Xylitol Saline Solution
This is a recipe for a solution I used to use to irrigate my sinuses daily. It was originally published many years ago on some other site of mine.
Recipe:
I used to irrigate my sinuses twice a day, every day. Saline solution always burned terribly and wasn't that effective.
After reading up on research into the germ-killing properties of xylitol for Cystic Fibrosis patients, I developed the above recipe with a little help from a friend who had medical training.
This recipe was both gentler and more effective for me. It was also something my son was willing to use as a teen because it is gentler.
I experimented and tried just a xylitol solution as well and that also was less effective than this. Combining xylitol and salt made a very big difference in how much it helped to irrigate my sinuses back when that was a part of my routine.
My old notes indicate the salt helped reduce inflammation and the xylitol helped kill infection.
How to irrigate all surfaces of your sinuses:
I always got in an Islamic-style, head to the floor, worship-type position and squirted it up into the sinus chambers in my forehead (above the eyes) first. I waited a couple of minutes and then did the bottoms of my sinuses, as described above. I also did three squirts into the bottom part of the sinuses: one with my head tilted to the right, one to the left, and one in the middle. I found that got complete coverage without having to just flood my sinuses. Smaller amounts of fluid like that were easier to tolerate. I didn't feel like I was going to drown.
A convenient way to use this daily:
I boiled my bulb syringes daily or, as a minimum, within 48 hours. I found that these solutions kept just fine in a bulb syringe with a cap (they make them for carrying in baby bags) for up to 48 hours. After that, reusing it actually promoted infection in me. However, when I knew I was sick, I would change them more often. You may need to experiment with this. What works for me may not work for you.
Tips on glass jars and traveling:
I tried a few different glass containers before I found something I like: Quart sized Mason jars, like you buy for doing home canning. You can buy plastic screw-on lids to go with them. They are not very expensive. I bought a whole case of Mason jars and, when I traveled, treated one as 'disposable' so I wouldn't have glass in my suitcase coming home.
For traveling, I also pre-measured and pre-mixed the salt and baking soda, storing it in individual Ziploc freezer bags (one for each week I would be gone), and then double bagged them in a larger Ziploc freezer bag for security. (You want to use freezer bags, not sandwich bags, because they are sturdier.)
I took a Brita pitcher with me and I soaked my bulb syringes in peroxide over night in place of boiling. (I prefer boiling, but I did not have access to proper cooking facilities.) This was a very workable arrangement for traveling with it.
Footnote from February 3, 2006:
My health has improved greatly since I originally wrote this page. I only irrigate my sinuses two or three times a week now. I typically use sea salt mixed in water. Sea salt is not as harsh as table salt.
Rather than go through the hassle of mixing a large batch in a glass jar, I mix half a cup of water with around half a teaspoon of sea salt, and put it in a bulb syringe. Whatever is left in the glass gets used to rinse my mouth, gargle with, and drink some of it. That way, the entire area is cleansed at the same time that I do my sinuses and it makes it more effective than just doing a saline wash of the sinuses.
Recipe:
- Put 1/4 cup of xylitol crystals in a one quart GLASS jar.
- Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of "canning" or "pickling" salt. (Do not use table salt. It is too harsh, due to the chemical additives it contains.)
- Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of sodium carbonate (baking soda) as a "buffer" and for its ant-acid properties.
- Add one quart of water (distilled or filtered and boiled)
- Shake or stir well. Discard after one week.
I used to irrigate my sinuses twice a day, every day. Saline solution always burned terribly and wasn't that effective.
After reading up on research into the germ-killing properties of xylitol for Cystic Fibrosis patients, I developed the above recipe with a little help from a friend who had medical training.
This recipe was both gentler and more effective for me. It was also something my son was willing to use as a teen because it is gentler.
I experimented and tried just a xylitol solution as well and that also was less effective than this. Combining xylitol and salt made a very big difference in how much it helped to irrigate my sinuses back when that was a part of my routine.
My old notes indicate the salt helped reduce inflammation and the xylitol helped kill infection.
How to irrigate all surfaces of your sinuses:
I always got in an Islamic-style, head to the floor, worship-type position and squirted it up into the sinus chambers in my forehead (above the eyes) first. I waited a couple of minutes and then did the bottoms of my sinuses, as described above. I also did three squirts into the bottom part of the sinuses: one with my head tilted to the right, one to the left, and one in the middle. I found that got complete coverage without having to just flood my sinuses. Smaller amounts of fluid like that were easier to tolerate. I didn't feel like I was going to drown.
A convenient way to use this daily:
I boiled my bulb syringes daily or, as a minimum, within 48 hours. I found that these solutions kept just fine in a bulb syringe with a cap (they make them for carrying in baby bags) for up to 48 hours. After that, reusing it actually promoted infection in me. However, when I knew I was sick, I would change them more often. You may need to experiment with this. What works for me may not work for you.
Tips on glass jars and traveling:
I tried a few different glass containers before I found something I like: Quart sized Mason jars, like you buy for doing home canning. You can buy plastic screw-on lids to go with them. They are not very expensive. I bought a whole case of Mason jars and, when I traveled, treated one as 'disposable' so I wouldn't have glass in my suitcase coming home.
For traveling, I also pre-measured and pre-mixed the salt and baking soda, storing it in individual Ziploc freezer bags (one for each week I would be gone), and then double bagged them in a larger Ziploc freezer bag for security. (You want to use freezer bags, not sandwich bags, because they are sturdier.)
I took a Brita pitcher with me and I soaked my bulb syringes in peroxide over night in place of boiling. (I prefer boiling, but I did not have access to proper cooking facilities.) This was a very workable arrangement for traveling with it.
Footnote from February 3, 2006:
My health has improved greatly since I originally wrote this page. I only irrigate my sinuses two or three times a week now. I typically use sea salt mixed in water. Sea salt is not as harsh as table salt.
Rather than go through the hassle of mixing a large batch in a glass jar, I mix half a cup of water with around half a teaspoon of sea salt, and put it in a bulb syringe. Whatever is left in the glass gets used to rinse my mouth, gargle with, and drink some of it. That way, the entire area is cleansed at the same time that I do my sinuses and it makes it more effective than just doing a saline wash of the sinuses.
