such pain in my head and nose was so closed up and felt dry almost like I could feel my sinuses moving it was really painful. My throat killed me. So I remembered I had a neti pot. I again did not have what I should have but I was soooo desparate that I used above luke warm tap water.

1/2 tsp of iodized table salt and 1 tsp of hydrogen peroxide again from walmart 3$.

I began to pour it up my right nose hole and began the panting that is needed to get the water to come out the other hole. But nothing came out. My sinuses were completely swollen closed. I kept at it and ended up with some going down my throat.

I turned my head to the other side and poured the rest up my blocked side and finally I began to have drainage out the other side. I filled the neti pot up and did this 3 more times alternating sides.

I took a 600 mg ibuprofen and went to bed able to breathe but still in pain. I awoke this morning with both noses open and all pain and pressure is gone. My throat is NO longer sore. Praise God. I again took the pinch of borax and 1 tsp of hydrogen peroxide in a half glass of water and used the netti pot and I can say that as of right now I feel great.

I still have a little sniffle but no pain and no sore throat. This stuff works. Yay...

Toni (Sanford, Florida) on 03/04/2012
5 out of 5 stars

I tried the Neti Pot rinse with crushed garlic and seven days later my sinus infection is gone!!! No mucus, no sore throat and earache gone. From the day I started this regiment my symptoms did not worsen but it did take a week for all symptoms to be gone. This is so much better than ten days of antibiotics (sometimes two rounds of ten days) and two hundred dollars to a doctor!

Jaxine (Nowhere, Fl) on 01/21/2012
5 out of 5 stars

I have been suffering from recurrent sinusitus for years now. I think it has been 5. I have about 5-6 infections a year, usually accompanied by a cold. I am in the middle of my first infection of the year, most likely caused by stress. I have been on a longer work schedule and doing quadruple the work. But this infection wasn't accompanied by a cold. It just came last night. I do the Neti Pot 2x a day everyday so I can prevent infection.

I also take a multi vitamin with extra C 2x a day and a 5000 mg Vitamin C 1x a day. This only clears out my mucus and let's me breathe easier for a little bit.

This morning I mixed ACV into my normal sinus rinse. I instantly felt some relief even though it stung. I also did some oil pulling for about a minute and it showed no results.

Ellen (Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada) on 11/26/2009
5 out of 5 stars

Try using a neti pot with celtic sea salt dissolved in a luke warm mixture. Use 1 tsp salt per cup of water. The salt is very alkalizing and will remove the acids from the sinus area. The salt will also reduce the bacterial infection greatly and you should find relief if you do this 5-6 times a day.

Zuuch (London, United Kingdom) on 06/02/2008
5 out of 5 stars

I have used this technique to cure a really bad sinus infection. I just wanted to add that if you use green tea instead of just water its more effective. I also added a small amount of garlic juice and ginger juice to the tea. I made a half gallon of this solution and poured it all through. ( I just used a regular teapot because the neti pots are a bit small ) It took about half an hour. There was instant relief from pain and by the next day the sinus infection was cured just by this one treatment alone. I think the important thing is to get that garlic juice right up inside your sinuses onto the surface of the infected area. It stings a little, but not even as bad as chlorinated water.

Linda (Studio City, CA) on 03/25/2008
5 out of 5 stars

Try using the Neti pot with warm salt water. It flushes out your sinuses like nobodies business and it's safe and effective. You can use it everyday. Whole Foods sells them or you can get them off the internet. This and the Cayanne pepper drink saved me last night. My sore throat went away and now my PND is getting better. You guys are great.

Lad (Bel Air, MD) on 03/20/2008
5 out of 5 stars

I had aggressive sinusitius for four years which would grace me with unusually acute fatigue and depression - it's REALLY miserable. I constantly took nasty Leviquin antibiotics and had sinoplasty over 2 years ago to open my breathing passages.

It is a very elusive infection (sinuses probably offer germs a lot of hiding places) though I think household and seasonal allergy congestion is my big trigger to proliferate it.

Earlier this year, I had a re-infection that closed off my breathing for the first time since the surgery. This time, the Leviquin didn't seem to get it all.

But, I FINALLY whipped it this time around, and breathe better than ever, with:

- Olive Leaf Extract Aggressive use (150mg 4-6x/day or more) w/ 15%-20% oleuropein (seems to route out the germs IF used long enough in quantity) DON'T use w/ antibiotics, N-Acetyl-Cysteine or Soil-Based probiotics. A co-worker, mentioned below, also swears by OLE alone for her chronic sinusitis.

- Neti pot rinse 2x/day (using dash of Himalayian Crystal Salt w/ low sodium, so it doesn't need baking soda buffering like table salt). Sinus irrigation is very proven and is not nearly as hard or gross as it may look to some. It works much better than the sinus/face "baths" & "dips" I tried and has more flow and volume than the squeeze bulbs I used. A special, BIG nasal syringe I bought blasted WAY too much pressure and drove the congestion/infestion further up my sinus/ear canals making it worse. (Which a co-worker swore her Neti pot use also did to her- something said to sometimes happen in people with larger ear canal openings). To prevent this, you may need to wait until you sinus passages open up enough for the water to gently flow through them. Maybe a one-time use of Afrin-type sprays will accomplish this. Just take it slow and steady.

- Nasalcrom spray afterwards 2-4/xday to turn off the Mast Cell / histamine triggers. It's neither an antihistamine, nor a steroid, and is a decent, localized, solution with a very good safety profile - (for a pharmaceutical ;-)). You just got to get started early with it and be patient. The coming Spring & Fall Allergy Seasons will put this stuff to the real test. I may have to use Nettles, Claritin, etc. to pick up the loose ends. (I had success with Zicam Allergy too, but I wondered if the gel ultimately worsened congestion).

------------------------------------- Also used (and probably helpful):

- Lactoferrin w/ colostrum 1-2 grams/day (infected sinuses naturally try to secrete more ferrins to rob germs of the blood iron they feed from). That, and Germanium, also seem to consistantly help my general respiration.

- Apple Cider Vinegar, (1 tsp) or Potassium supplements (150mg) whenever I felt stuffiness coming on (seems to help dry out the sinuses rapidly). Cheap and worth a try. Sinus Buster pepper-based nasal spray may also help open passages up - if you don't mind the sting.

- Seagate Olive Leaf Nasal Spray (w/ GSE & Wild Indigo) (used during the day, esp. in dry air - doubtful it is very effective alone without all the above).

---------------------------- Environmental trigger elimination I probably should try (if I wasn't so lazy)

- total house / air vent cleaning and mold detection (or just move!)

- eliminating ALL wheat/flour and dairy in my diet (major ER4YT "Blood Type O" immune triggers). Both seem to automatically make the sinuses a little stuffier, hence, I keep the ACV / Potassium above handy.

Good Luck!

Rita (Pierson, FL) on 11/29/2007
5 out of 5 stars

NETI POT: Saw this remedy on Oprah and I tried it and no more antibiotics for me. This is an inexpensive ceramic pot (available in Health food stores)in which warm water and sea salt are mixed; you bend over sink and turn your head to once side. Keeping the pot level, place the small spout into the top nostril until it has a snug fit. breathe through your mouth and slowly tip you head downward allowing the warm water solution to travel through your sinuses and out the other nostril. You would not believe what will come out of there. This works for sinus infections, nasal congestion, post nasal drip and headaches. No more drugs or drops necessary. Can be used daily without any side effect.

Return to Overview