Sinus infection treatments can be quite expensive. Often, a bout with a sinus infection means taking antibiotics, corticosteroids and decongestants to get rid of all the symptoms and make you feeling A-okay again. But if there is a way to save the money and spare your system from these medications, don't you think it's worth a shot? You can try nasal irrigation or nasal rinse.

What It Does for You

First things first, nasal irrigation is NOT a substitute for your doctor's prescribed medications. However, nasal irrigation can help you prevent sinus infections in the first place, thus having no more need for taking medicines. If you're a bit skeptic about the benefits of nasal irrigation, here is how it works:

When you do nasal rinsing, you flush the nasal cavities with saline solution. The flushing action takes out allergens, excess mucus, micro organisms and other particles that may have lodged inside the nasal cavities and sinuses. That's giving your cilia all the help they need to get rid of the dirt. Remember too, that you use salt-containing water for this. That's got particular benefits too! For one, salt has some anti-bacterial properties. Salt can also help to shrink inflamed sinuses and thin out the mucus secretions.

How to Do It

Nasal irrigation can be done in a lot of ways.

Probably, the simplest way of doing it is by snorting the solution from your cupped hands into one nostril and letting the liquid run through the nasal passages and exit the other nostril.

There is also a simple instrument called a neti pot which you can use for this. A neti pot is a traditional tool in use for hundreds of years in Ayurveda Medicine. It is used to direct the saline solution further into the sinus cavities better compared from the first method presented. Often times, just snorting the solution would get the fluid merely into the nasal, but not into the sinus cavities.

A substitute for a neti-pot could be a squeezable bottle or a syringe with its needle removed. Now, whichever of these gadgets you have on hand, the idea is to tilt your head sideways to allow the fluid to enter one nostril, flush through the cavity and then flow out of the nostril. It may be a little awkward at first but with practice, you'll be able to adjust your head in the position to perform the irrigation properly.

Fortunately, there are sinus pharmaceutical companies out there that developed means for people to be able to do sinus rinsing more easily without much effort and irritation. They came out with irrigator bottles or machines. One such company is Sinus Dynamics. One of their medicated irrigation tools is called ActiveSinus. With its specially designed nozzle, it is able to direct the solution into the sinus openings with just enough pressure. It is also hygienic to use, so you don't have to worry about nasty bacteria and molds hiding within your irrigator.

Conclusion

Sinus and nasal irrigation can be beneficial not only for those with sinus infections but also for other respiratory conditions such as common colds and nasal allergies. You can do it everyday without risks for adverse effects as a part of your daily hygiene routine.