JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – After two very unusual deaths in Louisiana, doctors are warning people not to put tap water in their noses.
Medical officials say two people have died this year after using a neti pot, a plastic device that uses fluid to clean out your sinuses.
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The neti pot is not blamed for the people's deaths, but rather the water inside of the pot. Investigators found a brain-eating parasite, known as an amoeba, in the victims' tap water.
"I thought I was going to hate it, you know," neti pot user Tammy Jacob said. "Pouring water in your nasal passages seemed like disgusting."
Jacob discovered the neti pot three years ago, and when she has a cold or a bad sinus infection, she said there's nothing else like it.
"The water and the solution gets all in your sinuses and in that little bone that up there and just flushes it out, and you feel like a brand new person," Jacob said.
Those using water straight from the faucet could be putting themselves at risk of contracting a brain-eating parasite by pouring it directly into their sinus cavity.
"What happens is these little amoeba's can travel through to your sinuses to your brain, and then that's when they cause the meningitis," Dr. Alison Hitz-Vukich said. "They actually destroy the tissue. They eat it. They live off the brain cells and that's how they survive."
With the neti pot and other nasal cleansers, doctors recommend people keep them clean, make sure to wash the pot regularly with hot water and a little soap, and replace the pot every few months.
Experts say people shouldn't use tap water. Instead, used distilled water or premixed packages of solution.
Jacob admits she doesn't always follow this advice.
"We used tap water, and honestly, if I was in a pinch I would use tap water, too, because I haven't had anything adverse happen to me with that," she said.
Most neti pots come with packets of saline mix. People can also buy a jug of distilled water for only a couple of bucks.