Could Your Neti Pot Kill You? [VIDEO]
I squirt something up my nose every day that could potentially kill me, a sinus rinse. It sounds like something out of a horror movie. An amoeba can crawl up your nose and into your brain. I don't mean to seem over-dramatic, but Two people did die in Louisiana from using tap water from a neti pot to too relieve their nasal congestion.
According to The Daily Mail:
Both victims died from a brain infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, an amoeba common in rivers and lakes, after they used tap water in a neti pot to flush their sinuses.
The Louisiana state Department of Health and Hospitals has issued a warning:
If you are using a neti pot or those squeeze bottles for sinus rinses, use distilled, filtered or previously boiled water.
Infections are rare , but can occur if water is forced up the nose — such as from diving or jumping into fresh water, or doing a nasal rinse with tap water that contains the microbe.
Check out this video from YouTube and Insider Health TV: