A Healthy DoseTM
TMLaughter is healthy.
A Healthy Dose™ is hilarious.
A Healthy Dose™ is hilarious.
Snot a Bad Idea
The neti pot, a ceramic vessel that looks mysteriously like Alladin’s profitable find, is your magic lamp. However, it’s not really a lamp. You wouldn’t want to use electricity for nasal irrigation, the process of pouring salt water in one nostril and out the other to clean mucus and allergens from nasal passages. The wires might get caught in your nose. Also, the neti pot is not really magic – but nasal irrigation, also called jala neti, is a proven, natural remedy that, to those with chronic sinus problems, is miraculous.
Once relegated to the back of the home-remedy aisle of a natural foods store, the neti pot now is available in mainstream drug stores. And yogis and mainstream medical professionals alike recommend the practice of nasal irrigation – which is not to be done in the back of any aisle of any store. Furthermore, the main stream that runs out of a neti pot and through your sinuses is saline.
It would be great if you could just rub the sides of the neti pot and a genie comes out with a magic wand to make your congestion clear. No such luck. Though the neti pot is effective, using the neti pot is at first somewhat awkward and, even after you get used to it, you look weird doing it. But, if you spend the spring and fall allergy seasons with your nose in a box of tissues, it’s worth the blow to your cool image (which you probably don’t have anyway if you spend time with your nose in a box of tissues).
Neti potting is a simple – but, initially, not always easy – process. First, you dissolve ¼ to ½ teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt in lukewarm water in the neti pot. (Simple and easy.) Bend a bit at the waist over a sink, and then turn your head to the side. (Simple and easy.) Insert the spout of neti pot gently into your raised nostril and gently tilt the pot so the saline flows out of the spout and into your nose. The water will flow through your nasal passages and will come out the other nostril. Repeat with the other nostril. (Simple. NOT EASY.) If you breathe through your mouth slowly and remain calm, the water will flow through your sinus cavity freely. If you tense up and freak out – which is very likely the first time you try it – your face will become Old Faithful.
But stick with it. Practice makes perfect with the neti pot, and you will need practice to get the temperature of the water, the concentration of salt and the angle of your head and the pot just right. But when you do get it all just right, you will wash away dirt, germs and other impurities from your nose, which might otherwise cause allergic reactions, illness, or just gross boogers. You will breathe easier immediately after your first successful neti pot experience, and if you add the neti pot to your hygiene routine once or twice a day, you’re in for long-term relief from allergies, and overall better health.
It’s hard to believe that something that looks so odd can be so effective – but, hey, think about Bill Gates. University of Wisconsin researchers conducted a controlled clinical trial that showed that sinus sufferers who used nasal irrigation realized an improved quality of life, less frequent symptoms, and used antibiotics and nasal sprays less often. Follow-up studies have confirmed the initial results, which were published in the December 2002 issue of the Journal of Family Practice. There is no proof yet, however, that using the neti pot will provide unlimited use of a ponytail-swishing Genie. It’s likely she moved to another home the first time she took a white-water rafting ride through Larry Hagman’s nose.
