Schwartz Gives Advice on Using Nasal Spray Correctly

Using a nasal spray seems pretty straightforward, but according to a viral video by a physician in Florida, it’s very likely that your technique could use improvement. In the video, the physician advises to first blow your nose, then prime the pump, then angle the spray to the outside corner of your eye, then pull your cheek to open the nasal area, then spray and sniff gently. Expanding on the Florida physician’s advice, Stanley A. Schwartz, MD, PhD, UB Distinguished Professor of medicine and pediatrics — who is chief of the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Rheumatology — notes that blowing your nose is important. “If you don’t blow your nose, the mucus that’s in your nose will dilute the nasal spray,” he says. Also, Schwartz notes there is a risk of puncturing your septum if you repeatedly spritz steroid nasal spray directly on it.