Neti pots are all the rage. They are touted as a natural way to clear nasal passages using a simple salt water solution instead of medicine. However, in rare cases, they can be deadly vehicles of a brain-eating disease.
A Seattle woman recently died when she contracted an infection after using a neti pot to treat a chronic sinus infection. The 69-year-old woman used tap water filtered by a Brita water purifier to help clear her sinuses according to a report published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases. Sadly, the water contained amoebas that traveled into her brain, wreaking havoc in their path.
While Dr. Jennifer Copeland, a medical epidemiologist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that while these infections are rare, they are caused by using tap water in neti pots.
“The message we want people to hear is that if you use a neti pot you should not use tap water directly,” she said.
Neti pots are those long-necked containers used for rinsing out nasal passages. They are usually safe, say experts, but every now and then, they can transit a water-borne illness, like brain eating amoeba. With the increase in popularity of these devices, it’s crucial to pay attention to the sterility of the water used.
If you are using a popular neti pot, here are the CDC recommendations:
- Use distilled or sterile water. If using tap or filtered water, boil for several minutes and let cool until it’s lukewarm.
- Tilt your head sideways over the sink and place the spout of the neti pot in the upper nostril.
- Breathing through your open mouth, gently pour the salt water solution into your upper nostril so that the liquid drains through your lower nostril.
- Repeat on the other side.
- Rinse the irrigation device after ever use with similarly distilled, sterile, previously boiled and cooled water and leave open to air dry.