topic Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses in Wellness

Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

I am still oxox — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:06:37 GMT

My allergist said it is best to use distilled water in a neti pot for a saline rinse, this is the first time I have heard of this

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

Lipstickdiva — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:14:05 GMT

The instructions on my pot said to use distilled water or bottled water, never, ever use tap water.

I always use bottled water.

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

Alison Wonderland — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:19:20 GMT

Did the doctor say why? I suspect it's for safety. Doctors have been recommending bottled water or boiled/microwaved water since 2011.

In 2011, two people have caught a brain-eating amoeba from using tap water in a neti-pot. Both died. Both were from the same area in Louisiana and remain the only known cases of anyone getting said amoeba from a neti pot, but it's still recommended that you use bottled water, boiled water, or water you zapped in the microwave to be safe. I microwave my water, then let it cool so it's comfortably warm before I use it in my nasal irrigator.

The same amoeba was found in that same Louisiana water supply again just this past June. You can read more about it here: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/brain-eating-amoeba-found-louisiana-terrebonne-parish-pointe-aux-chenes/.

My doctors mention it to me when I tell them I use nasal irrigation and they say I'm fine microwaving my filtered water.

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

sidsmom — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 21:03:45 GMT

You would think as much as I watch those

‘Monsters Inside Me’ parasite shows,

I would be uber-ultra-careful about nasal rinses but...

I just use good ‘ole tap water in the shower.

I’m in the shower, everything is temperature right,

so it’s one & done.

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

SilleeMee — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:22:02 GMT

Saline is not used because saline is not very effective at removing mucous or other body fluids. Saline hydrates and 'feeds' the problem.

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

chiclet — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:22:44 GMT

Yikes.... I used tap water but I boiled it first..

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

I am still oxox — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:27:08 GMT

@SilleeMee

Hmm well I am following doctors orders.

@SilleeMee wrote:
Saline is not used because saline is not very effective at removing mucous or other body fluids. Saline hydrates and 'feeds' the problem.

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

Lipstickdiva — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:29:07 GMT

@SilleeMee wrote:
Saline is not used because saline is not very effective at removing mucous or other body fluids. Saline hydrates and 'feeds' the problem.

I use a Neti Pot, recommended by my doctor, that uses the premixed packets of sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate. I mix that with 8oz of bottled water and heat it in the microwave about 35 seconds.

There are days that I have a sinus headache and using my neti pot is the only thing that gets rid of it. It's not something I use daily

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

SilleeMee — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 20:50:11 GMT

@Lipstickdiva wrote:
@SilleeMee wrote:
Saline is not used because saline is not very effective at removing mucous or other body fluids. Saline hydrates and 'feeds' the problem.
I use a Neti Pot, recommended by my doctor, that uses the premixed packets of sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate. I mix that with 8oz of bottled water and heat it in the microwave about 35 seconds.

There are days that I have a sinus headache and using my neti pot is the only thing that gets rid of it. It's not something I use daily

Yes, adding the sodium bicarb to the saline changes the pH of the solution slightly to become more alkaline. This will act more or less as a 'detergent', a cleanser. Saline all by itself has a pH of 5.5 which is identical to most normal skin pH and saline is used to prevent stripping of mucosal linings or flesh by preserving the normal pH environment.

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

sidsmom — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 21:08:00 GMT

@SilleeMee

What about these pre-made packets?

I use this since my nasal rinses are infrequent.

Thoughts?

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

SilleeMee — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 21:19:16 GMT

Not sure about that one @sidsmom. About the only real way to say if it's effective is to check the pH of that solution. I would think it's not just normal saline and something added to the 'saline' part would make a cleansing agent rather than a hydrating fluid. Most bottled or distilled water have pHs of around 7.0. Plain, normal saline is 5.5.

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

goldensrbest — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 21:30:16 GMT

AYR, makes a saline rinse.

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

I am still oxox — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 21:35:54 GMT

@sidsmom

This is what I have used for years, prehap I misspoke when I refered to it as saline

@sidsmom wrote:
@SilleeMee
What about these pre-made packets?
I use this since my nasal rinses are infrequent.
Thoughts?

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

Mom2Dogs — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 21:52:38 GMT

I watch Monsters Inside Me.....it has taught me a lot about those 'bugs' and illnesses people can get -so when I started using a netti pot I knew enough to at least boil the water first....I didn't want to keep bottled water or distilled water on hand.

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

RedTop — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 21:55:40 GMT

Distilled water only, makes perfect sense for flushing sinus cavities and using in C-paps. The jugs are sealed to ensure that water is bacteria free and safe to use.

You are rinsing an area that leads directly to your brain. Using tap water gives a greater chance for introducing bacteria into the perfect environment for it to thrive and cause a life threatening infection.

Even tho my public water supply is safe, there is a black scum that forms under the rim of my toilet bowl where the water portals are, and the same scum is found on the filter of my faucets in the bathrooms and kitchen sink. No way would I use tap water to “clean” my sinus cavity.

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

riley1 — Tue, 18 Sep 2018 22:13:43 GMT

I use the premixed packets and bottled water that I boil. I have done it this way for many years.

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

Eliana — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 01:25:49 GMT

My doctor told me I could either buy distilled or boil the water, and advised me to just make a homemade saline solution. This is what I use:

Add 1 cup (250 mL) distilled water to a clean container. If you use tap water, boil it first to sterilize it, and then let it cool until it is lukewarm.
Add ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) salt to the water.
Add ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) baking soda.

Re: Using distilled water for neti pot saline rinses

Alison Wonderland — Wed, 19 Sep 2018 14:22:03 GMT

@I am still oxox wrote:
@sidsmom

This is what I have used for years, prehap I misspoke when I refered to it as saline

@sidsmom wrote:
@SilleeMee
What about these pre-made packets?
I use this since my nasal rinses are infrequent.
Thoughts?

@sidsmom and @I am still oxox, these are saline with sodium bicarbonate mixed in. They're fine. You can mix your own at home and it's cheaper, but these are great for convenience.