Battle of the Nasal Washes

Technique #3: Neti Pot

Carrie Erwin, 26, tapped into a less modern but still effective technique to clear her nose.

Watch a video demonstrating nasal irrigation using a neti pot.

Related

10 Myths About the Common Cold and Flu

Flu-Free Campaigns? No Such Luck

Feverish to Fabulous: Beauty Tips for Flu

Though neti pots were not included in the 2002 study, they have long been used to manage sinus problems. Neti pots originated in Southeast Asia as an Ayurvedic cleansing technique. Traditional pots look like ceramic Aladdin lamps, squat with long, slender spouts that get pushed into the nostrils.

Tilting the head allows the water to flow into one nostril, travel up behind the nose into the nasopharynx and flow out the other nostril. Water that does not drain through the nose can be spit out through the mouth.

Irrigating with neti pots falls somewhere between positive and negative irrigation, Lee said, as a more passive way to cleanse the nasal passages.

But some may not find the "pouring" sensation combined with tilting the head comforting.

"Patients often feel like they're drowning," Haddon said.

The drowning sensation could be a matter of technique, but Haddon said that it was impossible to get her patients to comply with using it.

Still, there are reasons to try irrigating with neti pots if other methods do not work well.

"They're gentle, they're not under pressure," Lee said. "Simpler is better."

-------

Spring allergy season is here! Visit the ABCNews.com OnCall+ Allergy Center to get all your questions answered about pollen, allergic rhinits, sinusitis and more.