3 ms·
I have occasional but super painful sinus infections. One thing I don't get is, how does this sinus rinsing apparatus manage to clean out a sinus cavity which
by foobarian 5y ago
I have occasional but super painful sinus infections. One thing I don't get is, how does this sinus rinsing apparatus manage to clean out a sinus cavity which is topologically a dead end in the network of nasal air passages? Do you just have to squirt it extra vigorously to get enough turbulence to get fluid in and out? Kind of like the sight glass on a pool filter.
- AlbertCory 5y ago(Grossness warning) Good question. I notice the water comes out the other nostril, so it can't be totally a dead end, right? That's why I prefer the squeeze bottle to the Neti pot, actually -- more force to the water.
- foobarian 5y agoMy impression is there is that you can get from one nostril to the other, but a sinus is a cavity attached to the side of that path with no other entry or exit point.
- thewakalix 5y agoThis is just a "spherical cow on a frictionless plane" model, but wouldn't Bernoulli's principle mean that the moving water would "pull" on the cavity's fluid somewhat?
- kurthr 5y agoIt doesn't work immediately. You push saline from one nostril through the sinus cavity out the other nostril. It creates some turbulence and helps the mucus flow. Often water will end up stuck in your sinus and come out when you lean over later. Really, it just seems to help your sinuses clear themselves (did you know about nasal cycle which alternates congestion?). You still tend to just blow out more infected glop. Also, it's easier to tell when something bad is going on, because you'll actually see the blood in your mucus rather than just having dark boogers. That might encourage you to clean more than once.
- AlbertCory 5y agoForgot about the "water dripping from your nose when you lean over" part. That's definitely gross!