To Sniff or Not to Sniff
Recently I have read an argument that has been promoted that to get the benefit of using a nasal saline solution in the nose, you have to push the solution into the nasal passages under pressure. The folks who promote this idea think this is far better than just sniffing the nasal saline solution or using it as a gentle mist spray.
I think that this opinion is completely wrong. While you can get some good results from irrigation under pressure of the nasal passages, there is a downside. Very often there is a mucus plug in the sinus opening which is blocking the sinus. This can happen in either the case of allergy or in the case of a sinus infection.
When you irrigate the nose under pressure, you might dislodge the plug– or you might drive it more into the sinus cavity. Now if you drive it more into the opening of the sinus you have made matters worse. Not only that, it is much more uncomfortable when you irrigate the nasal passage under pressure with a nasal saline solution compared to the gentle sniffing of a nasal saline solution or the gentle spray from a saline nasal spray solution.
So think about it. Your nose feels uncomfortable. Your sinuses feel “congested”. Then you spray something up your nose under pressure. That’s a good feeling! Our alternative is to use the hand to hold the solution and to gently sniff it into your nose. Which do you think feels better?
Imagine the difference between a spray with some turbulence and a solid stream coming at something that you’re trying to clean. The approach that sniffs the nasal solution from the hand creates this cleansing turbulence– but not under a lot of pressure.
So, when you consider what the two forms of irrigation do to your nose, what do you prefer? Personally, I would rather sniff the solution and therefor irrigate the the nasal passages and cleanse them at the same time, rather than exposing infected tissue to high pressure. To make the sniffing process work all the better, I have discovered a technique that I explain in my blog.
Want to find out more about saline nasal spray, then visit Dr Stanley Lang’s site on how to choose the best saline nasal solution for your needs.
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