Nose Bidet Offers Relief to Allergy Sufferers

It may be one of the hot buzzwords of the past year, but allergists at National Jewish Medical Research Center have been recommending it for years to help allergy sufferers. It’s a nose bidet, and yes it works exactly like you’re imagining it does. The New York Times recently identified “nose bidet” as one of the trendy new phrases to find a place in the national vernacular; Google listed the nose bidet as one of its “hot trends” and; a nasal wash has even been hyped by Oprah.

“Nose bidet, Neti pot, nasal wash or whatever you want to call it, it really helps a number of allergy sufferers alleviate symptoms,” said Anne Lent, MD, National Jewish allergist, and co-medical director of National Jewish at Highlands Ranch. “It flushes out the nose and makes nasal sprays much more effective in the treatment of allergies.”

There are several different types of nose bidets but all work essentially the same way, by flushing salt water through your nasal cavities. This simple non-medication treatment helps allergy sufferers. It:

• Cleans mucus from the nose so medication is more effective.
• Cleans allergens and irritants from the nose reducing their impact.
• Removes bacteria and viruses from the nose reducing the frequency of infection.
• Decreases swelling in the nose and increases air flow.

With spring allergy season just around the corner, a nasal irrigator may be a good purchase for allergy sufferers.

While nose bidets may be catching more attention recently, National Jewish patients have been receiving and using them for years. The nasal washes can also be picked up at most pharmacies and grocery stores for as little as $10.