Clearing up a Clogged Nose.

I had chronic sinus problems until I started doing sinus rinses. Get the NeilMed Sinus Rinse (I got mine at walmart) It is a squeeze bottle. It has seriously made all the difference in the world for me!! No more drugs!!

I've heard that neti pots are really good at clearing everything out quickly. You can find them at Walgreens.

If you can stomach sour stuff, try drinking a few spoonfuls of apple cider vinegar mixed in a tall glass of water. Drinking it through a straw helps to cut down on how much of it you actually taste. It really helped me when I had allergy-related sinus problems back in April/March.

The neti pot or nasal wash will definitely help, I bought one for my husband and sister. But now we all drink MonaVie and their allergies are virtually gone. Plus it can help with everything from headaches and foot pain, to lack of energy and your immune system. I have been drinking it for a year and a half now and have had only 2 minor, short-lasting colds. Nothing else. My whole family is so much healthier! 4 oz a day gives you the nutritional equivalent of 13 servings of fruits and veggies! So you could clear up your nasal passages and help every other part of your body too!

Let me know if you would like more info and good luck with your nose!

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I've had a lot of sinus/congestion problems and the only thing that helped was the NeilMed Sinus Rinse. Available at most drugstores. You blast saline solution up your nose and it washes out allergens and everything else! It's fantastic. If you are sick or have a sinus infection, it will save your life. I saw an ENT and got a cat scan of my head and everything because my chronic congestion was driving me insane. The rinse was the only thing I could do. The only thing that helped. Good luck.

I have had great luck with a NeilMed Nasal Irrigator.... http://www.neilmed.com/usa/index.php it is MUCH cheaper than a Neti Pot and works just as well. I also buy their packets of rinse preparation....much easier on the nasal passages than just regular salt water.
If you have trouble finding it, ask at your pharmacy, we carry it behind the counter in our pharmacy for our customers.
I would use it every day to start...really get those sinuses cleared out...it works wonders!!! I know it doesn't sound very pleasant...I resisted it for a LONG time but believe me..it doesn't hurt..and it helps TREMENDOUSLY!!! Read the package insert and head positioning etc...to make it easier.
Good luck!!
R. Ann

I would definitely use a humidifier (they help me so much) and second (or third or forth) the netti pot/neilmed thing. I had several doctors recommend it before I gave in and started using it. I try to use it once a day (been bad lately) and then after I've been doing something that I know bothers me (taking kids to horse riding lessons, park, etc.). Just know, it was terrible for me at first, but as I figured out how to use it better, it doesn't bother me anymore.

Good luck. I know how annoying that can be.

K.

hi J.
I have had the stuffed up nose also, and it like there isn't anything in my nose its just swelled shut, nothing comes out when I blow. I mix my own sinus wash and then I put it in a nasal squirt bottle, here is the recipe:
combine following ingredients;
1 quart boiled water
2-3 heaping teaspoons sea salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
mix well and put in a container with a lid to keep.
Fill squirt bottle with luke warm solution, lean over the sink, nostrils pointing downward toward sink. you want to keep you nostrils down because if you don't it goes down the throat, some times I turn my head alittle as I jet the solution into nasal cavity. Wash nose 2-3 times a day, I do this until it clears up some times it just 2 or 3 days sometimes longer. But it works I haven't had to go to the doctor since I found this recipe on line. I use this smaller recipe when I don't need a quart made up.
1 cup boiled water, 3/4 tsp sea salt, 1/8 tsp. baking soda.
sound like you have had some good advice. I have a friend who uses the neti pot and it works great also.
hope all this things help, and I too have used the nose sprays, vicki mist and they work great in an emergency, but if you use them all the time, your nose gets addicted, but within 24 hours your nose is working on its own again, but while you waiting for it to get unaddicted its clogged up waiting for a dose of spray. I use it only when I am somewhere I can spray and I make sure it don't use it again for 12 hours. hope all this helps.
J.

Have you talked to your doctor about it? I had that problem about a month or so ago...I actually thought that I wouldn't be able to smell again because I was stuffed up for so long. He prescribed me some antiobiotics because it was most likely a sinus infection(which you can get free at Schnucks if you weren't aware of that :)...then my ear was really itchy...I finally saw my doc about it and he said that my eustachian tube was irritated. He said that he usually only saw that in people that had allergies or skin conditions like excema...he prescribed me some ear drops and it felt better but now it's coming back...it might be worth a trip to the doctor so you can get some relief. Good luck!

You can try the humidifier and see if that works try putting vix in the humidifier that way you can breath that in and/or try to put vix by your nose to see if that may clear you up. Have you tried Ocean nose drops? Other than that you may need to go to ask a nurse.com or health md.com I think thats what those sites are called.

Not sure what allergy med. you are taking but I know that when I was taking the 24 hour stuff the same thing happened to me. I have to take the 12 hour Zyrtec D (behind the pharm. counter). I have taken most allergy meds and this was the only one that worked for me till they made it an otc med. I do not think it is near as strong as what I was taking at prescription stregth. You might try to switch from 24 to 12 hour or even switch meds all together.
You can also put a humidifier any where in the house that you feel is dry but I would only put one in my bedroom during the summer and then during the winter or colder weather in any room the air felt dry. My dr. said that if I wanted to try a Netti Pot that it was fine as long as I did not use it all the time. I have really bad sinus infections in fact when I was pregnant with my second one I had one about every two months. Once I had my son my sinus infections slowed down to now I get one or two a year. That was just 2 years ago.

Hope you feel better soon.

Ive tried the nettie pot - it didn't work great for me. I love Clariton D (BEHIND THE PHARMACY COUNTER) it's the only stuff that works for me. I get the 24 hour one and take it in the morning.

L.

My husband uses a Netti pot, but I use Afrin. Good luck, I know it sucks!

I think the Netti Pot is what you need. I have the same problems and it works wonders when you get stuffed up. The doctor recommended the same type treatment to my mother years ago when she had a very bad sinus infection, it was the only thing that gave her relief. My daughter tried it and had trouble with the water going through her nose, but I think she just needed to persist, I had the same problem later and found that pouring and blowing the nose worked in a while. After using it you won't believe how good you feel! I saw this on an Oprah with Dr. Oz, the lady that tried it out said she loved it so much that she used it daily. I think this is what you need, no drugs!

I have, or should I say HAD, the same problem. A humidifier next to the bed did the trick. Please, please, DO NOT use Afrin (or similar) nasal spray. It is incredibly addictive, and the more you use it, the more you need to use it. It's a terrible cycle, and getting "unhooked" can take several weeks of feeling like there's cement in your nasal passages! Saline spray is fine, though. Good luck to you.

Get a sinus rinse bottle at the local drug store. They are inexpensive and you can make your own solution (Not sure the exact measurements). It will clean you out. It feels nasty at first, but you get used to it.

Try Ayr or Ocean Brand Saline Nasal Mist. It's dr. recommended, non-medicated and "helps you breathe better" since it'll keep everything moist in there. You can find it anywhere...pharmacy, grocery store, Walmart.

Have you ever tried using a neti pot? I know it's not exactly the most comfortable looking thing to do but I have had great success with it. I just fill mine with warm,salted water. I know you can find saline and other drops to add to the water in the health food stores but I've never tried them. Google neti pot and you'll find out all kinds of information! Good luck!

Here's one idea to try that my daughter (21) is getting very faithful using to help same symptoms with her allergies - AYR Saline Sinus Wash - use every day to help alleviate allergens in your nose. Using it in the shower helps because it is messy, but she is happy with the results.

Have you tried Breathe Right strips? They work really well for me when I have a clogged nose. Good luck! It's so hard to sleep when you're stopped up.

I have had the same problem so I feel your pain. My nose was closing up as a result of using the over the counter nose sprays. My doctor said the sprays (like afrin) have steroids in them and my nose was getting "addcited" to them. When the spray would wear off, so to speak, my nose would close up and I would spray more and it was the only thing that helped. So, I had to wean myself off the nose spray and started using a prescribed spray and it takes longer to help, but it eventually stopped all together. Now I don't use the over the counter sprays at all.

I don't know if you use the sprays enough to cause this, but thought I would let you know my situation just in case! Good luck with it!

My SIL clued us in on the saline solutions. My nephew has horrible allergies and he uses it on top of the medicine to help clear things out. My hubby started doing it in the shower every morning and now he swears by it. The medicated nasal sprays can cause all kinds of problems but the saline solution just breaks stuff up and clears it out. You can actually make the stuff yourself too so it is much more cost effective as well. I don't have the "recipe" but I'm sure you could find it somewhere. You might also try a different medicine. The medicine that you are using for your allergies might be causing some of the problem even though it is fixing the allergies.