Pulse Wave Therapy and Medications for Sinusitis

J. R. asks: You mention adding Xylitol to the Hydro Pulse™ nasal/sinus irrigator for sinusitis and postnasal drip. Please explain.

The principle of pulse wave irrigation is that the wave motion at a certain pulse rate will move nasal cilia back and forth, to restore good nasal cilia motion. When the cilia move well, they move the bacteria and pollen out of the nose and sinuses. This is the ideal way to clear a sinus infection.

Another action is that the pulsation is best for removing thick mucus. If the mucus blanket over the cilia thickens or becomes gelatinous, it makes it difficult for the cilia to move. We see this regularly in Cystic Fibrosis and HIV infection. When the pulse wave action thins the mucus, this allows return of good cilia movement.

Another favorable result of pulse wave action is that it acts like a gentle massage to the nasal tissues; this massage moves out stale lymph fluid and brings in fresh circulation with the healing elements.

In some patients, the pulse wave action, even at the correct frequency and pressure may not be sufficient to clear the sinus infection. For these patients your doctor often recommends that you add Xylitol to the Hydro Pulse™ irrigation. (www.hydromedonline.com)

Xylitol is a sugar used by diabetics. Instead of being metabolized by Insulin, it is metabolized by the liver. For this reason is is used by diabetics as a regular sweetener. Generally you add one or two teaspoons to sweeten your tea.

However, some bacteria can’t digest Xylitol. When Xylitol is present, it is difficult for the bacteria to stick to the tissue. Thus adding Xylitol to the Hydro Pulse irrigation will lower the bacterial count. The lower the bacterial count, the more easily your natural immune system can overcome an infection.

This can be of particular benefit after a bad cold where the mucus has turned green and the cold is turning into a sinus infection.

The percentage of Xylitol used may determine how effective this is for clearing an infection. Generally if you add one teaspoon of ordinary salt to 500 ml of water (the size of the Hydro Pulse tank) that makes a one percent solution. But Xylitol is lighter, so two teaspoons of Xylitol added to 500 ml of saline makes a one percent solution.
Two tsp of Xylitol makes a one percent solution
Four tsp of Xylitol makes a two percent solution
Six tsp makes a three percent solution.
In all these examples you need to add one packet of Breathe Ease XL first, or one tsp of salt (kosher salt is free of additives) to make a saline solution.

The reason I like the Xylitol additive is that there are no side effects. It is not an antibiotic and no bacteria build up a resistance to it. And it is cheap.

I have my patients start with the one percent – two teaspoons of Xylitol first and gradually increase up to a three percent solution.

The purpose of the Xylitol is to reduce bacterial content. Once the mucus is clear, there is no advantage to adding this.

Since the solution enters the sinus cavity, sometimes you can taste the sweet taste much later. This is because when you use pulse wave irrigation, fhe flow of the solution past the sinus opening acts to suction out the sinus contents and displace it with the irrigating solution. This is called Bernoulli’s principle. With pulse wave irrigation it is more effective because you have the pulsing action to add to the displacement action.

If you sinus infection continues to hang on despite treatment, ask your doctor about adding the Xylitol to the pulse wave irrigation solution.