OK first of all I would like to state that I have no connection with the product I am using but I thought I would share with Arfcom something that has helped me out.   I have had sinus issues for many years. Pretty sure my sinuses being plugged lead to an ear infection rupturing my ear drum (Dr claims it was a contaminated ear plug but that is another story).  Over the past 3 years I have had antibiotics sinus infections about 15 times.  Have entertained sinus surgery but really have been scared off by some of the horror stories of the recovery. I also have relatives that have had the surgery done just to be back to where they where after a couple years.   For the past 4 years I have done the neti pot thing and it helped but never could stop me from getting infections.  

I found something that finally has gotten my sinuses cleaned out.  Of all things a sugar substitute called Xylitol, got it at natural foods store, about $6 a pound, in the baking isle.  I add a tsp of the stuff to the neti pot and let it dissolve for a few minutes and do a normal rinse.  The reading I have done claims that it is anti fungal, anti bacterial and cuts into mucus allowing it to be rinsed out easier.   I started with a tsp  and a half and rinsed 3 times a day for the first week, I think a tsp would of done the job.  The first day really did not see much different in output.  Second day through about the 5th day was another story.  I had globs come out and burned through a couple boxes of tissue blowing my nose.  The first few days where miserable with all the crap that was coming out of my nose.  I would do the bottle rinse first and then a few minutes later do the neti pot.  Got what looked like half mucus and half scab a few times on the 4th day.  After the 5th day I was getting all clear discharge from my nose.  With the exception of a couple of green mucus here and there I have had all clear for the past 2 weeks. May see if 1/2 tsp does the job next.   Have not breathed as well through my nose as I can now in a long time.  There is even a nose spray with the stuff that I use during the day to help keep them clean.

I have seen countless threads on sinus rinses so I know there are some plugged sinuses on Arf.  And other then tasting sweeter snot now and then is about the only side effect I have found.  Google can pull up the same info I found on it.  It worked good for me so far so I figured I would help out some people here.

I had surgery about a year ago.  It is a life changer.  If you were in Alabama I could recommend a good doctor.  

I took a total of one pain pill after the surgery.  1/2 the first night, 1/2 the second night.

I use a Neti Pot regularly. I'll have to give it a try...



 

I'm 32 and have had a minimum of 2 sinus infections a year since puberty. I am allergic to every plant in existence
I'm about to get my first infection for this year, I can feel it building up. I have been to ENTs and allergists, but none have ever recommended the surgery route. Why is this? Is it only to clear polyps?
Thanks for the tip, I will try it tomorrow. BTW, what is bottle cleaning?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol#Ear_and_upper_respiratory_infections

Woah, that's really cool.

Xylitol is all the rage right now.

Guess that means it'll be banned soon. Better stock up.

Really? No bullshit?



I'll have to try it. I get a sinus infection/ear infections at least once a year which is down considerably form the roughly once a week as a child.

They can do lots of other things then just clear polyps,  You may not have anything that surgery can fix though.  

The squeeze bottle for sinus rinse.  allows a little more pressure and flow on the rinse.

google shopping

No BS really,  It also has in Wiki that chewing gum with it will help prevent ear infections too.

I don't get frequent sinus infections (thank goodness) but despite having a big nose I have small nasal passages.  I've considered nasal irrigation to help clear things out.  Maybe I could try this xylitol stuff as well.

I've wrestled with a low-grade sinus issue for years; last week it turned into a raging infection that cost me a week's work.

You have my attention.

WOW!  Thanks for the info.  I'm going to give this a try.

Just curious, do you still use the salt in order to maintain the correct PH?

I completely believe it.

When I have that slimy post-nasal-drip sore throat, the kind that sticks to the back of your throat no matter what you do, if I buy generic sugar-free lemonade powder that uses xylitol or similar sugar alcohols, it cuts right through it and leaves my throat feeling clear and pain-free after the first few gulps of one glass.

I too have a long history of sinus infections. So much so, when I got a head MRI for something else, my doctor said, "Oh yeah, I can see what you were telling me about your sinuses." I guess they're visibly blown out on X-ray and CT/MRI scans.

I've toughened up a bit as an adult from it's worst as a teen, but the Xylitol and neti-pot is something I'll have to try. And give my kids Xylitol gum too.

Ditch the squeeze bottle and neti pot and get this.  Works much better.  IMHO the squeeze bottle and neti pot just don't work very well for those of us with severe sinus issues, since they are too low pressure.  A big blue ear bulb from walgreens does far better, but is actually too low volume and can be too high pressure if you're not careful.

This works far better and so far has helped me tremendously.  

I used to get an infection every month, tried everything I could think of including peroxide, bleach, ect.... many antibiotics, two sinus surgeries.  The xylitol does indeed help when combined with a nasal irrigator, although it works better if you don't follow the instructions.  Use it in one nostril then blow out the other side several times once water starts coming out the other side.  Now do this for the other side, and switch back and forth.  

I haven't had an infection since I started this routine (almost 1 yr.).  

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004CQJRE8

Link is for best deal on amazon.com, there are other options for the same product with lots of reviews, but they don't give as much bang for the buck.

And, yes you need to use salt, xylitol, and baking soda to maintain the ph.  You can buy the premade stuff or make your own.  You can even use a few drops (3-10) of pure glycerin in the rinse if you have dryness in you sinuses.

I still use the salt mix.  Forgot to add it and if stung a little with out the salt.  Not a painful but not as nice as it normally is.

I would say yes.



The bottle of Xlear I have lists the following ingredients:

Purified water, Xylitol,Saline, Grapefruit Seed Extract



I don't feel like paying another $12 for a bottle so I'm going to be rolling my own.

Picking up some pure glycerin after work tomorrow.  Thanks for the tip.

I did not know they made that large of system for rinses.  May have to pull the trigger on one.  I was thinking about one of the powered water pik bottles.

is this the stuff?




 

Yep.

for you guys here stating that you also get ear infections from your sinus infections, do you also get bad inner ear fluid build up too?  To the point your ear is cracking and clogging and you get slightly dizzy and/or "off" for a better word?

If so, what have you done to dry it up.  I'm on a month after a terrible ear infection and the drum bursting.  Finally got my hearing back but the inner ear fluid is a MF'er.  Doc suggested Allegra and a nose spray to dry it up, so far after 8 days it's still not helped.

Had some beer last night, this morning it was worse.

I've never gotten sinus or ear infections, but I am allergic to pretty much EVERYTHING outside.  My sinuses are almost always plugged up.  I have a rinse bottle type thing instead of a neti pot that I use, but I really don't use it often enough.

I may have to look into getting some Xylitol and see how it works.

yes, it is... but it's not because of xylitol.  It's because of the mechanics of chewing gum.

Mom was advised to try this for me when I was a child.  The other option was putting tubes in my ears - with only a 50% chance that it'd work.  So the doctor said "Why don't you try this first?"

Back then xylitol was *just* being added to sugar free gum and I'm pretty sure Mom was giving me the regular sugar stuff.

Just ordered that bag off amazon

Cant wait to try it out

Ive been suffering from chronic sinus problems my whole life

Ruptured my drum a month ago and it prompted me to look for something to improve things and found xylitol.  I found what helped was chewing sugar free gum and taking Mucinex,  I would even try the xylitol gum.  Chewing helps move things through the drain tubes.   The motion issue I would try Drammine, or any other motion sickness pill.

from the wiki link above.

Xylitol sounds interesting, I may give it a try.  I've had sinus problems for 20 years, and have found that irrigation is the best thing I can do for it.  Twice a day, every day,whether I'm showing symptoms or not.  Call it preventive maintenance.  In the past I just used a $0.99 pointy tip squeeze bottle from the drug store, and mixed my own salt and baking soda for the solution.  I've been using the Neil Med siinus rinse the last few years, it works well, though the salt/soda packets aren't as cheap as buying and mixing your own.  

One tip: DO NOT USE iodized salt!  That shit burns!  Use kosher or plain salt instead.  Some people use pickling salt, I think.  Warm tap water works, but if you've got funky water use distilled H2O instead.

Another tip: hypersaline nasal irrigation, google it.  You mix the solution very strong; it helps draw out the nasty stuff.  Don't swallow the solution in any event, let it drain out your nose and/or mouth.

Xylitol containing chewing gum has been shown to have a slight anti cavity effect as well.  It's the miracle sweetener!

OP and others that have frequent sinus headaches -

Do you get bad headaches with the sinus episodes?  If so you may want to assess the possibility that you get migraine headaches, and that the sinus issues are actually a side effect of the migraine, not the other way around.

My wife battled "sinus issues" for several years, taking antibiotics, allergy medications, sudafed, etc that never seemed to help.  And the drs would just dismiss it as sinus issues every time.  Finally I did some research and found that this is extremely common and fairly well studied, however a LOT of doctors apparently never got the memo and go about their routine of look up your nose, prescribe antibiotics, slap you on the ass, and take your money.

If you have recurrent "sinus headaches" it's an avenue worth exploring- we finally got my wife with a good neurologist (one of a small handful of doctors I actually trust) that's given her meds to both prevent and treat her migraines.  Her quality of life is much improved.

http://www.achenet.org/education/patients/SinusHeadacheorMigraine.asp

Hey FivePoint - thanks a ton for the info.

I know when I am getting hit with a sinus headache.  I get tons of sinus pressure before hand that is the warning sign to worse things to come.  Since I got them cleaned out I have not had a sinus headache.  Had a regular one but I banged my head against something.

No problem.

I have never heard of a "Neti Pot" before so I had to Google it.
Hmmmm, weird but what ever works.....
I saw this Youtube vid and laughed my ass off at the very end.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQm7YpxgOnA

tag

Just sent this thread to my son-in-law. Poor guy has been suffering most of his life.

I had the surgery 4 years ago this month and it was a life changer. From about 12-21 I suffered from constant plugged nose and infections. After the operation my sense of smell came back instantly and I bet I gained 5 lbs just eating foods and loving it again. I;m with the other guy on the pain issue, it was NON-EXISTANT, even when the doc pulled the packing out, gross as hell, but after that it was amazing. I had polyps removed and also they widened my sinues cavities and opened up some other stuff. The surgery was supposed to be about 2 hours, but I was worst than the doc thought so it took longer. I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I still get plugged up when i get a cold, but the difference is I can blow it out after a few days. Afrin and the good Sudafed work great if I need a little help clearing up.

Interesting thread.

CVS has pure glycerin in the cosmetics section, and I think Rite-aid has it.  Walgreens does not.  

Took me a while to spend $100 on the irrigation system, but now am glad I did.  
I like the system, but have to use it on the highest setting due to having had surgeries.  You probably can get away with a middle setting, since you haven't had surgery.

I have actually found that the 9mm boresnake works extremely well for clearing the sinuses. Do not use Hoppes 9.....CLP is much easier to take.....

(This is a shameless tag for reading later)......

Good info, thanks!  While I don't suffer from sinus infections I am an allergy sufferer and I use a neti pot during the worst of it to flush all the crap out of my head.  I'll have to try the Xylitol as well as some of the other suggestions here like the glycerin.

tag.

Snot relief tag.

I have constant sinus trouble. I couldn't get the hang of the netti pot, so I went with the squeeze bottle.
Works like a champ. The clear feeling lasts for several hours. It does take a time or two to get used to.

Looks a lot like this guy, without the gayness...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FaT1KYQ9N0&feature=related

I know my issue is sinuses for it is a permanent reminder of a bad car wreck I was in. Without all the gory details, one injury was my face hit the steering wheel and it cracked a tiny sliver of my skull where your nose opening would be. So every time I get a cold the sinus pressure builds and I get some good localized pain in that old injury.






Well, from the description above it is obvious I have "issues" with my sinuses. So I went out and purchased a bag of Xylitol immediately after reading this. I also stopped by the local "super pharmacy" and picked up a Waterpik SinuSense Water Pulsator to try out instead of the Neti Pot I have been using for a couple years. And immediately began using both.





I have to say that the Waterpik is pretty convenient, and I already like using it more than the Neti. And you definitely would like using it better than a Neti if you have used neither before. It is simple to use and the pulsating flow automatically flows through your sinuses and drains out the other side. So you do not have to do any "kahhhh kahhhh kahhh" tricks with your mouth to get it flowing. You just pull the trigger and it flows.  





As for the Xylitol, I started with it tonight but will only get one application before bed time. So I'll report back in a day or so to update you guys who have never used it either.
 








 

what gum has Xylit in it?

I'll have to give the xylitol a try. I use the neti pot and salt twice a day and globs of yellow always come out. I've seen a doctor about it but she blew it off saying it was just dust. I told her my sinuses hurt nearly 24/7 and she says its just dust and to stop blowing my nose so often.

edit: so is there something in the xylitol that is is anti-bacterial or is it just the act of chewing the gum?

thats the same stuff in trident chewing gum

I too have had sinus issues for as long as I can remember. (I am 28)

I am allergic to pretty much all sorts of pollen, dust, plants, pet dander etc.

I had the sinus surgery a few years ago. Immediately following the surgery I felt great, but the positive effects seem to have subsided over past couple of years.

My sinuses are mainly clear now, but now I have trouble with post nasal drip. Will the Xylitol help with PND? Any other recommendations?