Sinus Infections
Natural Remedies

Find Relief from Sinus Infections Naturally

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Betadine
Posted by Rob (Kentucky) on 10/21/2024
★★★★★

I'm going to teach you how to take a simple saline nasal sprayer bought at the discount store and modify it into an anti-microial, anti-biotic solution to douche your sinus for congestion/infection.

Sheffield Saline Nasal Spray, 1.5 fl. oz. (Improved with Povidone Iodine)

Sheffield Saline Nasal Spray, 1.5 fl. oz. contains Sodium Chloride 0.65%. Remove nasal dryness due to allergies, cold, flu, rhinitis, and sinusitis.

Improved Saline Spray (Robs Formula)

1. Open removed nasal cap. Wrap a paper towel around the nasal tip and using a pair of pliers to gently wiggle the nasal tip out.

2. Add 10 (low) to 20 (high) drops (1ml) Povidone Iodine (PVP-I) 10% to the saline solution.

3. Recap the nasal tip to the spray bottle and screw on the cap.

4. Shake bottle to mix ingredients.

5. Use Saline Nasal Spray as normal.

By simply adding PVP-I to the nasal spray provides the following benefits;

It is effective against a variety of bacteria, viruses, yeast, and protozoa. PVP-I is also rapidly virucidal and inactivates coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).

Povidone-iodine (PVP-I) is a broad-spectrum antiseptic with activity against bacteria, fungi, yeast, protozoa and viruses. It has been previously used in both intranasal preparations against Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) as well as oral preparations in in-vitro studies of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), influenza H1N1, and rotavirus (also called adult diarrhoea vomit bug) with good efficacy. Studies evaluate the efficacy of PVP-I as prophylaxis in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID19)-negative front-line health care workers and hospital patients. Due to the known breadth of its antiviral activity and similarities in molecular structure, it can be extrapolated that PVP-I should have robust activity against SARS-CoV-2. Eggers et al found that at a concentration of 1% there was a reduction of viral activity of 99.99% in in-vitro assays. At 2 minutes, a concentration of 0.23% was enough to reduce viral loads appreciably.

Povidone-iodine can safely be used in the nose at concentrations up to 1.25% and in the mouth at concentrations up to 2.5% for up to 5 months. Povidone-iodine rapidly inactivates Coronaviruses, including SARS and MERS, when applied for as little as 15 seconds. There is optimism that PVP-I can inactivate SARS-CoV-2, but in vitro efficacy has not yet been demonstrated.

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0145561320932318

Povidone-iodine can be safely used in the nasal passages at concentrations up to 1.25% for up to 5 months. PVP-I is generally well tolerated, with RARE cases of allergy and contact sensitivity.

Gershenfeld, 1968 states;

Iodine kills single celled organisms by combining with the amino acids tyrosine or histidine when they are exposed to the extra-cellular environment. All single cells showing tyrosine on their outer cell membranes are killed instantly by a simple chemical reaction with iodine that denatures proteins. Nature and evolution have given us an important mechanism to control pathogenic life forms and we should use it and trust it to protect us in ways that antibiotics can't.

Iodine kills bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and even spores of bacteria and fungi, including anthrax spores. Iodine was used successfully against influenza, herpes, small pox, and chicken pox viruses. Kills parasites, bacteria, mold, yeast, protozoa, viruses--essentially all pathogens including malaria, E. coli, and Staphylococcus. When iodine was suspended in a solution, viral inactivation occurred at dilutions of 1/1,000,000. (Gershenfeld, L.: Iodine. In Disinfection, Sterilization, and Preservation. Edited by S. S. Block. Philadelphia, Les & Febiger, 1977, pp. 196-218.)

Iodine is able to penetrate quickly through the cell walls of microorganisms.

Table 4: Microbiological Efficacy Activity of PVP-Iodine versus Bacteria, Yeasts and Molds, Actinomycetes and Rickettsia

Organisms (No. of Strains) Range of PVP-I in ppm Available Iodine Contact Kill Time in Seconds
Proteus (41) 100 - 2500 15 - 180
Staphylococcus (36) 66 - 2500 15 - 80
Pseudomonas (36) 25 - 2500 15 - 900
Streptococcus (25) 200 - 2500 15 - 30
Escherichia (23) 200 - 2500 30 - 120
Salmonella (9) 1000 - 2500 15 - 60
Candida (8) 3.75 - 2500 10 - 120

Source: http://hbnshow.com/moreinfo/swine_flu_treatments.pdf, page 14.


Betadine
Posted by Colette (Marin County, Ca ) on 03/19/2018
★★★★★

Yes!!!! The capful and a half of peroxide and salt saline rinse changed my life. I have not had a sinus infection or ear infection for years. Caution!!!!!!! There is a reason drs tell people to stay away from this treatment. If not used very carefully conservatively you could break down your silia. Without your silia your mucus membrane can't protect itself. The reason I tried it was unbelievable high pain level. Within 10 mi of my first treatment I knew it was going to help. Stop using as soon as the sinus swelling pain is down. Never use this as a daily rinse. As always just my experience. I am not a Dr.


Betadine
Posted by Mike (Surrey, England) on 02/26/2016
★★★★★

So pleased I noticed your post here. I have suffered from sinusitis and post nasal drip leading to chest infections for many years. This followed a nasal operation which I was told would eradicate the problem. It made the situation much worse! I had been washing out my sinuses with premeasured NeilMed salt which was very helpful. However, I have been adding 3 drops of Betadine in the salt solution for about 3 months and the difference is amazing. Far less nasal congestion, post nasal drip almost gone and no chest infections! I find the salt solution a little drying inside my nasal passages so I apply a small amount of coconut oil inside my nose on a cotton bud a little time after the morning sinus rinse. I have benefited greatly from your own findings. Thank you so much.


Betadine
Posted by Daisy (Jacksonville, Florida) on 03/28/2012 8 posts
★★★★★

Oh, wow. The povodine idoine post might be the best tip on the whole site.

I have been using salt/baking soda sinus rinse for years, but never with the "miraculous" success others reported. There was even a couple of times when I felt like the rinse helped push the infection further up and further in. To combat this I have at separate times added either tincture of iodine or Lugol's in it -- very, very little because it has a nuclear sting -- which seemed to work and has helped in severe infections, but still nothing spectacular.

Over the last two or three days I have been building up to a full-blown sinus infection and came here to study the recommendations again when I came across this tip and realized that even though I have tried iodine, I have never tried *povidone* iodine, which is much less irritating to tissue and widely used in wound healing preparations.

I don't actually have any Betadine on hand except for some prepackaged surgical wipes a friend gave me (like wet wipes for your hands, but with betadine instead) but since I'd only need a few drops to try I figured that was enough. I knew the very first snort would tell me all I needed to know. So today when praparing the rinse I was going to do anyway, I tipped a few drops of water into the wipe packet, and then tipped the diluted betadine from the wipe packet into my sinus rinse bottle, added the water and salt/baking soda mix as usual, and had at it.

Oh. My. Gosh. It didn't sting a bit. And what's more, the building inflammation and congestion I'd had when I started was entirely gone by the time I mixed the second rinse only minutes later. (I usually do two rinses at a time. ) When I did the second rinse, instead of meeting the usual resistance from all the inflammation, the water ran out as fast as it ran in! And now, twenty minutes later, the relief is lasting just fine.

This is definitely a keeper, and not just because of povidone iodine's ease on the tissues and nasal mucosa. I have long had troubles with yeastiness, and am convinced that a lot of my sinus troubles are due to yeast... And as it happens, povidone iodine is active against fungi as well as bacteria. (I don't know about viruses, sorry. ) And if I had to place a bet, I'd say the near miraculous relief I got today was because it hit the yeast as well as whatever bacteria was trying to get a hold up in there.

Thank you so much for posting this little tip. The only thing I would add is that whoever tries it needs to make sure that they are using POVIDONE iodine (Betadine solution or its generic equivalent) and not tincture of iodine, or even a Betadine lotion/cream/cleanser/scrub, because it's not the same thing and there are a lot of products labeled Betadine. The ingredients in Betadine Solution are Povidone-Iodine 10%, Pareth 25-9, Purified Water, and Sodium Hydroxide, and that's it. If you put some other form of iodine in your nasal rinse, I'm going to bet that you come away sincerely wishing you hadn't, because I've tried them all and never found one that didn't sting like a mother until this.

Thank you again for posting this!!!


Betadine
Posted by B14a3w3 (Stewartstown, Pa) on 03/20/2011
★★★★★

For 2 years I have been using a capful of peroxide, premeasured NeilMed salt, 1 cup of warm water and 3 drops of Betadine once a day to prevent allergy sinus infections. I use a NeilMed squirt bottle to shoot the solution into one nasal passage and it comes out the other... Like a netipot would do. Instead of 2-3 infections a year, I have none. It has also prevented cracked skin over the cartilidge on the inside of my nose from post nasal drip irritation. My doctor said it was safe and to keep doing it since it helps. I have had infections for at least 20 years prior to trying this solution.


Betadine
Posted by Sabrina (Denver, CO) on 09/24/2007
★★★★★

Add 2 drops of Betadine (Povidone Iodine) to the NeilMed sinus rinse bottle along with the room temperature boiled water and salt packet. Betadine is an antiseptic. I tried this solution at the advice of a family physician, and it's the first thing that's ever worked. I did this rinse 4-6 times per day while I had the infection, and it got rid of it within one week. It's the first time I have kicked a sinus infection without antibiotics, and I usually get 4 sinus infections per year. I also added 1/4 tsp of hydrogen peroxide for good measure, but that's something I did, not the doctor's suggestion.



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