{"id":1489,"date":"2010-12-15T16:46:42","date_gmt":"2010-12-15T09:46:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wellconnectedmom.thewellconnectedhome.com\/blog\/?p=1489"},"modified":"2010-12-15T16:46:42","modified_gmt":"2010-12-15T09:46:42","slug":"can-you-stave-off-a-cold-waterpiks-new-sinusense-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wellconnectedmom.com\/blog\/can-you-stave-off-a-cold-waterpiks-new-sinusense-line\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Stave off a Cold? Waterpik’s new SinuSense Line"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Lori Cunningham<\/span><\/p>\n

Fall is upon us \u2014 and so is flu season.\u00a0 Is it possible to stave off a cold or the flu or are we doomed to some sort of sickness this<\/p>\n

\"Women<\/p>\n

season?\u00a0 The common cold is the most frequent infectious disease in humans[3]<\/a><\/sup> with on average two to four infections a year in individual adults.\u00a0 Children may have six to ten colds<\/em> a year<\/em> (and up to 12 colds<\/em> a year<\/em> for school children). 2<\/p>\n

And if you get the flu, you\u2019ll have lots of company. Each year from November to April, all across the United States, as many as 60 million people come down with the flu. 3.<\/p>\n

If you suffer from year round allergies, are you destined to a larger heap of used Kleenex\u2019s in your trash can\u00a0this Fall?\u00a0 40 million Americans suffer from allergies each year.\u00a0 Many people\u00a0need medication in order to \u201cdeal\u201d with their allergies.\u00a0 People with allergies suffer when pollens from flowers, trees, grass, animal dander, etc.\u00a0enters their nose through normal breathing.\u00a0 Once inside the nose and into the lungs, these pollens release histamines which cause swelling in their bronchi tubes as well as increase mucus in their nose.<\/p>\n

So How Do You Defend Yourself Against Pollens and Colds?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Some people swear by healthy eating.\u00a0 They say that healthy eating is the best defense you have against getting a cold.\u00a0 Others tout over-the-counter medications like Airborne, Zicam, Cold-FX, and Cold-Eeze.\u00a0 I was recently invited by Waterpik to see a presentation and have\u00a0a discussion on their new SinuSense line.\u00a0 The SinuSense line covers four different types of, well, neti pots.\u00a0 One of the neti pots is battery-operated, which reads gadget to me, so I attended the presentation.<\/p>\n

Neti pots are a type of\u00a0 \u201cnasal saline irrigation, a therapy that uses a salt and water solution to flush out the nasal cavity.\u201d1\u00a0 Neti p\"Netiots have been heralded as a great way to minimize allergies or minimize an oncoming cold.\u00a0 WebMD.com reports that,<\/p>\n

\u201cmany patients with sinus symptoms from bacterial infections, allergies, and environmental irritants also have begun to regularly use the Neti pot or other nasal irrigation devices, claiming that these devices alleviate congestion, facial pain and pressure, and reduce the need for antibiotics and nasal sprays. Research backs up these claims, finding that nasal irrigation can be an effective way to relieve sinus symptoms when used along with standard sinus treatments.1<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In some Eastern cultures, people clean their nose like this as often as they brush their teeth –\u00a0 as\u00a0a part of their\u00a0 healthy\u00a0routine.\u00a0 The neti pot has only recently begun gaining attention as a viable health product in the United States during\u00a0the last 10 years.<\/p>\n

In my\u00a0post about the new SmarTouch gloves<\/a>, I\u00a0mentioned the sudden cold and cloudy weather we\u2019ve been having in sunny Southern California lately.\u00a0 After a week\u2019s respite of nearly 100 degree weather, we\u2019re back to cold and rainy weather.\u00a0 Four days ago I awoke with a scratchy throat.\u00a0 Uh-oh\u2026 I knew a sore throat was on the way.\"Neti<\/p>\n

At the Waterpik SinuSense presentation they mentioned that you should begin using the neti pot at the first sign of a cold.\u00a0 I tend to be hard core when I get sick.\u00a0 I rarely escape by with a brief or nonchalant cold.\u00a0 So I was ready to do anything to\u00a0reduce this next intense cold attack.<\/p>\n

I followed the brief instructions and mixed together the SinuSense saline solution with warm water.\u00a0\u00a0I chose the Neti Bottle first because it has an upgraded control valve to help better control the flow of the water.\u00a0 Also, it is recommended for ages 4 and up, so I figured if it was safe for a kid, it would be more gentle on me.<\/p>\n

I was nervous that the water in my nostril would feel like water going up your nose when in the pool \u2013 a painful, unpleasant experience.\u00a0 Although I did feel a tinge of that when inserting water in my nostril at first, it was not painful.\u00a0 But I\u00a0did have some\u00a0trouble getting the water to go through my sinuses.\u00a0 To be honest, it took me a while to figure it out.\u00a0 Fortunately, my four year old son was watching and told me to press down on the black control valve that I forgot about.\u00a0 Oh yeah.\u00a0 Pressing the button water simply flowed into one nostril and emptied out through the other nostril.\u00a0 Hey, it worked!<\/p>\n

I repeated the same process with my other nostril.\u00a0 It\u2019s a bit of an awkward process \u2013 not one I\u2019d do around my husband for sure.\u00a0 After I was done, I gently blew my nose.\u00a0 Hmmm.\u00a0 That wasn\u2019t so bad.\u00a0 Two days later I graduated to the Water Pulsator, which automatically streams water through your nose with a press of the button.\u00a0 Admittedly, this one made me a bit nervous, what it if pulsated water t\"Wateroo fast or too strong?\u00a0 Luckily, it all turned out fine, and in fact, I prefer the Water Pulsator because it takes less time to empty it\u2019s 8oz. reservoir.<\/p>\n

It is now four days later.\u00a0 Each day I have awoken, I have felt a scratchiness in my throat.\u00a0 However, with cleansing my nose twice a day, I have not had a runny nose, a stuffy nose, or other irritating symptoms, besides a little bit of post nasal drip.\u00a0 I truly believe that using the Neti Bottle has helped me to greatly minimize this first Fall cold.\u00a0 This minimization is no little thing because I often get colds.\u00a0 In fact, I\u2019ve suffered through 2 in the last 2 1\/2 months alone.<\/p>\n

For the little bit of unpleasantness and awkwardness I experienced in cleaning out my sinuses, it is WORTH it to avoid a major cold.\u00a0 In fact, now that I\u2019ve been using the Neti Bottle and Water Pulsator more often, I\u2019m getting better and faster at it.<\/p>\n

Pros<\/strong>:<\/p>\n