Hydration

If you have sinus problems, it's important to keep your sinuses well hydrated (moisturized), to keep mucus membranes from drying out, which prevents them from protecting against bacterial infection. Saline nose spray is helpful in this regard. You can use it between irrigations or on days when you're not experiencing any symptoms and are not irrigating.

Some people, however, are sensitive to the preservatives used in over-the-counter saline sprays -- their sinuses become irritated. These preservatives can also slow down the functioning of the cilia, which also compromises the sinuses' disease-fighting capabilities. Be particularly wary of any product for the sinuses that's preserved with benzalkonium chloride. A number of recent studies have shown that it can damage the cilia and lead to mucosal swelling, the exact opposite of the effect you want.

If you frequently use saline nose spray, mixing a batch of home-made saline solution is safer than buying a commercial brand nose spray in a pharmacy or supermarket. To prevent infected mucus from being sucked into the spray bottle, remove the bottle from your nose before releasing the sides of the bottle. To further reduce the chance of contamination, it's good practice to throw the saline out and mix another batch once a week.

You can make an excellent preservative-free isotonic saline solution for nose spray with Breathe Ease, which is also used to make irrigation solution and is available through HydroMed, at 800-560-9007.

A new saline nose spray on the market is SinusMagic. It's pricey at $11.99 per one-ounce bottle, but it appears to do a better job than saline alone of clearing out sticky mucus.

Along with salt (sodium chloride), SinusMagic contains thymol; eucalyptol; menthol; benzoin; potassium alum; potassium chlorate; sodium bicarbonate; glycerine; oils of sweet birch, spearment, pine, and cinnamon; and alcohol (1/100 of 1 percent). These ingredients are similar to those used in Alkalol, but because of the addition of glycerine and because it's pH balanced, it doesn't sting like Alkalol can. SinusMagic like any saline-based nose spray can be a good adjunct to irrigation but shouldn't replace it.

You can make a nose spray similar to SinusMagic and save money, though you'll have to experiment with the amounts. To water add a small amount of Alkalol and glycerine as well as sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and salt. Alternatively, to water you can add Alkalol, glycerine, and Breathe Ease. You can skip the glycerine if Alkalol doesn't bother you.

You can help the saline reach more sinus tissue by tilting your head back or lying on your back while you squirt the solution into each nostril.