Do doctors recommend Neti pots?

Does the Neti Pot Really Work? Some ear, nose, and throat surgeons recommend nasal irrigation with a Neti pot or other method for their patients who’ve undergone sinus surgery, to clear away crusting in the nasal passages.

Do Neti pots cause brain infections?

Balamuthia can travel to the brain and can cause a deadly infection. Little is known about how people contract the amoeba and how to prevent it. She tested negative for Naegleria fowleri, another amoeba able to cause deadly brain infections that was linked to a death of a Louisiana man who used a neti pot in 2013.

What do doctors say about Neti pots?

The only people who categorically should not use neti pots or irrigation bottles are those with fresh trauma to the nose, Bleier says, since the fluid can irritate the injury or cause infections to spread. People should be particularly cautious because of the nose’s proximity to the brain, Bleier says.

How many people have died using neti pots?

Just three got the bug from nasal irrigation, making the grand total number of people who are thought to have died from neti pots a whopping four (including the first case mentioned, which involved another kind of amoeba).

How do I stop brain-eating amoeba?

Brain-eating amoeba prevention

1. Avoid swimming in still, warm, brackish water that has loose bottom sediment.
2. Avoid jumping or diving into the same type of water.
3. Wear a nose clip or hold your nose if you jump or dive into relatively warm water lakes, rivers, pools or other similar bodies of water.

Do your sinuses lead to your brain?

Once there, the infection can lead to swelling of the brain, seizures, altered mental state, and vomiting. So, yes, an sinus infection can (rarely) go to your brain, but here’s the thing: It almost never comes out of nowhere, and it always causes symptoms—like an extremely severe headache.

What causes brain eating amoeba?

Naegleria fowleri usually infects people when contaminated water enters the body through the nose. Once the ameba enters the nose, it travels to the brain where it causes PAM, which is usually fatal. Infection typically occurs when people go swimming or diving in warm freshwater places, like lakes and rivers.

What are the odds of getting a brain eating amoeba?

The fact is, you will almost certainly not die of Naegleria fowleri. Even at 16 deaths in the US per year, that’s a one-in-20-million chance.

What happens if you use tap water for sinus rinse?

Tap water isn’t safe for use as a nasal rinse because it’s not adequately filtered or treated. Some tap water contains low levels of organisms — such as bacteria and protozoa, including amoebas — that may be safe to swallow because stomach acid kills them.