Back off from the Neti pot for a while if you have chronic sinus problems.

Sinus soother or nasal nightmare?

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA— For centuries, Neti pot use—also known as saline nasal irrigation (SNI)—has been a strategy for flushing and cleaning the nasal passages. And in recent times the practice, which stems from yoga traditions in India, has been an increasingly popular choice for people looking to ease allergy and sinus problems. But a recent study unveiled last week at the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology annual meeting in Miami suggests that Neti pot overkill may be triggering more sinus infections than it prevents.

THE DETAILS: In SNI, people use a small, teapot-shaped container (Neti pot is a popular brand), bottle, or tube to gently flush a saline solution through the one nostril and out the other. In this two-part study, researchers looked at 68 SNI-using people with no known immune problems. After recording the frequency of sinus infections during the first year, the researchers analyzed the impact of giving up SNI during the following year. When those suffering from chronic sinus infections stopped using NSI the second year of the study, the incidence of sinus infections dropped 62 percent.

WHAT IT MEANS: Aggressive nasal irrigation may be harmful to some people because it could remove natural antimicrobial agents that kill bacterial, viral, and fungal agents in the nasal passages, explains study author Talal M. Nsouli, MD, clinical professor of pediatrics and allergy and immunology at Georgetown University School of Medicine. "People using it [SNI] on daily basis might deplete the nose of immune elements that are proven, published, and shown to be protective; modifying the chemistry of our nose, the concentration of our mucus can result in weakness of the immune system," says Dr. Nsouli, who disclosed he is a speaker for several pharmaceutical companies. He added that long-term SNI can result in a temporarily relief of symptoms, but could contribute to a low-grade or chronic infection.