Is Nasal Irrigation With Betadine Safe And Effective Method To Deal With Chronic Sinusitis?

Posted on Sun, 29 Dec 2013

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 29 Dec 2013 Answered on

Mon, 20 Jan 2014 Last reviewed on

Question : I have sinusitis and I took antibiotics and they did not help. I have read that some ENT doctors have have told patients to use nasal irrigation with a neti pot and add a few drops of Bentadine. Is this safe and effective?

Answered by Dr. Prahlad Duggal (5 hours later)

Brief Answer: Neti is good but needs to be learnt from expert. Detailed Answer: Hi, Thanks for the query. Nasal irrigation is very effective method to deal with chronic sinusitis. It irrigates the area of nose where are the sinuses drain, declogs that area and helps in better drainage. Neti should be equally effective but needs to be learned from an expert. An Ayurveda expert will be a better person to comment on the technique of neti. Please use rock salt and not commercial salt for irrigation as it contains iodine which irritates the nasal mucosa. Betadine can also act as an irritant and thus should only be used if specifically told by the doctor to do so. Commercially available saline irrigations are also available and easier to use and have better penetration without any training. Please consult your doctor for that. Feel free to ask another query. Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar