- With Mayo Clinic asthma and allergy specialist
James T C Li, M.D., Ph.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
James T C Li, M.D., Ph.D.
James Li, M.D.
"People with allergy or asthma can lead full and healthy lives." — Dr. James Li
Dr. James Li is chair of the Division of Allergic Diseases in the Department of Internal Medicine and a board-certified asthma and allergy specialist. He hopes his expertise and the information on the site educates health care consumers in an area of rapid change both in medications and diagnoses.
"There are a lot of misperceptions about allergy and asthma," says Dr. Li, a New York City native who has been with Mayo since 1985 and works with a group of subspecialists in allergy, asthma and immunology. "I believe it's important to provide truthful, accurate information about allergy and asthma to the public. The more people know, the better they can take care of these conditions."
Dr. Li is a professor of medicine at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic. He's a past director of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, and the American Board of Internal Medicine. He's a fellow in the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.
The American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology honored him with the Distinguished Service Award, and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology with its Special Recognition Award.
Definition (1)
- Cold or allergy: Which is it?
Complications (1)
- Plugged ears: What is the remedy?
Lifestyle and home remedies (7)
- Exercise and illness: Work out with a cold?
- Vicks VapoRub: An effective nasal decongestant?
- Warm-mist vs. cool-mist humidifier: Which is better for a cold?
- see all in Lifestyle and home remedies
Alternative medicine (3)
- Echinacea: Is it effective for the common cold?
- Zinc for colds: The final word?
- Do the benefits of vitamin C include improved mood?
Prevention (1)
- Flu germs: How long can they live outside the body?
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Question
Neti pot solution: Can I make my own?
Is it OK to make my own neti pot solution? Or is it better to buy a bottled neti pot solution?
Answer
from James T C Li, M.D., Ph.D.
A neti pot is a shallow container with a long, tapered spout. Neti pots are designed for rinsing or irrigating the nasal cavity. This irrigation helps relieve nasal congestion.
You don't need to buy a manufactured solution to use in a neti pot. A homemade solution works just as well. Use water that's distilled, sterile, previously boiled and cooled, or filtered using a filter with an absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller to make up the irrigation solution. Also be sure to rinse the irrigation device after each use with similarly distilled, sterile, previously boiled and cooled, or filtered water and leave open to air dry.
Next questionCold symptoms: Does drinking milk increase phlegm?
- Rabago D, et al. Saline nasal irrigation for upper respiratory conditions. American Family Physician. 2009;80:1117.
- Harvey R, et al. Nasal saline irrigations for the symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2007:CD006394. Accessed Feb. 2, 2011.
- Kassel JC, et al. Saline nasal irrigation for acute upper respiratory tract infections. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2010:CD006821. Accessed Feb. 2, 2011.
- Nasal irrigation. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed Feb. 14, 2010.
- Naegleria FAQs. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/faqs.html. Accessed Dec. 30, 2011.
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