How to Make Xylitol Nasal Flush at Home

Given the unusually large reader response to my last blog regarding xylitol nasal rinses regarding the "recipe," I thought it easier to write a blog about it!!!

To be brief, xylitol is a naturally-occurring plant-based sugar substitute that apparently has all sorts of anti-bacterial as well as anti-fungal properties. Given these properties, daily xylitol gum chewingor xylitol nasal sprayuse has been shown to help prevent recurrent acute ear infections and sinus infections... safe for use even in infants.

When used as part of nasal flushes to the nose, it seems to work even better than traditional saline flushes to the nose (read more about this here).

So, I have provided below a few different recipes to make xylitol nasal flushes at home. One may be more comfortable than the other, but it is user dependent. Obviously, convenience will play a role as well.

Just as an FYI, you can also purchase pre-packaged packetsthat contain xylitol for the ultimate convenience. Just open one packet and mix it in with water inside your nasal flush kit of choice (Nasopure, Neti Pot, Neilmed, etc)

Recipe #1 (Complex):
1 cup of water (8 ounces)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp of xylitol crystals
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 drops of grapefruit seed extract

Recipe #2:

1 cup of water (8 ounces)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp of xylitol crystals

Recipe #3:

1 cup of water (8 ounces)

1/2 - 1 tsp of xylitol crystals

LA Times: Neti-Pots and Other Saline Sinus Rinses Effective

The LA Times on March 15, 2010 published a story entitled "Are neti pots on the nose?". The story describes the effectiveness of regular saline flushes to the nose in reducing as well as preventing allergy symptoms, colds, and sinus infections. Devices that can flush the nose/sinus include Neti-Pots as well as Neilmed Sinus Rinse. Electronic devices also exist (see below).

Studies support this claim.

Though patients can purchase saline packets, patients can make their own saline solution by combining one teaspoon of kosher salt and a half teaspoon of baking soda with a pint of lukewarm tap water.

Read the LA Times story here.

Saline Nasal Sinus Irrigation Systems

I must admit... our office is a big fan of the Neilmed Sinus Rinse bottle for patients who suffer from chronic sinusitis and severe allergies as it is cheap, easy to clean, and it works. However, many patients who are already fans of flushing the nose with saline water end up purchasing saline irrigation systems. There's a bunch of these devices sold on Amazon.com. Check them out below, but I would suggest that you first become adept and able to tolerate saline flushes using the Neilmed sinus rinse bottle first prior to paying almost $100 for these devices.