Updated Feb. 2, 2025
When mold, mildew, fungus, yeast, candida, parasites, bacteria, virus and other unfriendly microbes live in excess in our gut, they can live in our sinuses without us knowing it… until the possibility is revealed by our advanced thermography. But some sinus infections can be treated on contact by rotating essential oils in neti pot applications. Let’s explore the most potent essential oils for neti pot use.
What Are Microbial Infections?
A microbe is defined as a microorganism (a microscopic living organism) and includes bacteria, mold, fungi, protozoa, and algae, among others. (Viruses are regarded as not living but still fall in the realm of microbiology.) Because the gut and sinus are one system, microbial infections of the gut may be found in the sinuses. While many of my clients report no symptoms or sensations in the sinuses, advanced thermography can help reveal the presence of sinus infection.
Take this client for example. She had no idea at the time, but she had significant inflammation suggesting sinus infection. Follow-up testing with her health team diagnosed it as candida.
Compare her images to normal client face images without signs of infection:
While her infection originated in the gut (intestines), it is clearly systemic and thriving in her sinuses too. Yet, she felt nothing. She subsequently adopted an anti-candida diet and nutriceuticals to combat the infection.
Many Essential Oils Kill Microbes
Essential oils are aromatic oily liquids obtained from plant materials (flowers, buds, seeds, leaves, twigs, bark, herbs, wood, fruits and roots). An estimated 3,000 essential oils are known. They have been used for centuries as natural medicines to combat a multitude of microbes, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses. In recent years more than 500 reports have investigated a large number of essential oils for their antimicrobial properties.
Cinnamon, clove and rosemary oils have shown antibacterial and antifungal activity; Tea tree (melaleuca) oil has shown antiseptic and antimicrobial, antifungal, antiviral, and antiprotozoal properties; Lemon and rosemary oils possess antioxidant properties; Citronella oil has shown inhibitory effect on biodegrading and storage-contaminating fungi; Lavender oil has shown antibacterial and antifungal activity and found to be effective to treat burns and insect bites. Several studies have shown that cinnamon, clove and rosemary oils have strong and consistent inhibitory effects against various pathogens. And, combining certain oils can provide an additive or synergistic effect.
How to Treat a Sinus Infection with A Neti Pot
Add a few drops of essential oil in warm water in your neti pot. (Too much essential oil can burn/irritate your sinus passageways!) If you use sea salt, use ½ to 1 tsp of sea salt per two cups of warm water. With your head over a sink or in the shower, lean forward slightly so your head is nearly horizontal, turning your head to one side. Insert the neti pot spout snuggly into the upper nostril allowing its solution to flow through your sinuses and out the lower nostril. Be sure to keep your mouth open and breathe through your mouth: relax. Use half the solution in the first nostril and the remainder in the second.
In between and/or after each flush, you can gently blow your nose to clear the solution. I put a fingertip on one nostril and gently blow into the sink, and then repeat for the other nostril. Apply once or twice a day, perhaps morning and night, and after any excess exposure to allergens or foreign materials, i.e. after mowing the lawn. Consider rotating the essential oils from day to day to order to gain a broader spectrum of antimicrobial effect, and including sea salt in the rotation.
Thieves Essential Oil Blend
Have you heard of Young Living Essential oils? The Thieves Blend includes Clove bud oil, Lemon peel oil, Cinnamon bark oil, Eucalyptus leaf oil, and Rosemary leaf oil. To find a provider in your area, you can Google: “young living products near [your city, state],” and distributors will be listed for you.
Table of Essential Oil Antimicrobial Properties
by Tirza Derflinger
Founder, Preventive Health Educator
Better Breast Health – For Life!™
Be the Cure. Seek Prevention.
303-664-1139 ● preventivethermography.com
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4. C. F. Carson, K. A. Hammer and T. V. Riley; Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree) Oil: a Review of Antimicrobial and Other Medicinal Properties. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2006 Jan, 19(1): 50–62.
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8. Cavanagh HM, Wilkinson JM: Biological activities of lavender essential oil. Phytother Res 2002, 16:301-308.
9. Matan N, Rimkeeree H, Mawson AJ, Chompreeda P, Haruthaithanasan V, Parker M: Antimicrobial activity of cinnamon and clove oils under modified atmosphere conditions. Int J Food Microbiol 2006, 107:180-185.
10. Imaël Henri Nestor Bassolé and H. Rodolfo Juliani: Essential Oils in Combination and Their Antimicrobial Properties. Molecules 2012, 17, 3989-4006.
11. Seenivasan Prabuseenivasan, Manickkam Jayakumar and Savarimuthu Ignacimuthu: In vitro antibacterial activity of some plant essential oils. MC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2006, 6:39.