What Are The Most Important Things To Keep In Mind When Doing Nasal Irrigation?

— -- Question: What are the most important things to keep in mind when doing nasal irrigation?

Answer: Most patients get relief from irrigating twice a day. If you flush when you wake up in the morning, and you flush again before you go to bed at night, it clears that mucus from the sinus and nasal passage that would normally drain down the throat during the day or collect in the back of the throat at night. It's kind of like brushing your teeth. I say to my patients, you brush and then you flush twice a day.

Some important things to remember when irrigating is to lean forward, that way the water runs in the nose and right out the nostril, rather than going to the back of the mouth, where you might have to spit out the mouth or it might even give a choking sensation. So if you lean forward, it will run in the nostril and right out the nose. At first it feel a little uncomfortable, but after a while you may feel it to be very soothing, and really quite worthwhile because you feel so much better, and you can breathe through your nose after doing so.