nose bidet
I hate to admit this, but i watched Oprah today. My wife was watching and Dr Oz was on. He always explains the embarrassing questions about the body from a doctor’s perspective. All your pooping, farting, gross questions get answered.
See that little gravy bowl kinda thing above? That’s called a Neti Pot. Also jokingly called a nose bidet. You fill it with some warm salt water solution and pour it into your nose. “WHAT!?” you say. I wouldn’t have believed it either if I hadn’t seen it demonstrated. You tilt your head at an angle, shove it up your nose and pour the water.
The water makes its way through your sinuses and out through the other nostril. I really want to try this when my allergies start acting up this spring. I always imagined something like this when I know I have pollen irritating my sinuses that I just can’t clear. This is the solution for the problem. It’s apparently safe enough to do on a daily basis. Look for them in drug stores and health food stores.
Read here to see how the practise works.
UPDATE: Aviva.ca, an online health retailer, sent me a great Neti pot to try out. Read all about it here.
April 27th, 2007 at 10:44 am
There’s this stuff that I’ve used from the pharmacy called Sinus Rinse…it comes in a blastic bottle with a nozzle that you hold up to your nose. To rinse, you just squeeze. It’s a blessing come allergy season.
May 21st, 2007 at 6:11 pm
Where can I purchase the nose bidet? Thanks.
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:41 am
Where can I buy this in Buffalo Ny
May 22nd, 2007 at 11:43 am
Is the nose bidet available in Toronto,
May 22nd, 2007 at 12:45 pm
I haven’t actually found the nose bidet in stores anywhere yet. I checked my local big drug store and couldn’t find it there. They don’t seem to be as easy to find as Oprah suggested. Try looking at your drug store or places where alternative/natural medicine options are sold like health food stores.
May 22nd, 2007 at 1:37 pm
You can do the same thing much cheaper by using a 2 cup pyrex measruing cup and a bulb syringe. If you need to use it daily, just take it in the shower every morning with 1 or 2 tsp of salt. Fill the bulb syringe, put your had back slightly and then squirt the syringe up the nose. Let it drain. It is the same effect.
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Go to google–even Amazon.com is listed as a supplier of the Neti Pot. I am ordering mine today also.
Thanks everybody!!
May 22nd, 2007 at 3:44 pm
Go to google–even Amazon.com is listed as a supplier of the Neti Pot. I am ordering mine today also.
Thanks everybody!!
May 23rd, 2007 at 8:31 am
I purchased my nose bidet at Shoppers Drug Mart (Canada) the other day. In the nose spray area of the pharmacy. The one that I was able to purchase is just like Ian says, it’s a plastic bottle with a nozzle. It is called Sinus Rinse and comes with already made salt packets.I was afraid to use it at first, but it’s really easy and safe. I don’t know if it’s because I’ve already started my allergies, but I’m not getting much relief just yet. But I will persevere.
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:50 am
I think I’m going to pick up a pack of Sinus Rinse as well. I did see it a couple weeks ago when I went looking for the nose bidet. I didn’t want to pay for refills of salt packets, but at this point I figure it’s a worthwhile investment.
May 23rd, 2007 at 12:31 pm
I tried this using the syringe. At the moment my nose is a bit clearer (although one nostril is blocked again), but I have to say the pain that came with this was unbelievable. As I was doing my right nostril my right ear began to instantly throb and then this unbearable pain shot down my neck on the right side and remained a few minutes. On a scale of 1 - 10, I’d give the pain, although brief, an 8 or 9. When I did the left nostril, same thing. I’m not sure if I did something wrong or if I have something else going on, but I do feel my breathing is clearer in one nostril, but the pain…I just don’t know that I can do it again.
May 23rd, 2007 at 12:41 pm
Kate, I’m not a medical professional but I wouldn’t recommend the syringe method. In my opinion, it will put too much pressure and force shooting into your sinuses. The key point of the pot is there is no pressure applied and it just pours through your nasal cavity without force.
May 23rd, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Ok, You gently squirt the water up the nose using the syringe. This is a method recommended by many ENT’s for their patients. I only do this when I am very stuffed up, but, I know people who use this method everyday and they have actually had sinus surgery.
May 23rd, 2007 at 1:32 pm
HERE IS THE WEBSITE:: http://www.sinucleanse.com/index.htm... of the nose bidet used on Oprah.
This site lists research, testimonials, and LOCAL STORES where it can be purchased. Salt is not recommended because of the iodine. This bidet makes much more sense than a syringe or bulb. If you watched Oprah, Dr. Oz explained that the reason it took a min for the saline solution to return in the other nostril was because the solution was going up into the sinuses and bathing them. Sounds much better than forcing the water up there.
May 23rd, 2007 at 5:37 pm
I used a funnel and a warm glass of salt water. Nice feeling, but I’m going to get the bidet instead!
May 23rd, 2007 at 9:50 pm
I bought the Sinus Rinse (bottle + 50 salt packets for $17 on sale) today and tried it this evening. A strange feeling, but not bad once you’ve shot it up your nostril a couple times. Be sure to tilt your head around after you’re done to get all the water out. 2 hours later, I was in the grocery store and when I bent down to pick up something on a low shelf, more water trickled out my nose.
May 24th, 2007 at 9:14 am
I just tried it and I used a ear syringe that cost a little of nothing. Seems to work just fine but will try it for a week or so to make sure.
May 29th, 2007 at 1:51 am
For everyone searching for info about a “nose bidet” keep in mind that it is a brand new nickname for a neti pot. Blaine, you should be asking for either a neti pot or a nasal irrigation kit when you go to the drug store.
I wondered why my site was getting more hits than usual when I discovered that Oprah had featured a neti pot on her show. People started coming to my site looking for the info and pictures on making a neti pot out a water bottle.
Kate, like Blaine said, your painful experience is most likely due to the fact that you used a syringe and applied too much pressure. This can cause the water to go places like the eustachian tubes to your ears which sounds like what happened to you. If you use a gravity based method such as the neti pot, the water won’t go where it’s not supposed to.
Also, temperature and salt levels make a huge difference on whether someone has a good experience. see this article on preparing a neti saline solution.
Finally, find either a yoga teacher to help coach you on all the steps and troubleshoot, or if can afford going to an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) doctor they can tell you what you did wrong and even if there is a bigger issue. I’ve taught several people how to do neti and the only person experienced pain. So most people will not experience pain and if so should immediately stop and seek expert advice and instruction.
Lastly, one thing sinusitus sufferers overlook is sanitatizing the neti pot before use. If you are using a neti pot to clear and infection then introducing new germs to the nose seems counterproductive. Most neti pot instructions tell you that rinsing with water is all you need to do. This is probably due to avoiding the possibility of getting soap residues, bleach or alcohol up the nose. I personally like using a stainless steel neti pot for this reason.
June 5th, 2007 at 5:12 pm
You can find the “nose bidet” at Walgreens. The brand I bought is
called “SinuCleanse” and it comes with convenient packages to make
the solution to pour into your nose.
June 5th, 2007 at 9:03 pm
I believe Dr. Oz said NOT to use salt with iodine in it when using the Neti pot. I’m about to buy one on Amazon.com. Can’t wait.
January 20th, 2008 at 11:22 pm
I am a huge sufferer of Allergies and Sinusitis and having had TWO deviated septum surgeries….I highly recommend Nasal Flushing…and Neti Pot. It feels strange at first but once finished you feel a ton better. I guess I do have something in common with Oprah…for once! Ck it out on dailycents.com at http://blogs.dailycents.com/?p=825
March 29th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
I FUCKN HATE SHOPPERS DRUG MART