Despite a pretty serious aversion to surgery I am considering the balloon sinuplasty procedure. From what I have read and watched it looks very promising. Less invasive than traditional surgery and easier recovery.
Still researching though, as well as talking w/ loved ones and of course my doctor (he was my parents doctor before and is more like a family friend).
Have a wonderful evening. Peace,
I can safely say that using the neti with Manuka 16+ did absolutely nothing for me. I am scheduled to see my faithful ENT guy next week but all he will be able to do is set up a 3rd polypectomy. In the meantime, I had noticed that even a high dose of prednisone was no longer doing the trick. I lost my taste and smell 2 months ago do I figured I might as well shake the prednisone habit entirely. I am down to half my previous 15mg daily dosage and I am living in hell. I have to bite the bullet and boost my prednisone again, to ruinous levels, if I want to have the semblance of a normal life. 2 boxes of kleenex a day is not cool. I need a miracle.
Hi Congested. Very sorry to hear of your continuing troubles. Wish I had some insight for you, or even a clue about the balloon sinuplasty procedure and whether or not it would work for your condition.
I am wishing you all the best. Take care.
Manuka discussion summary:
I feel people were missing each other’s comments and contributions.
The reason one might be interested in Manuka honey is due to its anti-MRSA properties. That is what jlg was discussing (not anti-allergy properties… BTW local honey does not help allergies… that is a well meaning and seemingly reasonable conjecture but tests don’t show any such effect).
MRSA infections don’t respond to normal anti-biotics and are hard to get rid of, even when you use the expensive stuff that does target them. So the article he/she wanted us to see is REALLY EXCITING STUFF! A lot of people want to know if a diluted solution of [U]this [/U]honey would work to get rid of a MRSA sinus infection. Other honey’s (based on the plants the bees used) did not have the same anti-bacterial effect and were totally worthless [U]for that purpose. [/U]
jlg shared that that (anti-infection) worked for him/her.
Then “Congested” said he/she has recurring sinus polyps. Later “Congested” said that the Manuka honey did nothing to stop the regrowth of sinus polyps.
jlg says, 12-20-2008: “I can say without doubts that this honey totally changed my life.”
Congested says, 07-21-2009: “I have suffered from sinus polyps for over 15 years now […] I will give manuka neti a go and report back.”
I’m not surprised that manuka honey did nothing for polyps.
Congested says 08-20-200: “I can safely say that using the neti with Manuka 16+ did absolutely nothing for me.[…] set up a 3rd polypectomy.”
I’m thinking of trying it. The doctor(s) who did the vitro study said they are doing in-vivo tests but I can’t find results on those yet, so they are probably not completed and written up. I just have the testimony of jlg. But, the cost is low and the risk is null. So… what the heck! 
My only addition will be to test the PH of the solution. I’ll add salt and also add baking soda to adjust the PH after adding the tsp of active UMF 16 manuka honey using a litmus strip.
I may not remember (it will be weeks from now) to return and post results. We know that this honey (and another from Yemen that is very expensive) kill MRSA better than any antibiotic, so I think things will work. I’ve also used Xylotol in a nasal rinse but it was only a minor help.
Cheers!
As per salt. What helps the most in the Dead Sea salt is probably the magnesium. I will say that you don’t want salt with iodine because it stings.
But, you can get a lot of that increased anti-inflammatory help that people report from the Dead Sea salt by adding some simple cheap Epsom Salt (a quart is like $3.00!). It is Magnesium Sulfate. There are some patent applications involving nasal sprays that will include magnesium to reduce inflammation in sinus tissue. I have no advice on the amount… I just guess after adding salt and baking soda (not baking powder). I need to get some litmus strips to check.
From Wikipedia: In its hydrated form the pH is 6.0 (5.5 to 6.5)
[B]PH 8? [/B]
Hard to find what the PH should be (on the internet)… found this:
(approx. pH 8 ) like the nasal mucous membrane. An
isotonic saline rinsing solution buffered with baking soda is even better adapted to the salt concentration in the blood than a pure saline solution.
Manaku honey is a subset.
All cows are animals… not all animals are cows.
All Manaku honey is honey… not all honey is Manaku honey.
Manaku honey has strong anti-biotic properties. Not all honey does.
Honey (in general) is acidic (per wiki).
"The pH of honey is commonly between 3.2 and 4.5. This relatively acidic"
I’d think you’d want to balance with a pinch of Baking Soda (not Baking Powder).
I recently got around to ordering and received it in the mail, today. Sorry I’m not further along… but wanted to apologize for not getting back sooner.
Will report back. I may want to get some PH tester but I’ll probably just guess and go by feel.
Oh… and local honey does not relieve allergies. Sounds reasonable because of the pollen, but it absolutely does not work.
Manaku honey is collected by european bees, usually in New Zealand where Leptospermum scoparium is a common plant. Leptospermum scoparium also grows in Australia but isn't as common.
Oh I am glad to see this thread up again. Looking forward to hearing the results Allen.
Has anyone tried this skin cream which contains Manuka Honey from ShopNewZealand … i have been using it since a week and find it pretty effective and my skin has become softer, but still wanted an opinion from others using it as well 
In my area now is very cold , when I use the copper pot the coldness of the pot tip insert into my nostril make me shiver and very uncomfortable.
Wonder if need to pre heat the pot before use
tina – sounds good to me. I suspect running it under warm water from the faucet would do it.
Sorry for not replying sooner.
Change of plans. Yes I tried using the manuka honey in a nasal irrigation. But, no, I have nothing to report.
Why? I’ve been doing pretty good anyway, since last surgury that I can’t say if the manuka helped or not. I also did not have a culture done (before/after).
Best to await the results of a real study where they can test.
That said – IF I had had an ongoing and noticeable sinus infection and IF using this had helped, I would have posted that. I think that (although one person’s story) is helpful to hear (if it helped or not).
I’m looking forward to results from this guy in Canada: (I think they are planing human studies… all they’ve done just happened in a petri dish, so far).
“But testing on live patients “is very, very close,” says Dr. Talal Alandejani, a resident in ear, nose and throat medicine at the U of O, though first they’ll do safety tests on animals. He expects it to pass these tests easily.”
I can’t publish the URL for that article do to this site’s restrictions. But search that name. I have found no updates, and it may be a while before his human studies are (started?) published.
I’m also looking at Himalayan Oregano Oil, which kills MRSA at a 1,000 to 1 dilution (yes? look it it up). Seems that if a touch of soap is used to disperse in water, that at that dilution, it would be unlikely to be an irritant. Haven’t found a source for Himalayan Oregano Oil yet. Other Oregano Oil should be fine but the articles just said Himalayan Oregano Oil was slightly more effective (to my understanding, please search and read yourself).
[QUOTE=Congested;22211]I can safely say that using the neti with Manuka 16+ did absolutely nothing for me. I am scheduled to see my faithful ENT guy next week but all he will be able to do is set up a 3rd polypectomy. In the meantime, I had noticed that even a high dose of prednisone was no longer doing the trick. I lost my taste and smell 2 months ago do I figured I might as well shake the prednisone habit entirely. I am down to half my previous 15mg daily dosage and I am living in hell. I have to bite the bullet and boost my prednisone again, to ruinous levels, if I want to have the semblance of a normal life. 2 boxes of kleenex a day is not cool. I need a miracle.[/QUOTE]
Hello Congested, how long did you try the manuka netti for. I know when I first started to do Jal Netti it took quite a while before I saw results, but the present clarity of the last two weeks have certainly been worth it ; it took quite a few weeks if not more of fighting against severe congestion, now two netti pots a day keep it in check.
However I’ve also had great success with fasting with raw onion and honey syrup whenever you feel the need, and citrus or veg juices. Was blown away by the power of the honey and onion mixture to clear my sinuses. Fasted about 3 days each time; fasted around the seasons 3 days start of new season, fast usually appropriate to that season and whatever ailment; but each time it was the sinuses that cleared first. Can’t say I’m completely cured, but amazing compared to what I used to be; usually clear nostrils if netti morn and eve, do have to keep this up though. But the body took a long time to get that congested it takes some time to let it properly clear. If your body is trying to shift inner toxins fasting will help it immeasurably. Have you considered hidden food allergies?
Respectfully: You’re wasting your time. He’s talking about POLYPS not infection.
More on my experiences.
I don’t think the antibiotic honey is the way to go at all.
I have had the start of an infection twice in the past year. I used 4-6 drops of oregano oil in about 8oz of water plus the salt solution. I use the squeeze bottle by NeilMed (I’m sure there are others). It takes a couple days. It can sting. I bought oil capsules (Nature somthing? and they were not specifically Hymilanian oregeno just Oregeno Oil capsules meant to be swallowed whole). It must be the case that they contain an emulsifier (maybe lecithin) because if you fill the bottle a third (1/3) add the drops and shake, the oil readily mixes with the water. I’d just bite a hole in one end and put drops in and then swallow the capsule with water. Perhaps just taking the capsules would have worked…who knows.
DO NOT fill the bottle to the top and [I]then [/I]add the oil because there is not enough agitation to mix it.
Now, that said, whatever you decide to put up your own nose is your risk and your business. I’m just telling you what my experience was and that was, that a daily or twice daily rinse (I hold in nose for a while) cleared up my particular bacterial sinus infection with no doubt and did so within 3 days. The honey I tried eventually worked but it was a) Far more expensive. b) Really unpleasant and weird. c) took much longer and messier to concoct the mixture. d) Took about a week and more frequent use.
Those are of course, just my perceptions.
Respectfully: You’re wasting your time. He’s talking about POLYPS not infection.
I’ve suffered with sinus infections for many years and may be able to offer some little help. After 25 years of chronic sinus problems and numerous operations I found the major cause of my problems was an allergy to cows milk. The headaches, bunged up nose and chestyness all suddenly disappeared after completely removing cows milk from my diet.
That is until about 10 years ago when I got a sinus infection that has refused to go away. The neti pot and salt water has made a big improvement, but not cleared the infection. I suspect the problem is down to bugs hiding in the damaged (operated on) nasal cavities and reinfecting the infected area as soon as antibiotics are stopped.
After reading these threads I will be trying Manuka honey for sure and will post the result - good or bad. Thanks to all contributors;)
Hi All,
I’d like to just note that there has actually been a study made which shows that Manuka honey has considerably reduced the symptoms of two patients. Please check the following link: drjaver.com/DrJaver/manuka_honey_information.pdf
In the Qur’aan it says (interpretation of the meaning):
"And your Lord inspired the bees, saying: "Take you habitations in the mountains and in the trees and in what they (humans) erect (ex: structures made for bees).
Then, eat of all fruits, and follow the ways of your Lord made easy (for you)." There comes forth from their bellies, a drink of varying colour wherein is healing for men. Verily, in this is indeed a sign for people who think."