Why can you fill your sinuses with ocean water but not tap water in a netty pot
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Oh, wait, I think you’re asking “why is it not considered dangerous to get seawater up your nose while swimming in the ocean, but it is dangerous to use tapwater in a neti pot” ?
Is that correct ?
In general, the risk of infection from either is very small. People do get infections in their upper sinuses from swimming in the ocean, lakes, rivers, or ponds where dangerous pathogens are present, same as they do get infections from using tapwater where dangerous pathogens are present to irrigate their upper sinuses.
The risk of infection is minimized by using sterile water in the neti pot. Distilled water goes through a boiling > steam > condensation cycle that makes it completely sterile, which is why distilled water is very strongly recommended.
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